Team owner Rick Hendrick said:

Our people have a lot of respect for Kenny and what he’s accomplished. We know the chemistry is already there with Kasey, and there’s no doubt Kenny will communicate very well with our folks. He’s a character guy who brings an awful lot to the table as a crew chief. When we look at “fit factor,” it’s a great situation.

Francis added:

Joining Hendrick Motorsports and continuing to work with Kasey next year is an opportunity I’m excited about. He’s a championship-caliber driver and good friend, and I’m looking forward to building on our relationship. Mr. Hendrick has built an impressive team and culture, and it’s going to be fun to be a part of that when the time comes. I’m very optimistic about the rest of this season and focused on getting to Victory Lane with the No. 4 team. I want to thank Jay Frye and everyone with the organization for the chance to be part of such a great group of people. We still have goals to achieve there, and those are foremost on my mind right now.

In April of 2010, Kahne signed a multi-year deal with HMS to drive the No. 5 Sprint Cup Chevy. At the time, Mark Martin was slated to drive the car in 2011. With the NASCAR-mandated maximum of four drivers under contract, Kahne was left to sign with a team for one year.

After much speculation that Martin would leave the team and sign with Red Bull Racing, Kahne ended up going to RBR.

A couple of months later, it was reported that Francis would move to RBR with Kahne. At that time, I speculated that Francis would move to HMS with Kahne for 2012, which would result in Alan Gustafson ending up as crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr in 2012.

With last off-season’s reshuffling of crew chiefs at HMS, I don’t think that Gustafson or Steve Letarte will switch teams.

Lance McGrew, current crew chief of the team that Francis will take over when Kahne joins HMS, will return to HMS’s research and development department, including working on special projects and working with the development of the 2013 Sprint Cup car.

Earnhardt Jr just completed the third year in a five-year deal that runs through the 2012 Sprint Cup season. Hendrick was quoted as saying:

We’re looking at extending [the contract]. I really like him. I think the world of him. I know he can do it. We just have to get the right combination in, and I think we’re going to have it. I hope we get to race together until he retires … until I retire. I’ll retire first.

Earnhardt Jr said:

The only person that can truly help me get where I need to go starts with me, then it goes to Rick, Steve [Letarte] and those guys in your inner circle every week and in your corner every week. My biggest problem, I think, is my confidence.

The news of contract talks comes after HMS announced that Earnhardt Jr will be paired with crew chief Steve Letarte next season. In a three-crew-chief swap, Earnhardt Jr gets Letarte from Jeff Gordon; Gordon gets Alan Gustafson from Mark Martin; and Martin gets Lance McGrew from Earnhardt Jr.

As part of the restructuring, the No. 88 team will move to the shop with the five-time championship team of Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus. Gordon will move to the shop with Martin.

Lance McGrew, Earnhardt Jr’s crew chief this season, moves from the No. 88 to the No. 5 and driver Mark Martin, who will be entering his final year at HMS in 2011. Alan Gustafson, crew chief for Martin this season, moves from the No. 5 to the No. 24 with Gordon.

The only crew chief-driver combination left in tact was that of five-time Sprint Cup champion, Jimmie Johnson.

Team owner Rick Hendrick said:

This will improve us as an organization, across the board. We had a championship season (in 2010), but we weren’t where we wanted and needed to be with all four teams. We’ve made the right adjustments, and I’m excited to go racing with this lineup.

Earnhardt Jr is  coming off a 21st-place finish in the points, and his second consecutive season missing the Chase. While Letarte and Gordon have won only one race in the last three seasons, Letarte has helped guide the team to the Chase in each of those three seasons.

As a part of the re-alignment, the No. 88 shop will be housed with the championship team of Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus. The No. 24 and Gordon will move to the same facility as Martin and the No. 5.

