Rick Hendrick faces toughest challenge yet.

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Joniki

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What would you do? Seriously, how can this be fixed?

COMMENTARY

As an ultra successful businessman and one of the top team owners in NASCAR, Rick Hendrick has a knack for solving problems and brokering big deals.

He has signed some of the most talented drivers in the sport’s history and some of the biggest sponsorship packages to back them.

And he has released plenty of drivers that didn’t get the job done (Casey Mears) with his team, usually replacing them with the next up-and-coming star (Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson) or an established star (Terry Labonte, Mark Martin) he persuaded to join his operation.

Hendrick also is a master at working through complicated deals that don’t naturally fall into place and negotiating a reasonable solution.

He just resolved his most recent sticky mess by landing Kasey Kahne a ride with Red Bull Racing for next year.

Hendrick had signed the talented Kahne to replace Martin in his No. 5 car for 2012, but part of the deal required him to find Kahne a one-year deal for 2011.

He pulled if off despite some major sticking points – like a future Chevy driver, under contract with a Chevy team, driving a Toyota for one year.

And in the process, he soothed the ill feelings of Martin, who had to deal for months with rumors and speculation that he might have to give up his 2011 ride with Hendrick to make way for Kahne.

In the end, it all worked out for the best, like it always seems to with Hendrick.

Now, he must turn his attention to an even greater problem, one he might have a tougher time resolving.

What to do with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his struggling No. 88 team.

Earnhardt Jr.’s poor performance with NASCAR’s elite organization is an ongoing problem, one that doesn’t seem to have an immediate or obvious solution.

Barring a miraculous turnaround, the sport’s most popular driver will miss the Chase For The Sprint Cup for the second straight year and his season again will end in disappointment, like it has for three straight years with Hendrick. (He won a race and made the Chase in 2008, but finished last among the 12 Chase drivers.)

A year after scoring just two top-five finishes and finishing a dreadful 25th in points, Earnhardt Jr. is 17th in the standings and still falling. He now trails 12th-place Clint Bowyer by 129 points for the final Chase spot with just three races remaining.

His hopes of making the Chase are fading like a worn-out streetlight at the end of a dead end street.

With two top-fives and six top-10s, Earnhardt Jr. has been only slightly better than a year ago.

To make matters worse, he was in prime position to make the Chase earlier this year, climbing as high as seventh in points in April.

But at the most crucial time of year for Chase contenders, Earnhardt Jr. has slumped badly, finishing 19th or worse in his last five races.

He said last week at Michigan that making the Chase was “not impossible” – unless, he added, he keeps running like he’s been running. And then, of course, he went out and ran like he’d been running, finishing 19th.

Though the next three races – Bristol, Atlanta and Richmond – are all at good tracks for him, the chances of him rallying to make the Chase are slim.

And the way he has run this season – just 68 laps led and an average finish of 17th – it’s hard to imagine him winning a race.

If he doesn’t make it again and doesn’t win a race before the season is over, what hope is there entering 2011 and beyond?

So what does Hendrick do now?

He made a crew chief change on Earnhardt Jr.’s team last year, replacing Tony Eury Jr. – Junior’s cousin – with longtime Hendrick crew chief Lance McGrew.

Earnhardt Jr. and McGrew began working together in May of last year, but made little progress the rest of the season.

Hendrick gave them another chance this season, but again, the progress has been minimal. They looked like they were improving earlier this year, but, following the pattern of the last three years, just when things seem to be getting better, they take another turn for the worse.

One of Hendrick’s primary goals this season was to turn around the No. 88 team, get Earnhardt Jr. back to victory lane and, hopefully, back into the Chase.

It hasn’t happened.

So what is Hendrick’s next move?

Does he make another crew chief change?

Does he perhaps give Earnhardt Jr. Alan Gustafson, Martin’s current crew chief?

That wouldn’t be fair to Martin, but he’s leaving after next season anyway. And Martin, the consummate professional and team player, has proved over the years that he can win with just about any crew chief.

Is there another young, up-and-coming crew chief in the Hendrick stable that might be able to provide the secret ingredient? Or does he go outside the organization, looking for an old-school crew chief that might better fit Earnhardt Jr.’s style?

Earnhardt Jr.’s mysterious struggles must be troubling to Hendrick, who recruited Earnhardt Jr. to join his organization and put together a lucrative sponsorship package for him.

Though Hendrick has won 188 Cup races and nine championships, he has had teams that struggled before. In fact, he almost always has at least one team that struggles.

But it’s different when it’s the sport’s most popular driver, one with 18 career victories, a famous last name and millions of dollars worth of sponsorship.

