RockyTop08
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they traded pit crews not cars guys they have many cars they use for different tracks looks like some of u guys have no idea want ur talking about
Read this:
Preview: Earnhardt Jr.
By Marty Smith, NASCAR.COM
February 3, 2005
10:13 AM EST (15:13 GMT)
MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. scored six wins and finished fifth in the standings in 2004, making his fifth Cup season his most successful and consistent to date.
But that's not to say there weren't roadblocks.
He won NASCAR's "Super Bowl" in February, then faced recuperation from burns five months later in a fiery sports car crash. In August, still ailing, he said he'd rather fail with his current team -- led by his uncle and cousin -- than win with another.
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Come December, that would change. An offseason crew swap with teammate Michael Waltrip and mediocre testing speeds during Preseason Thunder mean Junior enters 2005 with more question marks than there were in "War and Peace".
"It's hard to tell where we're at in the grand scheme -- from one end of the garage to the other," Earnhardt said.
The first such unknown -- and the one by far garnering the most attention -- is the leadership capability of rookie crew chief Pete Rondeau, who becomes only the second crew chief for Earnhardt's Budweiser Chevrolet program.
"One of the things I like about Pete is that he gives me a lot of respect," Earnhardt said. "When we talk, we listen. He has a similar demeanor as I do in and around the car and at the shop, and away from the track."
Earnhardt's well-publicized squabbles with former car chief (and first cousin) Tony Eury Jr. are at the crux of the decision. Put simply, Junior was tired of bickering with his family, tired of professional opinions of one another turning personal.
"Tony Jr. and I have always been really competitive. The things that we enjoy and what we do and how we treat each other is totally different from what the media have seen during the year," Earnhardt said.
"The situation wasn't so bad where I said 'I have to get out of here.' But I wasn't necessarily the guy who spoke first."
Once someone mentioned the idea of change, it made sense. It became apparent that they were limiting one another's professional progression.
"The two of us kind of held each other up, which maybe made it easier to do this," Earnhardt said of the switch. "He had a lot of talent that wouldn't come to the surface because of our mentality and outlook towards each other."
2004 Daytona 500Check out videos from Junior's win last year
Sign up for TrackPass now and earn Fan MilesBUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE
Earnhardt places part of the blame on himself, saying he must mature as a driver and further respect others' opinions.
"I put myself in this situation so I could be a better person and little more of a professional," Earnhardt said. "I was a good race car driver, but I wasn't necessarily a professional about how I was on the radio. That will be a good situation for me."
Rondeau's arrival means the Eurys will transition to other positions within the DEI team structure. After seven years, 15 Cup victories and a pair of Busch Series championships with Dale Jr., Eury Sr. is now DEI competition director, while Tony Jr. has become crew chief of Waltrip's No. 15 NAPA Chevrolet.
"For (Tony Jr.) it's going to open up a lot of doors to try to be more of a people person," Earnhardt continued. "He's going to have to understand how to motivate people.
"He's going to have to learn now or never. It's good for him to learn those things now. He won't have that opportunity when he's older because he won't change then. It will benefit him.
"It was a difficult situation and I looked across there today and there are things I miss about him and I working together, but working with Pete (Rondeau) is what I need to do."
With the move comes much skepticism. Practically the only folks not questioning the decision are those involved in making it.
"It's going to be tough. People are going to talk one way or another," Earnhardt said. "If Tony Jr. and I had stayed together they would have said something anyway. When we'd get inconsistent last year people would talk and try to figure out who was at fault.
DALE EARNHARDT JR.
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"Tony Eury Jr. is really enjoying himself now, too. He's getting it going on now. He's working with Michael and they're really clicking now. He's able to do things that maybe we couldn't do together before.
"The transition between the two teams was a lot smoother than I anticipated. The work that I see the guys doing on the car with (Rondeau) is really satisfying to see."
But can he handle the pressure? Until he experiences it, Rondeau can't begin to fathom the constant attention that will be paid to his performance.
"It's tough when you're walking around in that red uniform," Earnhardt said. "It was hard on Tony Jr. and Tony Sr. and that team because they just wanted to work and be in their little world. But when you're not in your own world, you can't be. It's going to be a different experience for them.
"Hopefully they'll handle it well. There is a lot of pressure but I can see that this will go either way. Eventually we'll do what it takes to do to get it right and win. If it starts out stumbling we'll just have to work hard to get it right. I'm prepared for that."
But is he prepared to vie for a championship? Last season, Earnhardt was on the cusp of his first title. He was in position to take the championship points lead late in the season, but as the laps would down at Atlanta, he misjudged his position while racing Carl Edwards and wrecked out while running third.
He finished 33rd in that event, and fifth overall in the standings. But he won six times, including the Daytona 500. Can he do it again, and this time carry that momentum throughout the season?
"As far as repeating the 500, we're not that fast right now," Earnhardt said. "We've got a brand new car and one of the cars they ran in the past with Michael.
"The new car was pretty decent and I was really happy with it. We finished practicing yesterday and shut the doors and went home. We jumped back and started and we lost about four-tenths of a second somewhere.
"We'll figure it out. I'm not too worried about it. I think the cars draft well. If we have to start near the back we'll just cut up through the pack. I'm pretty happy.
"The craftsmanship is really good. I'll know what kind of team we have after we get done with this and then go to (testing) California and Las Vegas."
Read this:
Preview: Earnhardt Jr.