Hendrick plans to discuss the shakeup on Wednesday discussed the move in more detail on Wednesday. In an Associated Press article, Hendrick said:

This was not a Dale Earnhardt – not a move that we made, this major of a move, because of Dale or his situation. I am excited about making all four teams better. We need to be better across the board. We are not going to leave any stone unturned. … A tremendous amount of thought went into it, and it was not a (decision) from the hip. It’s not one of those things that you can vote on; it’s one of those things you have to pull the trigger and go do it.

Despite public comments that McGrew and  Dale Jr would be together in 2011, it appears the rumor mill is buzzing that a move may be in the works. Ron Malec’s name has been thrown around a lot. But, Bowles doesn’t think that will happen because he’s a crucial piece of Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 team.

Alan Gustafson’s name has also been thrown around — and I predicted that might happen, just not this soon. But, as of this point, it’s just a rumor.

Francis and Kahne have been together since 2005, when Francis took over crew chief duties from Tommy Baldwin Jr. in the middle of that season. Baldwin left the team to work with Elliott Sadler at Yates Racing.

Francis and Kahne have combined for 10 wins together, and have made the chase together twice.

If Francis moves to RBR to serve as crew chief for Kahne, it is likely — assuming he doesn’t sign a multi-year deal with RBR — to fuel speculation that Francis will also leave RBR following the 2011 Sprint Cup Series season to move with Kahne to Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 5 team.

If that happens, that would leave HMS with five crew chiefs and four teams in 2012, if no other moves are made between now and then. Of HMS’ current crew chief stable, it would appear that Alan Gustafson, crew chief of Mark Martin and the No. 5, would be the odd man out.

But, earlier this season, Gustafson signed a multi-year extension with HMS so he is likely to stay with the organization. There is a chance he will be moved to the research and development department.

But, I don’t think he will. I think that — assuming no other moves are made — he will become crew chief to Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Before Tony Eury Jr and Earnhardt Jr were separated, there were rumors that team owner Rick Hendrick was considering swapping Eury Jr and Gustafson. While those reports were denied, there is a good chance they were actually considered. And, if that’s the case, Hendrick had to think that the pairing of Gustafson and Jr would be productive, or he wouldn’t have considered it.

After the rumors surfaced, Gustafson and Mark Martin began to improve their performance, stopping any chance for a swap.

If Gustafson were moved to Jr’s No. 88 team, that would pave the way for Lance McGrew to return to his previous role in the R&D department. Back in April, I wrote:

I don’t think — of course I don’t have insider knowledge — that McGrew would mind stepping out of the crew chief role. He seemed to be willing to accept the role as Earnhardt Jr’s crew chief more because Hendrick asked rather than because of a genuine interest.

So, if Francis does indeed sign on with HMS, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Gustafson and Jr together in 2012.

This announcement ensures that Knaus will remain paired with four-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson for the next several years. Johnson signed a five-year extension with  HMS at the end of last year, and it is likely that Knaus’ deal would keep him at HMS for the same amount of time. This, of course, is purely speculation.

Gustafson’s role, however, is much less certain. He is currently crew chief for the No. 5 team and driver Mark Martin. With the addition of Kasey Kahne to HMS in 2012, Martin will step out of the No. 5.

The issue is that Kahne’s contract with Richard Petty Motorsports expires this year, and all indications are that he would move to Stewart Haas Racing, an HMS affiliated team, for one season before moving to HMS in 2012.

Many believe that Gustafson will become Kahne’s crew chief when he joins the organization. And all indications point to that. But, I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s not the case.

Before Tony Eury Jr was removed from his position as Dale Earnhardt Jr’s crew chief last season, there were reports that Rick Hendrick considered swapping crew chiefs Eury Jr and Gustafson. Those reports were later denied. But, if true, that indicates that Hendrick thought that Gustafson would be a good fit for Earnhardt Jr — at least good enough to consider the move.

Gustafson and Martin turned their season around and won some races, and contended for a championship. That made it harder for Hendrick to justify the switch. Why break up a winning team that is performing?

Perhaps, with the addition of Kahne, Hendrick will be given the opportunity to consider moving Gustafson to the No. 88 team and Earnhardt Jr. In order for that to happen, I think Hendrick would make a play for Kenny Francis, Kahne’s crew chief during his entire Sprint Cup career.

