Working On My Redneck ™ » hendrick motorsports

Dale Jr. and Latarte Worked Well As A Team In 2011

Leon — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:24:03 +0000

(photo courtesy of Christa L. Thomas)

The big crew chief swap

When Rick Hendrick pulled “the big crew chief swap” last year he wasn’t really sure if the paring of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Steve Latarte was really going to work as a team. As the season closed out, he realized that his experiment was very successful. As a results, the third generation driver, Dale, Jr., has realized that he doesn’t want Hendrick to mess with that team combination for 2012!

“As soon as I got in the truck in the morning (at the track), I never left until the day was over with,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I never did that in my entire career until (last) year. I always went back to the bus in between practices. I was never there early.”

It was evident from the team’s performance last season the two men work well together. In their inaugural season, Earnhardt Jr. enjoyed his best performance since 2006 when he placed fifth in the series points. Even though he didn’t possess a victory when the 2011 season ended, he was close on at least two occasions, he had made the Chase for the first time since 2008 and he had collected four top-5s and 12 top-10s en route to a seventh-place finish in the driver standings.

The Tony Eury,Sr. comparison

For Earnhardt Jr., last year was the first time he’d had a crew chief that was “tough” on him since his NASCAR Busch (now Nationwide) Series days when he won two championships, 1998-99. Then it was Tony Eury Sr., better known as “Pops”, who oversaw the team. Dale Earnhardt wanted “Pops” to take care of his son when he couldn’t be there and he did.

“Pops is really hard, strict, but he doesn’t want detailed reports or written feedback,” Earnhardt Jr. explained. “He doesn’t need you there early to talk to you. He’s a man of very few words, but when you messed up, you were in trouble; you got your tail chewed off. Steve doesn’t do that, but Pops’ approach is just as effective. Both ways you’re accountable or you’re not going to be there. But Pops is a little more like a drill sergeant and Steve’s a lot more like a cheerleader. Steve is a little more structured. Pops is as good as anybody in the sport, but they’re two different approaches.”

“I told him (Latarte) during the off-season, ‘I worry that you’re going to relax a little bit the more we’re together, the more we become friends,’ he might let me off the hook and I don’t want that to happen,” Earnhardt Jr. said during the NASCAR Sprint Media Tour presented by Charlotte Motor Speedway. “Steve has his expectations, his rules; this is what you’re going to do. I need this from you. That was good.”

The Hendrick experiment was validated

During the two men’s inaugural season together, Earnhardt Jr. experienced something for the first time in his career: Expectations from a crew chief that involved more than simply showing up with a helmet and driving. Now the 37-year-old Earnhardt Jr. is expected to complete forms about each race, provide information on the car and participate in discussions about it in the garage.

Hendrick believes the Earnhardt Jr./Letarte team will show its potential in 2012, and be very comparable to the Dale,Jr./ Pops combination. That combination of Pops and Dale, Jr. netted the driver and crew chief two successive Nationwide titles before stepping up to the Sprint cup level!

Being a charter member of Junior Nation, I, too, am very hopeful that this is a year that will give Junior Nation the opportunity to celebrate in victory lane on more than one occasion!

What are your views?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

Is Hendrick And Penske Considering an Indy Car Alliance?

Leon — Mon, 30 May 2011 16:17:21 +0000

(photo courtesy auto123.com)

This Hendrick Motorsports decal was spotted Sunday at The Centennial Indy 500 on the wings of two of the Team Penske Racing cars on the grid before the start of the race. The decals were on the inside rear wingplate on Will Power’s #6 Dallara Honda and Ryan Briscoe’s #12 Dallara Honda.

This could only lead to speculation that, quite possibly,there could be a alliance between Penske and Hendrick in Indy Car. This comes at a time when Chevrolet has announced that it will be coming back into the open wheel racing world, in particular, the IndyCar Series in 2012.

One rumor running throughout the garage area is that, Penske officials are keen to add Simona de Silvestro to their team but are having financial issues with three cars. On the Hendrick Motorsports question, Penske officials would not comment on why HMS decals were on the two cars.

