Tony Eury Jr is out as crew cheif for Dale Earnhardt Jr starting this weekend at the Autism Speaks 400 at Dover.
Team manager Brian Whitesell will assume the role for Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Amp/National Guard Chevy this weekend, with Lance McGrew taking over on an interim basis after that.
In a prepared statement, Rick Hendrick said:
Our performance hasn’t been where it should be. 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.
Whitesell and Hendrick’s lead chassis engineer, Rex Stump, will support McGrew when he takes over. Tom Stewart, a team engineer, will also be on the pit box for the No 88.
These moves are an indication that Hendrick is committed to turning around the No. 88. Hendrick continued:
We’re going to put our full resources toward improving the situation and winning races. 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.
No word on what will happen to Eury Jr at this point.
UPDATE: Eury Jr will move to an R&D role with Hendrick Motorsports.
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