In the matter of Ray And Erin
Greg Engle
HOMESTEAD FL. --If NASCAR were Hollywood it wouldn't be all that big of a deal.
But despite what some might think, NASCAR isn't Hollywood and a `close personal relationship' between a 49-year-old man and his 25-year-old employee should be raising more than a few eyebrows.
Yet it isn't, and that's just wrong.
Erin Crocker joined Evernham Motorsports in 2005 as part of NASCAR `Drive for Diversity' program. The Wilbraham Massachusetts native had cut her teeth in the open-wheel ranks and gained notoriety when she won a race in the tough as nails World of Outlaws Series. In 2006, she was given the seat in the No. 98 NASCAR Craftsman Truck.
Then in the spring the whispers began. Ray Evernham and Erin were in a `close personal relationship'. Supervisor and employee, driver and team owner. Not unheard of in today's workplace. By the summer the whispers had become common, but publicly unspoken, knowledge.
When the summer heated up, so did the talk. In July, long time Evernham Cup driver, Jeremy Mayfield accused his boss of spending too much time with a certain `development driver'. Evernham flew to Chicago, where Mayfield's tirade took place and defended his actions.
Then in August, Evernham fired Mayfield for his lack of performance in the No. 19 Dodge. Mayfield immediately filed a motion in court, and for the first time Evernham was publicly indicted. In the court papers, Mayfield wrote that the lack of performance and his ultimate demise was directly due to a `close personal relationship with a female employee'.
Not long after the Mayfield court action was filed the two settled out of court. Mayfield signed with Bill Davis Racing and Evernham hired Elliot Sadler to take over the car once raced by Mayfield.
And not much more was said about the Evernham/Crocker relationship. In a masterful job of public relations, the details were swept under a rug in Statesville North Carolina, home of Evernham Motorsports.
I don't want to touch on the morality of the affair. If Evernham wants to have a `close personal' relationship with his driver, despite the age difference and the fact that Evernham is still legally married, then so be it. Both of them are adults and perfectly capable of making their own decisions.
I figure God will deal with that when the time comes.
My issue with the entire topic is with Erin.
From the time that Erin came on the scene, I felt that she was a hell of a racecar driver. And to this day I still believe that. Unfortunately her on track performance has been nothing short of terrible. In 22 truck races since November of 2005 her best finish was a 16th. In the handful of Busch races she has competed in, 8 in all, her best showing was a 19th. And in my mind, at least, she's much, much better than that.
The problem it seems that perhaps Cupid has gotten in the way.
In the high-pressure fast paced world of NASCAR, performance is everything. Lose your edge lose your ride. Team owners and sponsors alike demand the most bang for their buck. And when that bang becomes a dull thud, everyone normally just goes their separate ways. For drivers this can sometimes be the cure for what ails them. Because it's all about the chemistry with a driver and a team. If it's lacking sometimes all it takes is a change of scenery.
For a perfect example of this, one needs look no further than Evernham Motorsports. Since joining Evernham as a replacement for Mayfield, Elliott Sadler has helped lead that team to its best finishes in quite a while.
Which begs the question: has the relationship between Evernham and Crocker clouded Evernham's judgment?
Would Crocker's performance improve if she were with another team? One where that certain chemistry is better? Or should she simply languish and continue to endure miserable finishes, until she simply fades away. Branded as an untalented has-been, regardless of whether or not it's true.
Does the name Shawna Robinson ring a bell?
It's time to lift up the rug in Statesville and expose the secrets there. Then Ray Evernham needs to allow Crocker find the chemistry that could expose her true talent, even if that's with another team, and allow her to live up to her full potential.
And then if her performance doesn't improve or live up to what I think she has the potential for, then you can wag your finger in my face and say `I told you so'.
But I don't think you will. I feel that given the right opportunity the young driver from Wilbraham Massachusetts could make her mark in NASCAR.
Evernham owes it to himself, his sponsors and Erin herself to find out.