An alliance with Hendrick, a big Chevrolet dealer, could help. And remember, Ganassi now has two-two car teams with Dixon and Franchitti, Rahal and Kimball. A Penske Hendrick Alliance could work like Ganassi’s two teams.

Additionally, Honda just announced that they would be making Target Chip Ganassi their lead team in developing their new engines for the IndyCar Series in 2012.

Could this be the start of a move away from Honda and towards Chevrolet and a possible Hendrick Motorsports alliance for Team Penske in the IndyCar Series?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

Bill Elliott Is Trying On The Chevy Bow Tie

Leon — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 02:15:18 +0000

(photo courtesy Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images)

Geroge Elliott was a die-hard Ford supporter. His sons, Bill and Ernie carried on that die-hard Ford fervor, racing for Ford throughout the 1980′s and 90′s. Additionally, Bill Elliot has spent the last four seasons racing for a Ford legend, the Wood Brothers #21 Motorcraft Ford.

Later this week, when NASCAR entertains testing on the new surface of the historic Daytona International Speedway, Bill Elliot will be driving the James Finch Phoenix Racing #09 Chevy. Elliott said he plans to run at least 18 races in the James Finch-owned car, and said that he feels he’s plenty capable of giving the car a good run.

“I’m still in good shape physically,” he said, adding that he was pleased with the way he ran at times last fall in the Wood Brothers Ford.

The team will use engines and equipment from Hendrick Motorsports, and the deal also means that Finch will help support Elliott’s son, Chase, who stunned the short track world with his success in 2010, when he won the Winchester 400, a race at North Wilkesboro Speedway and the Gulf Coast championship, which includes racing at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla, and Mobile International Speedway.

“I watched Chase at the Snowball Derby,” Finch said. “That kid’s going to be the real deal.”

Finch said he plans to run the full Sprint Cup schedule with the #09, and that Elliott could make more starts depending on sponsorship. He said he’s cutting back on his Nationwide Series efforts and will focus on the races at Daytona and Talladega.

What is your view on “Awesome Bill From Dawsonville” putting on a Chevy bow tie?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

Jeff Gordon’s #24 New Paint Scheme

Leon — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 02:52:11 +0000

(photo courtesy jayski.com)

The Drive To End Hunger (DTEH), an initiative of AARP and AARP Foundation to end hunger among older Americans, today unveiled the design of four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Jeff Gordon’s #24 Drive to End Hunger Chevy for the 2011 season.

“Of the nearly 51 million Americans who face the threat of hunger every day, nearly six million are seniors who must make the heart-breaking decision between a nutritious meal and other necessities,” said Gordon, 39, winner of 82 career Sprint Cup races. “By combining the power and generosity of the NASCAR community with such a deserving cause, we can make a difference in this country and solve this problem.” Gordon will drive the car for 22 races annually over the next three years to raise awareness of and help solve the growing problem of hunger among older Americans.

The DTEH car is candy apple red fading down to black, with dominant white DTEH logos. DTEH is helping millions of older Americans who are facing hunger across the United States. As part of the # 24 sponsorship, DTEH, Gordon and Hendrick Motorsports will engage the NASCAR fan base, corporations and charitable organizations via a text-to-donate program; activation at racetracks across the country; further research on the causes and consequences of hunger in older Americans; and an innovative national grant program that will provide resources to address the problem at a local level.(AARP)

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

How The HMS Crew Chief Swap Really Worked

Leon — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 15:39:29 +0000

Photo courtesy Leon Hammack)

As the media reported last week, there was a major shakeup, a crew chief swap, a company upheaval, or whatever you would like to call it, at Hendrick Motorsports!

After closer scrutiny, it appears that the way this swap is going to really happen is as follows:

Dale Earnhardt, Jr., the #88, all his sponsors, AMP and the National Guard, etc., are really moving into the #24 shop with all its equipment in tact. Crew chief Steve Latarte and all the #24 support and race team is staying put in their shop.

