Eury Jr. has been crew chief for Dale in the Sprint Cup Series since 2006, as the duo then managed to score an impressive 5th place in the overall classification. The two are actually cousins and have remained together after Earnhardt Jr. decided to move to Hendrick Motorsport in 2008. In 48 Sprint Cup races with this organization, Earnhardt only scored one win, in Michigan (2008).
Although he will no longer work close to his cousin, Eury Jr. was secured a spot within Hendrick Motorsports, as he'll take a new role in team's research and development group. Hendrick's team manager Brian Whitesell was named interim crew chief for the #88 Chevy for the Dover 400, while he'll be replaced by Lance McGrew starting the Pocono 500 on June 7th. Based on how this new collaboration will work out, the team is to decide later in the season if any further moves are required.
“I have mixed feelings, and that's just natural. But I enjoy working at Hendrick Motorsports, and this is where I want to be. I'll do whatever I can to help all of our teams and try to be a part of another championship. I think a new challenge will be good,” said Eury, as reported by the NASCAR site.
Team's owner Rick Hendrick insisted this move was necessary in order to give Earnhardt a boost in the Sprint standings, and stressed that everybody in the team will bring his contribution to Junior's championship recovery.
“Our performance hasn't been where it should be. It's impossible to pin that on any one factor, but a change is the right decision at this point. We have a plan in place, and we're going to move forward with it. It's going to be a collective effort that includes all of our drivers, all of our crew chiefs and all of our engineers. Everyone in our company will be involved on some level,” added Hendrick.
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