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GURSS: Getting Junior’s Swagger Back
Written by: Jade Gurss   
06/02/2009
Mooresville, NC
 
Faster. Louder. The weekly column on SPEEDtv.com by Jade Gurss. (Harold Hinson Photo) ยป More Photos

So much has been written about the crew chief change for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 88 Hendrick team, it seems like overkill. However, I spent nine seasons as publicist for Dale Jr., so I might have a little bit of insight into his personality and what it will take for him to succeed in the new scenario.

First of all, the elephant in the room: is Dale Jr. a championship-caliber driver – or is he overrated?

A driver doesn’t accidentally win 18 Cup races (plus two Budweiser Shootouts, an All-Star race and numerous Daytona 150s) and two Nationwide Series championships. A driver or team might stumble into one or two victories along the way, but no one wins as many races as Dale Jr. without having considerable skill and ability behind the wheel. There are too many memorable drives under extreme pressure that show he has the tools and the temperament to be a Cup champion. He often won under the most trying conditions and he handles the pressure of being the most popular driver with an ease most cannot imagine. The responsibility and expectations are now totally on his shoulders, and he accepts that burden. Now is the time when Earnhardt will define his legacy.

So, what was missing? Dale Jr’s usual swagger, confidence and sense of fun had been extinguished this past season-and-a-half. You could see it in his eyes, his posture and in his interactions with the media in the past three months. He wasn’t having fun like he did for much of the Budweiser/No. 8 era. Between he and Tony Jr., it seemed as if they were trying too hard each week to make up for the early deficit.

Another element missing might have been an additional layer of leadership beyond merely Dale Jr. and Tony Eury Jr. The team’s chemistry is a delicate, fragile and ethereal thing. To counteract the accomplished but often bickering cousins during the most successful of the Budweiser years, there were veterans like Tony Eury Sr., plus team principals/spotters like Ty Norris and Steve Hmiel who were usually voices of calm, reason and respect, especially during the races. Will the “new” team have that chemistry?

The mix of expertise and leadership is now in place at Hendrick Motorsports, and could return the fun and confidence for Dale Jr. Hendrick has the deepest pool of talent in the Cup garage, and the focus they are placing upon the No. 88 bunch should pay dividends. They will likely not make the Chase this season (there are too many drivers ahead of him to leapfrog into the top-12), but Rick Hendrick has won more races and more titles than any other current owner, and he is committed to make it work. The interim crew chief Lance McGrew seems like a no-nonsense kind of guy who can provide the discipline to right a listing ship.

After being shell-shocked and downbeat earlier in the weekend, Dale Jr. was slightly more animated after the 12th-place run on Sunday afternoon at Dover. After one race, there’s
not enough evidence to support an argument either way about an improvement, but the mood around the team was more upbeat. Dale Jr. consciously tried harder to provide better feedback before and during the race. Nothing at all against Tony Jr. – who is a gifted and extremely likeable guy – but sometimes change is best for everyone involved.

And who better than the man himself to give a post-race analysis?

“It was really hard to be that way with Tony Jr., and it wasn't his fault,” said Dale Jr. after the race, explaining his new approach to communications with his crew. “Maybe it’s my own personal fault but we were too cool to talk that much to each other. It was just too much pride I guess between me and him. I don't know how you love somebody so much and carry so much pride around them, but that's the way we were.

“It's real easy to talk to Lance. He's a sponge and taking all that information in… but it's only one race. We'll see how we communicate in two months. We'll see if we're at each other's throats then or not. I think it’s a good start. We keep this type of attitude and we keep working hard and maintain our expectations, we'll be alright."

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or Speed Channel

Jade Gurss is the owner of fingerprint, inc., a sports publicity company. He has written two New York Times Best Sellers, including what is believed to be the biggest-selling motorsports book in American publishing history (Driver #8 with Dale Earnhardt Jr.). His two decades of publicity and marketing experience involves nearly every category of motorsports, including nine innovative seasons as NASCAR publicist for the Budweiser brand and Earnhardt Jr. His blog can be seen at: http://fingerprint.typepad.com

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