I haven’t been given any reason to believe that Francis and Kahne have no desire to work together anymore. And, it may be more appealing for Hendrick to bring Francis on board so he doesn’t affect the chemistry. He’s also done it before with Earnhardt Jr and Eury Jr.

That would also mean that Lance McGrew would return to his previous role in the research and development department. I don’t think — of course I don’t have insider knowledge — that McGrew would mind stepping out of the crew chief role. He seemed to be willing to accept the role as Earnhardt Jr’s crew chief more because Hendrick asked rather than because of a genuine interest.

So I can’t imagine that McGrew would have a problem with stepping down. Then again, I don’t really know that for sure.

Another, less likely scenario is Tony Eury Jr becoming Kahne’s crew chief. I highly doubt this is likely, but about a month ago we never would have believed Kahne would be driving a HMS Chevy. So, you just never know.

Last summer, I wrote:

During the [Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500], Dale Jr came over the radio to complain about everything from the COT’s lack of down force to how much he hates racing at Pocono. He would also frequently complain about the car when Lance McGrew made a change that he didn’t want – at one point he snapped at his spotter, TJ Majors, because he wasn’t happy that McGrew made the change.

I pointed out the fact that Dale Jr would spend more time complaining about the car than he would telling McGrew what the car was doing so that he could make correct adjustments. For a few moments during last Sunday’s race at Bristol, he was doing the same thing. Fortunately, in that instance it was under caution and allowed him to vent and re-focus.

At the beginning of Monday’s Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway, Dale Jr had a solid car. He started in the top 10 due to his points’ position and for much of the first half of the race, he ran in the top 10.

At that time, he was giving McGrew detailed feedback. He would say that he was a “little tight in the center” or that he “needed forward bite.” This is the sort of feedback he needs to give McGrew. It’s much more helpful than saying the car is “pushing like a truck.”

When Dale Jr breaks down a corner and tells McGrew exactly what the car is doing throughout the turn, McGrew should be able to make adjustments that target only the problem areas. If Jr just says that the car is pushing, McGrew may make a change that corrects it, but also changes the way the car drives off the corner, even if before the change Jr was happy with how it drove off.

On Monday, Dale Jr was being as detailed as I’ve ever heard him. He broke down the corners, kept an eye on his water and oil temps, and even asked where others we beating him. Dale Jr was doing everything a driver is supposed to do during a race.

But, it’s easy to be that poised when things are going right. It’s when things go wrong, that a driver needs to be on top of his game.

Around the halfway point, McGrew instructed Dale Jr to pit a little closer to the wall so that exiting he could get around Matt Kenseth. In following the instructions, Jr pit close to the wall and the jack handle hit the inside wall, slowing his pit stop down. He lost several positions.

Last year, this sort of thing would have taken Dale Jr out of his game and he would have resorted to his generic (yet all too familiar) complaints about the car. (Pushing like a truck, for example.)

Instead, Dale Jr told McGrew that they shouldn’t have changed how he got into the pits because he didn’t want to be further back in the field. From there, he was done with it. Part of it was because Dale Jr just moved on, and part of it was because McGrew owned up to the mistake.

Now, one could argue that this was just a fluke. A one-time deal.  The no. 88 team could get over one hurdle, but not two. Right?

Around lap 300, Dale Jr lost more positions when the team put rubber in the rear. Dale Jr was not pleased with losing positions. But after McGrew explained to him why they lost positions, Jr understood. Again, he moved on.

Less than 100 laps later, Jr made his was back up to the top 10. He was still giving very detailed feedback. He was asking for more forward bite and he wanted the car to rotate better in the corner, but he also told McGrew how the car was driving off. He was very precise.

On the penultimate caution with seven laps to go, McGrew made the call to bring Jr down pit road for four fresh tires. Throughout the race, Dale Jr stressed how important track position was at Martinsville. But, instead of complaining about giving up track position, he did what he was told.