So how does Hendrick solve this problem?

And how long does he keep trying?

Earnhardt Jr. is in the third year of a five-year contract. Does Hendrick ride it out for the full five years, giving Earnhardt Jr. more rope and more chances than he would give another driver?

And when does Earnhardt Jr. get fed up, growing tired of the pressure and constant struggles and deciding to move on to a less stressful environment.

Hendrick a master problem-solver, but time is running out. And this one might take his best work.
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http://www.scenedaily.com/news/arti...m_yet__what_to_do_with_Dale_Earnhardt_Jr.html
 
I think Jr has already given up running good for HMS. I think it's time Hendrick gives up too and let Jr go.
I would like to see Rick let Jr go and Jr bring in his team up to cup and drive. He seems to do better when it has his Daddy's name or his name on it.
 
I suppose that depends on what Hendrick and the sponsors want.

If they want Junior to win races and a championship, then eventually he's going to have to let Junior go unless there's a huge turn around. However, if Hendrick is OK with Junior finishing in the bottom half of the field, but still bringing in huge amounts of money via sponsors, then I suspect he'll resign him.

In any case, I think everyone (especially Junior) isn't happy with his performance since the 2008 season. Everyone has their losing streaks. Hell, Gordon hasn't won a race in a while and he was lucky to get that one. Like Junior, Gordon really hasn't been the same since Earnhardt Sr died either.

In the end, I think Junior likes being an owner/driver. If he leaves Hendrick, and doesn't sign with RCR or another team I think he'll bring his own team up to the Cup level.
 
Read or heard this comment about Jr. When things go bad he clams up and doesn't talk on the radio. How can a CC fix the car if they don't get input?

I think the death of Sr seriously affected him. I know the death of my dad 24years ago affected me then and to some extent still does today, he was my mentor and a icon in my life.

Jr's crash in the 'Vette where he got burned, since then he really hasn't performed. In 1978 I hit the turn 3 wall at Thompson in a mod when the throttle hung. Decided then I was a better owner/builder after that. :)
 
SST55 said:
Read or heard this comment about Jr. When things go bad he clams up and doesn't talk on the radio. How can a CC fix the car if they don't get input?

I think the death of Sr seriously affected him. I know the death of my dad 24years ago affected me then and to some extent still does today, he was my mentor and a icon in my life.

Jr's crash in the 'Vette where he got burned, since then he really hasn't performed. In 1978 I hit the turn 3 wall at Thompson in a mod when the throttle hung. Decided then I was a better owner/builder after that. :)
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Ouch that is a fast track must of been a hard hit.
 
SST55 said:
Read or heard this comment about Jr. When things go bad he clams up and doesn't talk on the radio. How can a CC fix the car if they don't get input?

That is not true,

I was at BMS Sat. night jr would start talking about the car as soon as the caution came out and intermittently during the long green flag runs they had Sat night. The car was starting tight and ending lose all night they discussed and cussed the car all night long.

as a side i listened to some of the 24's discussion a few times and really didn't see a great deal of difference in what he was telling his CC than what jr was saying so i really don't think jr is not letting his CC know what he needs,


now if you want to here a CC and driver that are on the same page like him or not listen to the 48 team

as for jr staying at HMS i said from the very start that it wouldn't work, and i still don't think it will. i truly think he should have went to RCR
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As long as sponsors are willing to hand over money, Junior will still have a place to race whether it be Hendrick or somewhere else. I think Hendrick will give Junior more time to produce than he did some of his other drivers that couldn't get it done.
 
de7xwcc said:
I was at BMS Sat. night jr would start talking about the car as soon as the caution came out and intermittently during the long green flag runs they had Sat night. The car was starting tight and ending lose all night they discussed and cussed the car all night long.

as a side i listened to some of the 24's discussion a few times and really didn't see a great deal of difference in what he was telling his CC than what jr was saying so i really don't think jr is not letting his CC know what he needs,


now if you want to here a CC and driver that are on the same page like him or not listen to the 48 team.
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I wasn't at the track but I did listen to his scanner online and I completely agree with what you are saying. Primarily, I listen to his channel every week. He does relay the information to the CC but that does not always translate to improvements after a pit stop. Is there ever a sense of frustration. Sure there is. When you're telling your CC stop after stop that the car is loose and nothing that the CC does seems to help, frustration definitely sets in. The same can be said for almost every driver/cc combo out there.

Like you said, that 48 team works well together. 9 times out of 10, when JJ tells CK that his car is loose in, tight out..... that's corrected on the next stop. That kind of teamwork will win you 4-straight.
 
