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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: McGrew Named Earnhardt’s Crew Chief
Lance McGrew has the “interim” removed from his job title...
SPEED Staff  |  Posted October 30, 2009   Charlotte, NC
Lance McGrew (Right) is now the full-time crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Left) in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick has named Lance McGrew the full-time crew chief of the No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The 41-year-old McGrew assumed the role May 28 on an interim basis.

"I have total faith in Lance and what he's capable of accomplishing with Dale Jr.," Hendrick said in a statement issued by the team Friday morning. "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."

McGrew will complete the final four races of the 2009 schedule, beginning with this weekend's AMP Energy 500 at Talladega, Ala., and return in 2010, which will mark the 11th full-time Sprint Cup season for Earnhardt.

"Lance has been part of the solution, not the problem," said Earnhardt, an 18-time winner in the Sprint Cup Series. "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."

As a crew chief, McGrew earned the 2003 Nationwide Series championship with driver Brian Vickers and has posted victories in all three of NASCAR's national touring series. In addition to Vickers, he has won races with drivers Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Ricky Hendrick, Mark Martin and Tony Stewart.

"The communication between Dale Jr. and I continues to improve every single week," said McGrew, a native of Baton Rouge, La. "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.”

SPEEDtv.com will have more on this story as it develops today.
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