While this move didn’t pay off for him, it was good to see him listen to his crew chief without argument. He showed that he trusts McGrew.

I could see McGrew’s logic. I believe Dale Jr was running 14th when they brought him in and he restarted in 14th. The problem was that even with fresh tires, it’s hard to pass at Martinsville. So, to some, it wasn’t worth the gamble.

The real issue, however, was that Jr restarted on the outside, which was the slower line all day. He had to wait to get down to the low side, and once he did, he never could make up the positions. He dropped down to around 17th before working his way back to a 15th place finish.

Any fan who has watched Martinsville knows that track position is more important than fresh tires. And given his comments during the race, Dale Jr believes this as well. Still he chose to listen and trust his crew chief.

And while that may not always lead to top 10′s, 5′s or wins, it is at the very least, a step in the right direction. If Dale Jr can continue doing what he did on Monday, it should help McGrew make better adjustments on the car. And that should lead to better results, and maybe even a championship.

So when a pit road speeding penalty threatens to take away a good finish, it’s no wonder that he gets pissed off. The problem is that when he gets pissed, he has the tendency to get hung up on whatever pissed him off causing him to lose focus on the task at hand – recovering.

Last year at Pocono, Earnhardt Jr was complaining on the radio about everything from the COT’s lack of down force to how much he hates racing at Pocono. He also complained about adjustments crew chief Lance McGrew to the car. He finished the race in 28th place.
 
All of the blame for the finish can’t go on Earnhardt Jr – the car’s handling and pit crew also factor in – but every second he spent complaining about the COT or Pocono was a second he could have spent telling McGrew what exactly what the car was doing. But, he was so upset that he lost focus.

On Sunday, when he was forced to the back of the pack, he was understandably upset and dejected. When the race restarted, Earnhardt Jr began complaining that the car was “pushing like a truck.” This was an indication that he was starting to lose focus because the feedback was vague and negative. When he’s happy, the feedback is more detailed: “loose in, good in the center, tight off.”
 
Now, don’t get me wrong. Being in the back of the pack certainly changes how the car feels and I don’t doubt that Jr’s car was actually pushing. But, when he’s upset/unhappy in a race car, little issues are compounded by his anger. A tight race car can seem like he’s about to wreck every lap because his anger is magnifying the problem.
 
McGrew knows this, and suspected that was what was happening. McGrew then radioed:

Don’t lay down on me, bud.

To which Earnhardt Jr replied:

I can’t lay down here. This is Bristol. I don’t ever [expletive] lay down. Don’t ever say that again on the radio. Don’t need the whole world hearing that.

My guess is that Earnhardt Jr responded in that way because he knew that someone in the media would hear it and write a story about the appearance of a rocky relationship between driver and crew chief of the No. 88. And the last thing Earnhardt Jr wants is more negative media attention.

Shortly after that, McGrew clarified that he meant not to lose focus of the big picture. I think, given Earnhardt Jr’s history, McGrew was right to take that approach. Jr does have a history of losing focus and not recovering from issues/errors because he gets hung up on them. So, I don’t have a problem with him essentially telling Jr to refocus, even thought he might have chosen poor words.

After McGrew mentioned that, Earnhardt Jr went into a profanity-laced tirade on the pit road speeding penalty. Every driver does this (see Juan Montoya after Indy speeding penalty), so Earnhardt Jr’s reaction was not uncommon, despite attempts by some media members to make it seem out of the ordinary.

He said:

Well, anyhow. To get busted at Bristol for [expletive] speeding by what-the-[expletive]-ever it was and when I didn’t [expletive] gain nothing on nobody, it’s not the way it should be. There should be a different way of doing it. You bust your [expletive] to get up there. Now they can’t be [expletive] [expletive] about every [expletive] little nitpickin’ [expletive] thing. We’re out here racing our [expletive] off.

Someone said, after the race, that McGrew indicated that he riled up Earnhardt Jr on purpose – sorry this is second hand and I can’t find anyone or anything to verify this. (I’m going to assume it is true, though.)
 
