Earnhardt Jr., crew chief build rapport, hit ground talking

By Gary Graves, USA TODAY

DOVER, Del. — The news wasn't that Dale Earnhardt Jr. talked about how his Chevrolet performed during Sunday's Autism Speaks 400, just how much he talked.
His first Sprint Cup race with interim crew chief Lance McGrew was downright gabby compared to the laid-back radio rapport he had with predecessor Tony Eury Jr., his cousin, reassigned a week ago in Hendrick Motorsports' shakeup of the No. 88 team. As Earnhardt and McGrew warned against reading too much into that, their exchanges were significant because communication is one important aspect to building a team.


TEAM NOTES: Three sides to the story at Pocono

"It was hard to be (talkative) with Tony Jr.," Earnhardt said after finishing 12th at Dover International Speedway. "It wasn't his fault. Me and him were too cool to talk that much to each other; I don't know how you love somebody so much and carry so much pride around them, but that's the way we were.

"It's real easy to talk to Lance. It's only one race. We'll see how we communicate in two months and see if we're at each other's throats then or not. I think it's a good start."

As with midseason coaching and managerial changes in other sports, the impact of a new crew chief can be immediate or gradual.

Pat Tryson hooked up with Kurt Busch a month after Greg Erwin joined Greg Biffle in May 2007, and the pairings mined differed results. Busch won consecutive starts at Pocono Raceway and Michigan International Speedway that August and made the Chase for the Sprint Cup, finishing seventh. Biffle missed the 10-race title run but won at Kansas Speedway, laying the groundwork for last year's Chase berth and third-place finish.

"Our goals were of a longer stretch," recalled Erwin, who had to set up the former and next-generation models of Roush Fenway Racing's No. 16 Ford in addition to learning Biffle. "It took several months to get my arms wrapped around how they get things done here.

"The adjustment was me not knowing Greg, and I had to focus on the car. Once that developed, our relationship started to grow. I try to keep it straightforward, but (now) I can tell what he's going to say when he steps out of the car."

Thirteen starts leave time for Earnhardt to make up 215 points and climb from 18th into contention for the 12th and final Chase spot, but much depends on how quickly he and McGrew jell. Sunday was encouraging as Earnhardt finished 10 spots higher than his start.

Afterward he told his crew, "We're building Rome," which might suggest a long-term outlook if not for the fact that McGrew — a 10-year Hendrick employee — carries an interim tag with quick-gain expectations. Plus, they worked three Nationwide Series races together last year.

"I was a little shocked by that, because interim usually means temporary," said Fox analyst and former crew chief Larry McReynolds, who won the Daytona 500 with Davey Allison and Dale Earnhardt. "But I guess because he came from within the organization it takes some of the pressure off. The way Hendrick operates, crew chiefs are promoted from within. … I think (McGrew) is comfortable in the position, because he knows how it operates and he's had more than a year to watch this develop."

But McReynolds, like many around the Cup garage, can't predict where it will lead, because Earnhardt's team has many concerns to address, from pit stops to performance. Foremost is that delicate driver-crew chief relationship requiring time and interaction, particularly when the former is an enigma with rock star status.

All of which made Brad Keselowski's absence at Dover on Sunday significant. The plan was for McGrew to guide him in that race and relieve Brian Whitesell with Earnhardt this weekend at Pocono Raceway, but when Keselowski didn't qualify Hendrick accelerated his ascent one week.

All came away hopeful yet cautious after the last-minute switch, and McGrew's initial reticence about the spotlight gave way to an attitude of "bring it on" when it came to him and Earnhardt learning each other.

"This is a sport about trust," he said. "I have to trust the guys that are working on the car doing everything right, the driver has to trust in me for making the right decisions, and that's just how it is. Until we get that relationship, there'll be second-guessing here and there. I think we made a big step forward for him to get the trust in me. I've got the trust in him.

"It was fun. If it wasn't fun, I wouldn't do it."

Article Courtesy of USA Today