Jeff Gordon, the #24 and all his sponsors, are moving over to the #5 shop with Alan Gustafson. All the #5 support and race team staying intact, as well.

Likewise, Mark Martin, the #5 and all his associated sponsors will move over to the #88 shop with all the #88 support and race team in tact, as well.

So in the final analysis, the real movement in all this crew swap upheaval at Hendrick is that the three drivers affected are shifting to new race shops/buildings within the organization. Those particular race teams are changing paint schemes and numbers to reflect their new driver’s sponsors and affiliations.

That, my friends, in a nutshell is the final analysis of “The Great Shakeup AT HMS”!

And as Paul Harvey used to say,”now you know the rest of the story”

What is your take on the “New Hendrick Motorsports” lineup?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDENCK!

More From Hendrick On The Major Shakeup

Leon — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 23:50:39 +0000

(photo courtesy Jason Smith/Getty Images)

In a Wednesday morning teleconference with the media, NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick reiterated that the massive changes going on at his race shop, Hendrick Motorsports, are the results of his belief that people on his team “had gotten complacent”. He said that since his announcement of the change of crew chiefs in three of the four race teams that his organization fields in the Sprint Cup level, there is a “new energy” in the entire organization.

Hendrick announced the changes, the planning for which began after the race at Texas Motor Speedway three weeks ago, on Tuesday. The only team not affected is that of Jimmie Johnson, who won his fifth straight championship last weekend.

The biggest changes involved the movement of three of his four crew chiefs. Those changes see Steve Letarte moving from the car of Jeff Gordon to the car of Dale Earnhardt Jr.; Lance McGrew going from the car of Earnhardt to that of Mark Martin; and Alan Gustafson going from Martin to Gordon.

Hendrick said that he is still looking at changing over-the-wall people up but that “is a work in progress”.

“Significant changes need to be made for sure” on the pit crews, Hendrick said. He said that no people in the race shops will be moved around.

Hendrick said that the decision to make the moves was his and, “It’s not one of those things that you can vote on.”

“We all needed something to get excited about,” Hendrick said, “a new challenge.”

Hendrick denied media assertions made in the hours since the changes were announced that the situation of Earnhardt was the major emphasis. Instead, he said, it was to “pair people up that I thought would be good together.”

He did say that the failure of Earnhardt to perform at consistently high levels, Earnhardt has won just one points race since joining HMS for the 2008 season, has been frustrating to Hendrick.

“I have never had as much pressure” as when Earnhardt joined the team,” Hendrick said. “I knew when I brought him on the world would be watching.”

Hendrick said he thinks Letarte, who has been with Gordon since 2006, is a perfect match with Earnhardt.

“He,” Hendrick said of Letarte, “has tremendous people skills. He is a leader and is a no-nonsense guy when he come to the race but he has the ability to make people feel comfortable and at the same time get the job done. With the kind of season Junior’s had, Stevie will be a perfect fit for him.”

While no votes were taken at HMS about the moves, Hendrick did say that Gordon signed off on the move to make Gustafson his crew chief.

And, he said the problems which Gordon had during this year’s Chase were not the fault of Letarte.

“Toward the end, we had all kind of problems. I feel like this is exactly what they need and that is why we did it now. We don’t have a lot of down time but there is enough time for them to work some together and get comfortable with each other.”

It looks like this major shift in three of the four race teams at HMS could be a win-win situation for all three race teams.

What is your take on this upheaval at HMS?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

A Shakeup At Hendrick Motorsports

Leon — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 02:26:38 +0000

(photo courtesy Leon Hammack)

On Tuesday Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports, announced a multi-team shakeup for 2011. Hendrick cited the reason for the shakeup was due to a lack of performance.

Here is the scorecard for 2011: Steve Letarte, who has been crew chief for Jeff Gordon for the last five seasons, will move over to the team of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Lance McGrew, who has been on Earnhardt’s pit box since May of 2009, will be paired with Mark Martin next year.