I don’t have a problem with McGrew telling Earnhardt Jr to refocus. When Earnhardt Jr had his most successful seasons, Tony Eury Sr was his crew chief. Earnhardt Jr viewed Eury Sr as a father figure and probably had that type of relationship with him. He was less likely to snipe at Eury Sr out of respect, and he viewed Eury Sr as the authority. So, if Eury Sr told him to shut up and drive, he would do so.
 
Earnhardt Jr viewed Tony Eury Jr as more of a friend than an authority, and therefore was more willing to speak up/fight back when he didn’t agree. This is what led to their tumultuous relationship that ultimately resulted in their split.
 
McGrew needs Earnhardt Jr to view him as an authority, if the team is to be successful. I thought McGrew essentially telling Earnhardt Jr not to lose focus was a step in that direction.

But, I was surprised to find out that his intention was to rile Jr up. The way it was explained to me, it seemed McGrew riled him up because he thought Earnhardt Jr would drive better angry. I do not agree with this because I know that Earnhardt Jr tends to drive worse when he’s angry. (After missing pit road at Daytona, he made an overly aggressive move to get back in line after Brian Vickers tried to block him and caused a big wreck, for example.)

But, after thinking about it, I think McGrew knew that he had to let Earnhardt Jr vent his frustration about the pit road speeding penalty, otherwise he would focus on that instead of working towards a decent finish. So, he got him riled up enough to force him to vent. (We don’t know if Jr would have vented on his own, without mcgrew’s pushing him.) And while I don’t agree with the method (lay down comment) I do agree with the philosophy behind it (let Earnhardt Jr vent and move on).

Still, McGrew’s “tough love” had little to do with Earnhardt Jr’s rally. McGrew’s words didn’t motivate Earnhardt Jr to drive better, nor did they directly make him refocus. 

The exchange took place under caution for a big wreck caused when Mark Martin and Greg Biffle got together. The caution allowed Earnhardt Jr to slow down a little, vent his frustration, gain his composure, and refocus. And that’s what allowed him to rally back to a seventh-place finish.

Rick Hendrick said:

I have total faith in Lance and what he’s capable of accomplishing with Dale Jr. There was a lot of pressure with how he came into this deal, and the way he’s handled it has been extremely impressive. Lance is confident in himself and in his decisions, and all the outside distractions aren’t going to faze him. He’s a strong-willed guy who will keep his eye on the ball and not settle.

Dale Jr added:

Lance has been part of the solution, not the problem. He’s tough, which is what I need, and we’ve really clicked in a short period of time. The communication has gotten better every practice and every race, and I know that’s going to keep improving. Having this decision behind us is really important, and now we can focus on the future instead of the past.

Dale Jr and Eury Jr got off to a rocky start to the season — Dale Jr missed pit road during the Daytona 500, then helped trigger a multi-car accident that took out several contenders. Their struggles continued and the calls to replace Eury Jr got louder. At one point, both Dale Jr and Hendrick himself defended Eury Jr.

After the team continued to struggle, Hendrick determined that a change needed to be made. In May, Lance McGrew was named interim crew chief.

Since then, Dale Jr has two top 10s, and one top 5, with a best finish of 3rd. With Eury Jr this season, he had three top 10s, and one top 5, with a best finish of second. Granted, the two are still learning each other; but it’s safe to say there hasn’t been a huge improvement.

Still, McGrew is confident they can turn things around. He said:

The communication between Dale Jr and I continues to improve every single week. Both of us are 110-percent committed to the success of this team, and we’re going to do everything necessary to get the job done for Hendrick Motorsports, our sponsors and Dale’s fans.

I am not necessarily buying [Dale Earnhardt Jr's] comments after the race about finally getting a car built like teammates Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin. Surely it wouldn’t take Hendrick Motorsports that long to give him what the other three have.  

I don’t think Dale Jr was making a comment about Rick Hendrick or HMS. I think his comment was directed at how Tony Eury Jr built cars versus how Lance McGrew builds them.