From Nascar Momma
Greg Engle
HOMESTEAD FL. --If NASCAR were Hollywood it wouldn't be all that big of a deal.
But despite what some might think, NASCAR isn't Hollywood and a `close personal relationship' between a 49-year-old man and his 25-year-old employee should be raising more than a few eyebrows.
Yet it isn't, and that's just wrong.
Erin Crocker joined Evernham Motorsports in 2005 as part of NASCAR `Drive for Diversity' program. The Wilbraham Massachusetts native had cut her teeth in the open-wheel ranks and gained notoriety when she won a race in the tough as nails World of Outlaws Series. In 2006, she was given the seat in the No. 98 NASCAR Craftsman Truck.
Then in the spring the whispers began. Ray Evernham and Erin were in a `close personal relationship'. Supervisor and employee, driver and team owner. Not unheard of in today's workplace. By the summer the whispers had become common, but publicly unspoken, knowledge.
When the summer heated up, so did the talk. In July, long time Evernham Cup driver, Jeremy Mayfield accused his boss of spending too much time with a certain `development driver'. Evernham flew to Chicago, where Mayfield's tirade took place and defended his actions.
Then in August, Evernham fired Mayfield for his lack of performance in the No. 19 Dodge. Mayfield immediately filed a motion in court, and for the first time Evernham was publicly indicted. In the court papers, Mayfield wrote that the lack of performance and his ultimate demise was directly due to a `close personal relationship with a female employee'.
Not long after the Mayfield court action was filed the two settled out of court. Mayfield signed with Bill Davis Racing and Evernham hired Elliot Sadler to take over the car once raced by Mayfield.
And not much more was said about the Evernham/Crocker relationship. In a masterful job of public relations, the details were swept under a rug in Statesville North Carolina, home of Evernham Motorsports.
I don't want to touch on the morality of the affair. If Evernham wants to have a `close personal' relationship with his driver, despite the age difference and the fact that Evernham is still legally married, then so be it. Both of them are adults and perfectly capable of making their own decisions.
I figure God will deal with that when the time comes.
My issue with the entire topic is with Erin.
From the time that Erin came on the scene, I felt that she was a hell of a racecar driver. And to this day I still believe that. Unfortunately her on track performance has been nothing short of terrible. In 22 truck races since November of 2005 her best finish was a 16th. In the handful of Busch races she has competed in, 8 in all, her best showing was a 19th. And in my mind, at least, she's much, much better than that.
The problem it seems that perhaps Cupid has gotten in the way.
In the high-pressure fast paced world of NASCAR, performance is everything. Lose your edge lose your ride. Team owners and sponsors alike demand the most bang for their buck. And when that bang becomes a dull thud, everyone normally just goes their separate ways. For drivers this can sometimes be the cure for what ails them. Because it's all about the chemistry with a driver and a team. If it's lacking sometimes all it takes is a change of scenery.
For a perfect example of this, one needs look no further than Evernham Motorsports. Since joining Evernham as a replacement for Mayfield, Elliott Sadler has helped lead that team to its best finishes in quite a while.
Which begs the question: has the relationship between Evernham and Crocker clouded Evernham's judgment?
Would Crocker's performance improve if she were with another team? One where that certain chemistry is better? Or should she simply languish and continue to endure miserable finishes, until she simply fades away. Branded as an untalented has-been, regardless of whether or not it's true.
Does the name Shawna Robinson ring a bell?
It's time to lift up the rug in Statesville and expose the secrets there. Then Ray Evernham needs to allow Crocker find the chemistry that could expose her true talent, even if that's with another team, and allow her to live up to her full potential.
And then if her performance doesn't improve or live up to what I think she has the potential for, then you can wag your finger in my face and say `I told you so'.
But I don't think you will. I feel that given the right opportunity the young driver from Wilbraham Massachusetts could make her mark in NASCAR.
Evernham owes it to himself, his sponsors and Erin herself to find out.
From Nascar Momma
