Looking for chemistry

By the time Tony Eury Jr. was fired as Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s crew chief, the team car was already on its way to last week's race at the Dover International Raceway.

Interim crew chief Brian Whitesell could change little on the No. 88 Chevrolet. Essentially, the only change was the voice on the other end of the two-way radio.

That, however, was exactly what car owner Rick Hendrick wanted most, especially because he built a racing empire with people, not fast cars.

He listened to the chatter between crew chief and driver, although another of his cars, driven by Jimmie Johnson, led the most laps and won the race. Getting Earnhardt, the sport's most-popular driver, back on track was Hendrick's biggest priority.

Although race cars are little more than chunks of metal, nuts and bolt, speed is often the result of chemistry, Hendrick said. That's why he separated the cousins amid tremendous scrutiny last week.

Lance McGrew watched from the sidelines knowing he will be the next crew chief.

The connection between Eury and Earnhardt became tested in the past four years. Earnhardt had one victory in his past 111 races dating back to the 2006 season. His lone win came a year ago at Michigan, but his record at Hendrick is one-for-49.

The change wasn't about mechanical ability. It was about chemistry.

Eury allowed Earnhardt to make most of the decisions. By the time they got to Lowe's Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600 on May 25, they had made so many changes they lost complete confidence in the car -- and each other. It was so bad during the rain-shortened race, Earnhardt asked his crew to warn him when traffic approached so he could stay out of their way.

McGrew promises to be different. He will ask questions and will rely heavily on Earnhardt's feedback, but he will be in charge. McGrew is not a yes-man, and Hendrick says that's exactly what the son of seven-time series champion Dale Earnhardt needs most.

"I think it's a new chapter and a new direction, which gives you hope obviously," Earnhardt said. "Maybe hope is a good word instead of relief. I'm not really relieved; I'm really disappointed that we didn't get things like we wanted them with the original structure of the team. That disappointment I think will be around for a couple months at least and may linger for a long time.

"The change and the support that I'm getting from some new voices in the company is an opportunity and brings you hope and sort of lifts the confidence or the spirits of everybody -- not just me, all the road crew and hopefully when the guys show up for race day, the pit crew and all them guys, they feel it, too. Lance is a pretty tough guy. He tells you like it is and he doesn't really pull any punches."

Which is exactly what Rick Hendrick wanted most.

Reach Don Coble at don.coble@morris.com