1. Kyle Bush
2. Tony Stewert
3, David Reutimann
4. Greg Biffle
5. Jeff Gordon.
Don’t forget the race starts a 1:30 on fox. The last week of fox broadcasting.
Archive for May, 2009
MY TOP 5 PICKS FOR DOVER
May 30
Kyle Bush VS. Dale JR
May 30
Kyle Bush:#18-Kyle Busch said it point-blank: “It’s never Junior; it’s always the crew chief.” Busch fired that opening volley of driver reaction Friday morning to Hendrick Motorsports’ dismissal of Tony Eury Jr. as #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s crew chief on Thursday. Asked about Eury’s replacement, Lance McGrew, with whom Busch worked in the Nationwide Series at Hendrick in 2004, Busch expressed pity for McGrew. “He’s got his hands full, I guess, having to deal with what’s going on,” Busch said. “And if Junior doesn’t run well, then he [McGrew] is going to be the ‘problem’ again.” Still, Busch said he understood the move to bolster the driver who replaced him at Hendrick last season, both because of Earnhardt’s star power and Busch’s salary issues. “You’ve got to make the most popular driver in the sport competitive, so you gotta do what you gotta do, I guess,” Busch said.
Dale JR
from a Team Chevy Driver Press conference transcript with #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.:
ARE YOU SURPRISED ABOUT KYLE BUSCH’S COMMENTS EARLIER TODAY ABOUT YOUR CREW CHIEF SITUATION?: “Not really, that doesn’t really surprise me what Kyle (Busch) says. He’s always had a chip on his shoulder for me. I expect anytime he gets an opportunity to throw a jab in there he’s going to do it. That’s just his personality. We’re working toward trying to figure out how we can make our deal work and that has nothing to do with Kyle (Busch). We’ll see how this weekend goes and then move forward next week.
NASCAR driver Truex nearing a decision on future
By DAN GELSTON – 7 hours ago
DOVER, Del. (AP) — Martin Truex Jr. says he has a gut feeling about which team he’ll join for the 2010 season and expects to announce that decision in the next few weeks.
Truex is in a contract year with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. He ranks 18th in the Sprint Cup points standings heading into Sunday’s race.
Speaking Friday at Dover International Speedway, Truex says he’s in a good place and is not worried about where he’ll race next year.
Truex could jump to the No. 55 of Michael Waltrip Racing if Michael Waltrip steps out of the car. MWR recently signed Truex’s teenage brother to a developmental contract.
LINK
Update: Truex Jr. discusses future contract plans: from a Team Chevy Driver Press conference transcript with #1-Martin Truex Jr.:
DOES THE FACT THAT YOU ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RUMOR MILL ANNOY YOU? “It is what it is, there is no way to stop it. I don’t get annoyed. I think it is kind of comical sometimes. But we all understand that you all are trying to get the story and you want to get it before the next guy. It is no different than us wanting to beat the next guy. We understand all that. Hopefully, we’ll be able to put all of it to an end shortly.”
HOW SOON? “Within a few weeks, I would say.”
DAVID REUTIMANN SAID EARLIER TODAY THAT THE BEST REASON FOR A DRIVER TO CONSIDER COMING TO MICHAEL WALTRIP RACING WAS THAT HE WAS THERE, BEING SERIOUS, IS THERE SOMETHING THERE TO ATTRACT A DRIVER? “That is a good answer (laughs). He did win last week. They seem like a great organization. They have come a long way. I think they have a lot going for them. We will just have to see what happens.”
DO YOU HAVE A GUT FEELING ABOUT WHERE YOU ARE GOING? “Yes, but I ain’t going to tell you though. I am just not going to tell you anything. The picture is pretty clear for me right now. I am in a good place. I am pretty happy with the way things have gone and I have been having fun at the race track and things are going well right now. I think in the next few weeks, everybody will know what is going on. I have just been concentrating on racing because I the picture is kind of clear so I am not really worried too much about it too much.”
DOES YOUR BROTHER BEING AT WALTRIP HAVE ANY IMPACT ON YOUR DECISION? “Well I think with my brother being there has a big impact. I have more of an insight on how they do things which has been good.”