Earnhardt has won just one Sprint Cup race since arriving at HMS in 2008. He qualified for the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship that season but finished 12th in the 12-driver field.

Alan Gustafson, who has been Martin’s crew chief the last two seasons, moves to Gordon’s team.

The only driver left unaffected is Jimmie Johnson, who, with crew chief Chad Knaus, just won his fifth straight Sprint Cup championship.

“This will improve us as an organization, across the board,” Hendrick said in the statement. “We had a championship season, 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.”

In addition, the Gordon and Martin teams will be fielded out of the same facility, now known as the 5/24 shop. Earnhardt and Johnson will be in the 48/88 shop. Previously the 24 and 48 cars were built in the same building, and the 5 and 88 were together. A major shift of emphasis at HMS!

The other three drivers were winless, and only Gordon made the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, finishing ninth in the final standings.

What is your take on the shakeup at Hendrick Motorsports?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

Wal-Mart And Jeff Gordon

Leon — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 02:44:53 +0000

(photo courtesy Leon Hammack)

Wal-Mart’s potential move into NASCAR has led the retail giant deep into negotiations with Hendrick Motorsports over sponsorship of Jeff Gordon’s Hendrick Motorsports #24 Chevrolet next season.

There continues to be several moving parts to the Wal-Mart discussions with Hendrick and NASCAR, which began in the spring and have progressed through the summer. Wal-Mart’s play could have tentacles in both sponsorship and licensing at the team and league level, according to industry sources.

The retailer has been hesitant to spend money on sports sponsorships in the past, so Wal-Mart’s entrance to NASCAR would provide a huge boost to a sport that has been ravaged by the recession and attracted little new sponsorship money in the last two seasons.

“It’s very significant,” said Mark Dyer, senior vice president at IMG and formerly chief of the licensing division at NASCAR until 2007. “We tried for years to get Wal-Mart’s attention when I was at NASCAR and we made some inroads. If they truly decide to take a position in the sport, that’s a big deal to get a company that should have been in that space all along.”

While Wal-Mart ponders a new place in NASCAR, other consumer packaged goods sponsors are clearly energized and they’re not waiting for contracts to be signed before mobilizing.

Sources say that six of NASCAR’s official consumer packaged goods partners met earlier this month to discuss a retail strategy for Wal-Mart. Those sponsors were Coca-Cola, Kraft, Mars, MillerCoors, Procter & Gamble and Unilever.

The opportunities with this are huge,” the source said. “In the past, you could get regional activation with a Wal-Mart close to the track, but they liked to control their national promotions. They typically develop their own programs and then bring in the manufacturers that they choose. But we’re hearing that it could be changing.”

The store’s sponsorship of Gordon would be the most visible bet that Wal-Mart believes an association with NASCAR would help its business. Sources say that Wal-Mart has been seeking ways to reconnect with its core U.S. customers, who compare favorably with the avid fans in NASCAR.

Wal-Mart also has been in discussions with NASCAR’s licensing trust to be the sport’s exclusive retailer in the mass merchandise space. If NASCAR granted Wal-Mart a direct license, it would allow the store to select its merchandise partners and set prices. Those talks have been going on since the spring. (sports business journal)

What is your take on Wal-Mart’s most likely move into NASCAR?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

Martin-Hendrick: Could Get Ugly

Leon — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:23:13 +0000

(photo courtesy Geoff Burke/Getty Images)

If anyone doesn’t think that Mark Martin is a proud old warrior, you better rethink that thought! Martin made it clear last week in a very rare flare of anger after ESPN analyst, former crew chief and team owner, Ray Evernham, suggested that Mark Martin should bow out gracefully from the Hendrick Motorsports stable of drivers to allow Kasey Kahne into the #5 Chevy.

The audacity of that suggestion struck a very raw nerve in the 51 year old warrior. An irate Martin made it abundantly clear that he will not give up his ride without a fight! He has a contract with HMS and fully expects Hendrick to fulfill his part of the contract! Anything less than that is totally unacceptable to Martin.

