Junior not sure how he'll fit in with teammates
Dale Earnhardt Jr. doesn't expect too many big bonding sessions between him and his new Hendrick Motorsports teammates, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Casey Mears.
After spending his entire seven-year Cup career at Dale Earnhardt Inc., Earnhardt Jr. changes teams for next year, but he's not hanging out with any of them on the vacation he just started.
"It's not necessarily about that we don't hang out on the boat and fish in the deep sea. Does that mean we ain't good teammates? I don't think so," Earnhardt Jr. said last Thursday. "I just started bow hunting. That doesn't mean Jeff and Jimmie are going to go on bow hunting trips just because we're teammates.
"We've all got a great respect for each other. And I'm excited to get that working relationship going because of the respect. I think hopefully I will receive what I'm giving because I'm going to give a lot, and I'm going to be very determined. And hopefully that goes both ways."
Earnhardt Jr. said he believes they all will want to work together, and that crew chief Tony Eury Jr., who has come with him from DEI to Hendrick, will help the rest.
"I don't know how I'll fit in with Jeff and Jimmie," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I don't think feel like there's anything to worry about. Those guys want to help me. I want to help them if I can help them. Tony Jr. is going to help everybody, and they're going to help Tony Jr."
But will we ever see those guys just hanging out together?
"Me and Casey will probably be hanging out a little bit inadvertently around town because we go to the same places sometime," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I don't know how me and Jeff and Jimmie will start forging our relationship. ... The question for me I guess is how do we correspond and how do we communicate about our race cars, how we help each other.
"Obviously they have a lot to offer. I want to get to where I can be the same kind of asset they are going to be to me right off the bat. There will be race tracks where I'm running good, and they'll come to me. ... The sooner we figure out how to correspond and communicate, the better."
Dale Earnhardt Jr. doesn't expect too many big bonding sessions between him and his new Hendrick Motorsports teammates, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Casey Mears.
After spending his entire seven-year Cup career at Dale Earnhardt Inc., Earnhardt Jr. changes teams for next year, but he's not hanging out with any of them on the vacation he just started.
"It's not necessarily about that we don't hang out on the boat and fish in the deep sea. Does that mean we ain't good teammates? I don't think so," Earnhardt Jr. said last Thursday. "I just started bow hunting. That doesn't mean Jeff and Jimmie are going to go on bow hunting trips just because we're teammates.
"We've all got a great respect for each other. And I'm excited to get that working relationship going because of the respect. I think hopefully I will receive what I'm giving because I'm going to give a lot, and I'm going to be very determined. And hopefully that goes both ways."
Earnhardt Jr. said he believes they all will want to work together, and that crew chief Tony Eury Jr., who has come with him from DEI to Hendrick, will help the rest.
"I don't know how I'll fit in with Jeff and Jimmie," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I don't think feel like there's anything to worry about. Those guys want to help me. I want to help them if I can help them. Tony Jr. is going to help everybody, and they're going to help Tony Jr."
But will we ever see those guys just hanging out together?
"Me and Casey will probably be hanging out a little bit inadvertently around town because we go to the same places sometime," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I don't know how me and Jeff and Jimmie will start forging our relationship. ... The question for me I guess is how do we correspond and how do we communicate about our race cars, how we help each other.
"Obviously they have a lot to offer. I want to get to where I can be the same kind of asset they are going to be to me right off the bat. There will be race tracks where I'm running good, and they'll come to me. ... The sooner we figure out how to correspond and communicate, the better."
