Crew Chief Lance McGrew (Left) Rick Hendrick (Center) and NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Right) are working on strategies to improve the No. 88. (Photo: LAT Photographic) » More Photos

Hendrick was emphatic that the crews working together in the No. 5/88 shop is key towards getting Earnhardt back up front. To that end, Hendrick said he wants the cars built to such identical tolerances that the crew chiefs could swap cars between drivers, if necessary.

“The most important (relationship) is Junior and Lance,” Hendrick said. “But right behind that is the shop working as one. My instructions are, if we want to change the decals on the car one week, then we can do it and it’s the same. That’s the goal and that’s where we know we can be, and where we’re headed, we hope.”

For his part, Earnhardt said he was very pleased with the cars McGrew has built since taking the job and expects that the team will step up next year.

“I really like the relationship that Lance has with everybody in the shop,” said Earnhardt. “More specifically, his history with the organization as a whole. He is well respected and well trusted. I think it is a great move and it is one that hopefully now that we as a company and as a team know the future, we can really bank on that and depend on it.”

Earnhardt said his relationship with McGrew is one the two have worked hard to develop. “Lance and I have had many heart-to-heart conversations about our future, his future, my future, what we should do, what is best for us, the company … all those things,” said Earnhardt. “Me and Rick have sat down many, many times and talked about it. The rights things are being done and being talked about and being discussed with the right people inside the gate.”

Asked about Earnhardt’s body language during last Friday’s press conference — he repeatedly said he was excited about McGrew’s status, yet looked like he was about to fall asleep — Hendrick had an explanation for that, too.

“We all don’t want to talk about it anymore,” said Hendrick. “We want to go do it, you know? … We just know everybody’s looking and we want to, for ourselves, we want to get it right and headed in the right direction.”
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Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of ?Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED,? and has appeared on television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association. Jensen is the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and has won numerous national and state awards for news reporting, columns and feature writing. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to