By Marty Smith, NASCAR.COM
February 3, 2005
10:13 AM EST (15:13 GMT)
MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. scored six wins and finished fifth in the standings in 2004, making his fifth Cup season his most successful and consistent to date.
But that's not to say there weren't roadblocks.
He won NASCAR's "Super Bowl" in February, then faced recuperation from burns five months later in a fiery sports car crash. In August, still ailing, he said he'd rather fail with his current team -- led by his uncle and cousin -- than win with another.
NASCAR ACCELERATION
Know Your NASCAR
Get your Daytona tickets
2004 Daytona 500 highlights
Get TrackPass for 2005
Come December, that would change. An offseason crew swap with teammate Michael Waltrip and mediocre testing speeds during Preseason Thunder mean Junior enters 2005 with more question marks than there were in "War and Peace".
"It's hard to tell where we're at in the grand scheme -- from one end of the garage to the other," Earnhardt said.
The first such unknown -- and the one by far garnering the most attention -- is the leadership capability of rookie crew chief Pete Rondeau, who becomes only the second crew chief for Earnhardt's Budweiser Chevrolet program.
"One of the things I like about Pete is that he gives me a lot of respect," Earnhardt said. "When we talk, we listen. He has a similar demeanor as I do in and around the car and at the shop, and away from the track."
Earnhardt's well-publicized squabbles with former car chief (and first cousin) Tony Eury Jr. are at the crux of the decision. Put simply, Junior was tired of bickering with his family, tired of professional opinions of one another turning personal.
"Tony Jr. and I have always been really competitive. The things that we enjoy and what we do and how we treat each other is totally different from what the media have seen during the year," Earnhardt said.
"The situation wasn't so bad where I said 'I have to get out of here.' But I wasn't necessarily the guy who spoke first."
Once someone mentioned the idea of change, it made sense. It became apparent that they were limiting one another's professional progression.
"The two of us kind of held each other up, which maybe made it easier to do this," Earnhardt said of the switch. "He had a lot of talent that wouldn't come to the surface because of our mentality and outlook towards each other."
2004 Daytona 500Check out videos from Junior's win last year
Sign up for TrackPass now and earn Fan MilesBUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE
Earnhardt places part of the blame on himself, saying he must mature as a driver and further respect others' opinions.
"I put myself in this situation so I could be a better person and little more of a professional," Earnhardt said. "I was a good race car driver, but I wasn't necessarily a professional about how I was on the radio. That will be a good situation for me."
Rondeau's arrival means the Eurys will transition to other positions within the DEI team structure. After seven years, 15 Cup victories and a pair of Busch Series championships with Dale Jr., Eury Sr. is now DEI competition director, while Tony Jr. has become crew chief of Waltrip's No. 15 NAPA Chevrolet.
"For (Tony Jr.) it's going to open up a lot of doors to try to be more of a people person," Earnhardt continued. "He's going to have to understand how to motivate people.
"He's going to have to learn now or never. It's good for him to learn those things now. He won't have that opportunity when he's older because he won't change then. It will benefit him.
"It was a difficult situation and I looked across there today and there are things I miss about him and I working together, but working with Pete (Rondeau) is what I need to do."
With the move comes much skepticism. Practically the only folks not questioning the decision are those involved in making it.
"It's going to be tough. People are going to talk one way or another," Earnhardt said. "If Tony Jr. and I had stayed together they would have said something anyway. When we'd get inconsistent last year people would talk and try to figure out who was at fault.
DALE EARNHARDT JR.
Driver Page
2004 Stats
Merchandise
Article Archive
"Tony Eury Jr. is really enjoying himself now, too. He's getting it going on now. He's working with Michael and they're really clicking now. He's able to do things that maybe we couldn't do together before.
"The transition between the two teams was a lot smoother than I anticipated. The work that I see the guys doing on the car with (Rondeau) is really satisfying to see."
But can he handle the pressure? Until he experiences it, Rondeau can't begin to fathom the constant attention that will be paid to his performance.
"It's tough when you're walking around in that red uniform," Earnhardt said. "It was hard on Tony Jr. and Tony Sr. and that team because they just wanted to work and be in their little world. But when you're not in your own world, you can't be. It's going to be a different experience for them.
"Hopefully they'll handle it well. There is a lot of pressure but I can see that this will go either way. Eventually we'll do what it takes to do to get it right and win. If it starts out stumbling we'll just have to work hard to get it right. I'm prepared for that."
But is he prepared to vie for a championship? Last season, Earnhardt was on the cusp of his first title. He was in position to take the championship points lead late in the season, but as the laps would down at Atlanta, he misjudged his position while racing Carl Edwards and wrecked out while running third.
He finished 33rd in that event, and fifth overall in the standings. But he won six times, including the Daytona 500. Can he do it again, and this time carry that momentum throughout the season?
"As far as repeating the 500, we're not that fast right now," Earnhardt said. "We've got a brand new car and one of the cars they ran in the past with Michael.
"The new car was pretty decent and I was really happy with it. We finished practicing yesterday and shut the doors and went home. We jumped back and started and we lost about four-tenths of a second somewhere.
"We'll figure it out. I'm not too worried about it. I think the cars draft well. If we have to start near the back we'll just cut up through the pack. I'm pretty happy.
"The craftsmanship is really good. I'll know what kind of team we have after we get done with this and then go to (testing) California and Las Vegas."