SO IS YOUR NEXT MOVE GOING TO BE MORE LONG-TERM SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO DEAL WITH THIS AGAIN ANY TIME SOON? “Yeah, this time around it’s going to have to be.”
WILLYOUR SPONSOR FOLLOW YOU? “I don’t know. That’s something we’ll have to look at down the road once we figure everything out. We’ll see.”
HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR YOU TO HAVE SPONSORS THAT IDENTIFY WITH YOU? “I think it’s very important. Obviously you want to be yourself and you want to be true to your fans and real. When you go out and sell something you don’t want to just say hey use this because I do. When you’re promoting somebody’s product you want to be sincere about it. At least I have. That’s why Bass Pro has been such a great fit for me. It’s a no brainer. It would be easy for me to go to their stores and meet their customer because I’m a customer of theirs and I have been. I think it’s important to do that with your fans. To promote the sponsor and put 100 percent into it you need to be connected.”
NASCAR UPDATE
May 29
A persistent shower and lack of lights washed out the Truck Series race at Dover on Friday, moving it to 6 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Ron Hornaday will start from the pole.
Attempting to get a jump on the weather, NASCAR got the trucks on the track for pace laps, but rain immediately began to fall and halted the 5:08 p.m. scheduled start time.
After about 30 minutes, the race was postponed considering the weather and the fact that Dover’s track does not have lights.
Moving the race to Saturday presents a long day at the track. Nationwide Series qualifying begins at 10 a.m., followed by two Cup Series practices and the Nationwide race at 2:30 p.m.
Tony Eury Jr is out,
May 28
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. will have a new crew chief starting with this weekend’s race at Dover.
The team said Thursday that Tony Eury Jr. was replaced as crew chief of Earnhardt’s No. 88 team.
They left Dale Earnhardt Inc. last season to drive for Hendrick Motorsports, but they’ve yet to find consistency despite driving for NASCAR’s top team.
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Our performance hasn’t been where it should be. … Change is the right decision at this point.
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RICK HENDRICK
“Our performance hasn’t been where it should be,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “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.”
They have one win in 48 races with Hendrick and are 19th in points. They hit rock bottom with Monday’s 40th-place finish at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
Team manager Brian Whitesell will be the crew chief this weekend. Lance McGrew will take over next week on an interim basis as team owner Rick Hendrick figures out a long-term plan for NASCAR’s most popular driver.
“We’re going to put our full resources toward improving the situation and winning races,” Hendrick said. “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.”
As a crew chief, McGrew has posted victories in all three of NASCAR’s major touring series. He has won races with drivers Brian Vickers, Jeff Gordon, Ricky Hendrick, Kyle Busch, Mark Martin and Tony Stewart.
A native of Baton Rouge, La., McGrew has experience working with Earnhardt. Last season, the pair ran three Nationwide Series races, posting two top-10s and a 15th-place finish.
After Monday’s rain-shortened race, Hendrick’s commitment to the pair had clearly waned. Following months of steadfast support, he was noncommittal about Eury’s future with Earnhardt.
Earnhardt and Eury spent Tuesday and Wednesday testing on the road course at Virginia International Raceway. Hendrick told them he was splitting the pair upon their return.
“I have mixed feelings, and that’s just natural,” Eury said. “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.”
Whatever route Hendrick takes, he’s giving Earnhardt the full-time use of Whitesell and Rex Stump, the lead chassis engineer.
“Tony and I talked through this [Wednesday] night,” Hendrick said. “I want him here, he wants to be here, and he’s going to be a big contributor to our future success. I have an unbelievable amount of respect for the job he’s done and for the caliber of person that he is.”
Earnhardt and Eury — first cousins and the grandsons of Robert Gee, one of Hendrick’s first employees — have worked together in some capacity for Earnhardt’s entire career. The two went through a rough patch that led to constant bickering at the end of the 2004 season when they raced for the championship at Dale Earnhardt Inc.
Earnhardt’s stepmother, Teresa, separated them at the start of 2005, a move that led Earnhardt to finish a career-worst 19th in the standings. They were back together before the end of the season, but won just one race together in ‘06 as Earnhardt’s relationship with his stepmother rapidly deteriorated.