Yes, Jr does relay what the car is doing to the crew chief but he doesn't seem mechanically inclined, like Stewart, Biffle or Martin, to be able to say what changes the car needs.
 
As an ultra successful businessman, convicted felon (pardoned by clinton) and one of the top team owners in NASCAR, Rick Hendrick has a knack for solving problems and brokering big deals.
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needed to be fixed before getting his halo sized.

hendrick has had some major problems but i wouldn't put dale jr. anywhere near the top. he's making a ton of money off of him. such a problem i could live with
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
I bet Rick Hendrick deeply regrets firing Kyle Busch to bring Junyer on board.
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Not if there were a clash of personalities, and they probably had many.

Some people can hold their nose and rake in the cash.

Others can't put up with drivers with attitudes and they aren't worth the aggravation.
 
BobbyFord said:
Yes, Jr does relay what the car is doing to the crew chief but he doesn't seem mechanically inclined, like Stewart, Biffle or Martin, to be able to say what changes the car needs.
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And here I always thought that was what the CC did. Man, was I off. The driver is the one that is supposed to tell the CC what the car is doing and what changes need to be made and then the CC relays that info to the rest of the crew. OK, I got it now. :sarcasm:
 
For me, I wouldn't put Jr up at the top of the best drivers out there. With that said, I don't think he is as bad as they are performing.

I do think he has lost ALL confidence in the team being able to make the necessary changes to keep the car competitive.

I questioned why JGR let Steve Addington go and Dave Rogers was brought in last year. I now know why. Steve was good at showing up at the track with fast stuff but they frequently struggled in making changes during the race and I think it got to the point where Kyle lost confidence in the team being able to make the necessary changes to get him back in the hunt. Kyle has grown to have confidence in Dave. This is why you don't see Kyle deliberately running into the wall this year when the car is off and less 40+ finishes.

With that said, Hendreck needs to make a MAJOR change with that team. I'd say, swap the 5 team with the 88 team. Make isn't doing that well this year and it may just help his team as well.
 
zevious said:
With that said, Hendreck needs to make a MAJOR change with that team. I'd say, swap the 5 team with the 88 team. Make isn't doing that well this year and it may just help his team as well.
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought they pretty much did this this year.
 
Clearly it's a problem with the Crew chief, the owner, the pit crew, the guys at the shop, and his 3 other teammates.

Or maybe Jr. is just a nice guy without the talent it take to be a top tier NASCAR driver.
 
GEEZ... I asked what YOU would do to fix the problem and yet I have only heard a few good thoughts.

If I were the team owner and had KK waiting in the wing for a ride, I would have sent Jr. back to Nationwide racing for a year and put KK in the 88.
 
Smoke14 said:
GEEZ... I asked what YOU would do to fix the problem and yet I have only heard a few good thoughts.

If I were the team owner and had KK waiting in the wing for a ride, I would have sent Jr. back to Nationwide racing for a year and put KK in the 88.
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Sorry, You are right, I didn't answer the question. I wouldn't do anything if I was Hendrick. JR is like Paul Menard: he's there to bring in the big sponsors to help cover costs for the other cars. If he's moderately successful, then that's a bonus.
 
Smoke14 said:
GEEZ... I asked what YOU would do to fix the problem and yet I have only heard a few good thoughts.

If I were the team owner and had KK waiting in the wing for a ride, I would have sent Jr. back to Nationwide racing for a year and put KK in the 88.
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I have an idea. Don't know how the sponsors would like it, though.

Put chad knaus on the 88 box
Eury on the 24
LeTarte on the 5
Gustafson or whoever on the 24
48 crew to 24
24 crew to 88
5 crew to 48
88 crew to 5

That way it's a complete mixup. It will either prove the "Chad Knaus Theory" or the "Dale Jr Theory", and see how good the crews are.
 
Magnethead said:
I have an idea. Don't know how the sponsors would like it, though.

Put chad knaus on the 88 box
Eury on the 24
LeTarte on the 5
Gustafson or whoever on the 24
48 crew to 24
24 crew to 88
5 crew to 48
88 crew to 5

That way it's a complete mixup. It will either prove the "Chad Knaus Theory" or the "Dale Jr Theory", and see how good the crews are.
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:beerbang:

Now that is what I am talking about.

I am not too sure Mark Martin needs a CC. :idunno:
 
VaDirt said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought they pretty much did this this year.
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No. Lance was assigned the crew chief job last May. I heard that the engineer from the 5 went to the 88 this year though.