Rick Hendrick created this mess by signing Kasey Kahne to a contract that is not starting until 2012. Granted, Hendrick needed to strike and sign Kahne early, however what is a driver of Kahne’s caliber to do for the 2011 season? Therein lies the confusion, the rancor, and a huge logistics problem. Hendrick has five drivers signed with the maximum of four race teams allowed by NASCAR. No problem according to Hendrick, Kahne will join the team after Martin leaves at the end of the 2011 season!

Obviously Hendrick wanted Kahne to join his company, no matter what the cost. However, it has been a disaster in the making from the start. Why make the announcement in early 2010 for the 2012 season? That announcement only fueled the fire of speculation over Kahne’s future employment status for 2011. The collateral damage from Hendrck’s announcement has caused the waters surrounding Mark Martin to become muddied, turbulent, and infected with alligators waist deep!

In 2010, Martin’s team has struggled with their performance, adding additional fuel to the fire, and magnifying this tenuous position that Martin has been thrust into! The outside speculation and pressure continues to mount weekly

So this is the deal. HMS has five very talented drivers, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt,Jr.,Mark Martin, and Kasey Kahne, signed to drive four cars. It doesn’t appear that Hendrick has been able to line up a ride for Kasey Kahne for the 2011 season, at this point in time. A talented driver, such as Kahne, will not be willing to sit out an entire season waiting for the contract to become enforceable.

Therefore, having five drivers for only four race teams has put rick Hendrick into a very delicate situation. Martin has made it very clear that he is not “expendable”, and is not going to be pushed out of the #5 Chevy! Hendrick has been extremely busy trying to line up employment in 2011 for Kahne. As the season starts to draw to close, the possibilities for Kahne’s 2011 season are not looking so bright!

The Kanhe signing has had many side affects within the HMS organization. Nevertheless, you can’t fault Hendrick for grabbing Kahne when he could, even though it has turned into a car owners worst nightmare!

Hendrick’s options seems to be dwindling as the days tick off! What is car owner to do?

What are your thoughts as to how Hendrick could solve his delicate problem?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

Is Dale Jr’s Fortunes Martin’s Misfortunes?

Leon — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 15:33:01 +0000

(photo courtesy Tom Whitmore/Getty Images)

Could it be that Dale Earnhardt,Jr.’s rise in the standings this season is related to the fall of Mark Martin?

Earnhardt finished fourth last Saturday night at the Coke Zero 400 and climbed up to 12th position in the Chase. Meanwhile Martin was caught up in one of the “big ones”, finished 28th and fell out of the Chase to 13th place.

Is this just racing luck or is there something to this analysis? If you look at the bigger picture, maybe there is something here. During the off season Rick Hendrick made some changes to try to bolster the sagging performance of “NASCAR’s rock star”, Dale Jr. and the #88 race team. Hendrick moved some “key players” from Martin’s team over to Earnhardt, Jr.’s team. It was explained as part of “reorganization “ effort to help both teams.

After last year’s performance, Mark Martin’s team really didn’t need any help, they had 5 victories to show for themselves. What needed help? Now 18 races into the season, Martin has zero victories and has fallen out of the Chase.

There is also this small item, what to do with the new Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Kasey Kahne, for the 2011 season? There is much conjecture on the future of Mark Martin, Kasey Kahne, and Hendrick Motorsports. Martin has a contract to drive full time with HMS in 2011, but the water is still very murky as to how the pieces of this puzzle will fit together.

Does any or all of this Kahne, Martin, and HMS negotiations have an affect on the Martin’s 2010 performance? One thing that is for sure, winning in NASCAR requires a multitude of factors to fit together snugly, from mechanical to mental, and many things in between. There are some people that may wondering if Hendrick’s tinkering may have upset the apple cart.

Nevertheless, there is some happy news for the ardent Mark Martin fan. Martin is only a handful points out of 12th place. The driver currently in 12th place is Carl Edward, hardly a powerhouse and winless in 2010.

What is your view on Martin’s slide and Junior’s ascent?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!