The next year, Earnhardt wrestled with the decision to leave DEI, then embarked on one of the most high-profile free agencies in NASCAR history. He settled on Hendrick Motorsports, and Eury went with him.
Although they opened their first season at Hendrick by winning the exhibition Budweiser Shootout and a Daytona 500 qualifying race, Earnhardt didn’t win a points race until the 15th event of the year. That was at Michigan, his only victory all season.
Still, consistency put him at the top of the title contenders when the Chase for the championship began. But Eury and Earnhardt moved away from what got them into the Chase and finished last in the 12-driver field.
Marty smith talks about the change over at espn.com
Rumor mill
May 26
More rumors on #88 crew chief change UPDATE: a reliable source tells me [Sports Illustrated] that Tony Eury Jr. won’t be the crew chief of the #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. as of Dover this weekend. Whether that actually happens or not remains to be seen, but the two weeks in Charlotte made it obvious both driver and team need a change.
: Team owner Rick Hendrick, who has previously said he doesn’t plan to make changes to Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s #88 team, wasn’t as definitive on Tuesday. “Could it change?” Hendrick said Tuesday following a meeting with NASCAR officials at the Research and Development Center. “We’re talking about things. We’re going to make decisions as the days go by, but we haven’t made any decisions as it stands now.” Earnhardt Jr. finished 40th in Monday’s rain-delayed Coca-Cola 600. Hendrick did not specifically address breaking up Earnhardt and crew chief Tony Eury Jr. But in the past when discussing changes he made it clear that wasn’t a consideration. He wasn’t so clear on Tuesday with Earnhardt 19th in points, 203 behind Mark Martin for the 12th and final Chase spot. “We’re always concerned when we have a car not run well,” Hendrick said. “We’re always meeting and trying to figure out how to make it better. We’ve got to come up with a plan and we’ve got to work toward that. We thought we had a pretty good plan coming to Charlotte. I was fairly pleased with the All-Star race and thought we would do better Sunday. We weren’t
Rumors crew chief
RAY EVERHAM- I have been told that he is in the running to become the new crew chief for the 88 team. He has been retired for 4 months now. ( I doubt he will be the crew chief.
Chad Kanus- I I have told that the crew chief of the 48 car will be the new chief for the 88 ( I doubt it because Rick Hindrick is not dumb. Lol)
So who is next in the running. I don’t know. But we will see in the next few weeks.
David Reutimann Wins coca-cola 600 after NASCAR officials call the race after the rain delay.
David Reutimann and MWR first sprint cup win ever was in the shortest coca-cola 600 witch ended on lap 227. The 00 team stayed out when the yellow came out and that was the winning move of the race.
WAY TO GO TO MWR AND REUTIMANN.
“It seemed like we were out on pit road there [during the final red-flag period] for a month, waiting for them to call it. I was so glad that they finally did.” -david Reutimann
David is now in 13 position in points, he is only 6 points out of the top 12.
Truex Jr. to Waltrip? The word on the street is that #1-Martin Truex to Michael Waltrip’s team in 2010 is a ‘done deal,’ but Truex and Ty Norris, the general manager for Waltrip’s operation, both insist their 2010 deals are still up in the air, for at least another three weeks. “We’ve been hearing the same things,” Norris concedes. “But we’re still in discussions with NAPA and trying to figure out things (sponsorship) for 2010 and beyond. There are a lot of decisions that need to be made before we can even pursue something or get anything done. The biggest issue right now is we’re in negotiations right now with NAPA and Michael, to see what the future looks like. We met a week ago and decided to give ourselves three or four more weeks, and then we’ll make some decisions. So we’re three or four weeks away from making the decision about what Michael and NAPA are going to do. Only after we make that decision can we look at the second decision.” All that would seem to imply that Waltrip himself has to make a good case for sponsorship-driver renewal with NAPA between now and the July Fourth 400 at Daytona.
Mike Bliss WINS!
May 23
Congratulation to Mike bliss on wining the Carquest Auto Parts 300