I'm talking moving the complete team. Like Roush and RCR have done in the past.
 
zevious said:
I'm talking moving the complete team. Like Roush and RCR have done in the past.
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jr and mikey switched teams (or was that just cc's?) when both were at dei. didn't help either of them. maybe hendrick needs to hire a team shrink (so's not to single out jr).
 
zevious said:
No. Lance was assigned the crew chief job last May. I heard that the engineer from the 5 went to the 88 this year though.

I'm talking moving the complete team. Like Roush and RCR have done in the past.
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K. I wasn't sure, I thought it was a good number of the crew. Shows how much I pay attention.
 
It's only a challenge if Rick isn't happy with status quo. Gotta feeling Rick isn't losing alot of sleep.;)
MoMike
 
Maybe Jr. is just a mediocre driver. Some people have the talent to drive these cars, and some people don't.
 
SpeedPagan said:
Maybe Jr. is just a mediocre driver. Some people have the talent to drive these cars, and some people don't.
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Theres no doubt about it, his driving has been mediocre,recently. But I think as of lately it's because of a lack of effort, not lack of talent. I don't think anyone can question his talent. When things are working well, he's better than 90% of the field, and is capable of wins. However 90% isn't good enough for anyone, when your last name is Earnhardt.
You want Mediocre, lets discuss David Ragan, or Hornish.
MoMike
 
MoMike said:
Theres no doubt about it, his driving has been mediocre,recently. But I think as of lately it's because of a lack of effort, not lack of talent. I don't think anyone can question his talent. When things are working well, he's better than 90% of the field, and is capable of wins. However 90% isn't good enough for anyone, when your last name is Earnhardt.
You want Mediocre, lets discuss David Ragan, or Hornish.
MoMike
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Agreed. You don't win two Busch Championships and 18 cup points races by accident. You win one race on a fluke (see: Derrick Cope) I have been a longtime JR fan and a fan of his Daddy but I'm not like most of the other JR fans and believe he's the greatest driver in the field. As much as it pains me to say it, Kyle Busch has the most raw talent in the field today. I have always believed JR drives more on emotion than anything. He always wanted to make his Daddy proud and not let him down. After Dale's death, the guy just seems beaten down and tired. Granted he's had great moments, but I just don't see the emotion and the drive to be the best that used to be there. It's a shame, because he is very talented. Too bad he didn't go to RCR and have Richard work with him and help him like his father would've. Just my opinion...
 
bsquared31 said:
Agreed. You don't win two Busch Championships and 18 cup points races by accident.
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That's 19, not 18. Don't forget, he beat Shaq last month. :D

Oh, wait a second..... That's right, that wasn't a sanctioned event. You're right, it's 18.

These threads are always amusing. Everyone is psychoanalyzing Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his father/mother issues, lack of desire, lack of talent, etc..... It seems like there's new thread on this subject every month. I can't really comment on how he feels or what he's thinking but I imagine at some point he'll be back to wining some of these races and then those of us Jr. fans will have more to cheer about. Are you sure we can't count that Shaq win? :growl:
 
zevious said:
Ray Evernham says Dale Earnhardt Jr. needs to commit to giving better feedback and being less argumentative with crew chief:
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Good article.

MoMike said:
Yeah, and Obama says you need to pay higher taxes. Must be gospel.
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Not sure about the taxes comment..... seems like maybe the wrong forum but as far as the Evernham advise..... the guy is quite a bit more qualified than any of us on here and what he said makes sense.

He's on SNR right now explaining his thoughts on this subject.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
And here I always thought that was what the CC did. Man, was I off. The driver is the one that is supposed to tell the CC what the car is doing and what changes need to be made and then the CC relays that info to the rest of the crew. OK, I got it now. :sarcasm:
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Everytime I've been at the racetrack with a headset on the driver and the crew chief are discussing adjustments and making suggestions back and forth.
Maybe you should tune in to the guys running up front for a change.
 
Hendrick has a giant starving bulldog in the corner with Jr indeed, i don't know how they can fix the deal they are in but I can tell you that moving key personnel from Martins team to Jr's before the start of this season has now given him two back of the pack teams. i've never been one to believe in moving folks from one team to another to improve it. DEI tried it with Jr and Mikey back in 05 and it was a disaster for both teams. I'm a Jr fan but I know something has got to give. I mean you cannot be in the best GM equipment on the pitlane and not produce ever. I think Jr should resign from Hendrick and then bring his own Jr motorsports team up to the Cup level, there's no where else to go right now, all of RCR's cars are full. He could speak to Theresa about using his #8 and get sponsored by Miller High Life, that would be perfect...
 
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