Earnhardt-Eury may be only pairing that works for Junior

Even though it's not produced the results they want, the match of Earnhardt and Eury might be the only one that works for Junior. Getty Images/Jason Smith

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- When NASCAR's most popular driver joined Hendrick Motorsports, everyone thought Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was finally with a team that would take him to his first Cup championship.

But five races into the 2009 season and after a disappointing Bristol, that championship looks like a pipe dream.

The interesting thing about the situation is that rather than putting the heat on the driver, fans and the media are turning up the burner on crew chief Tony Eury, Jr.

The crew chief is also Earnhardt's cousin, and has been a key player in his racing career since the beginning. The problem is, the two are so close they are almost like an old married couple -- can't live with him; can't live without him.

Therein lies the dilemma that faces Hendrick Motorsports and the No. 88 team. It's virtually impossible to replace Eury with another crew chief because the results may actually be worse than the disappointing season the two are mired in.

"Whether we are the perfect combination or not, that doesn't mean anything to me," Earnhardt said at Bristol. "I just like racing with him. That is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I like working with him. Whether I get to do that or not, I don't know."

Earnhardt's former team at DEI and his current team at Hendrick have both operated with that philosophy and so far it's a matter of unrealized expectations. But racing for Hendrick -- a team that demands success -- Earnhardt's side of the operation will have to produce some results on the track, not just at the souvenir rigs.

Earnhardt is one of the few drivers in this sport who truly speaks from his heart. Ask him a question and he'll tell you what he really feels -- not what he thinks his public relations representative or his sponsor wants him to say.

Last Friday at Bristol was one of those days when Earnhardt opened up with his true feelings regarding the criticism that has been directed at his crew chief and cousin.

"We haven't run well and it's obvious, so it's OK for people to point that out because it's a fact," Earnhardt said. "We haven't run like we've wanted to. [But] the guy I feel bad for is Tony Jr. because he gets criticized so badly. Everybody in this room knows how smart of a guy he is; truly knows how he is a solid crew chief. He just wants to do this for a living, like I do. I'll take the fall. I'd rather be crucified than him. Every time I read in the paper that people are on his case, I feel like I'm sending my brother to jail for a crime I committed."

The critics believe it's the combination of Earnhardt and Eury that doesn't work, but in the DEI days, the two were split one season and that didn't produce the desired results, either.

That goes back to the "Old Married Couple" theory.

"There are rifts between every driver and every crew chief, and they work it out or they don't," Earnhardt said. "I think me and Tony, Jr. do a pretty good job of working it out. It is a tough deal because we have a lot of sponsors and you have a lot of people, a lot of fans. You are in a big sport and each wants to go out there and make it happen."

When asked about the bond between Earnhardt and Eury, Junior's teammate, Jeff Gordon, agreed that it's unique.

"I have never seen two people get after one another and argue more and be able to hug and make up at the end of the day more than those two," Gordon said. "To me, it would be very, very tough to be Dale, Jr's crew chief. I think Tony Eury, Jr. does a great job."

But could a change take place one day?

"I don't know if I am really qualified to be answering that question," Gordon said. "But I do know from my involvement at Hendrick Motorsports over the years, you see certain drivers and you know what they need for a crew chief. I think it was all unanimous and still to this day it is unanimous that Tony Eury, Jr. is the guy for Junior and possibly the only guy for Junior."

Bracket Busters

While the term "Bracket Busters" is used for the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, NASCAR has its own bracket buster after the fifth race of the season with The Racer's Group.

What made Sunday's race so important to many teams is the top-35 rule. The teams that were in the top 35 of the 2008 owner points were guaranteed starting positions for the first five races of the season. But after the fifth race, it switches to the current standings.

Kevin Buckler and The Racer's Group (TRG) is 35th in owner points, which means driver David Gilliland is assured a starting position next Sunday at Martinsville Speedway.

Missing the cut are Team Red Bull and driver Scott Speed; Chip Ganassi and driver Aric Almirola; and Max Jones and driver Paul Menard.

Those teams will be put in the "Go or Go Home" category, which means they will have to race their way into the starting lineup based on qualification speeds to fill out the final seven places.

TRG's efforts have impressed some of the most accomplished drivers in Cup racing.

"Those guys really are racers and that acronym really means something," said three-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson. "They have always been competitive and dominant in whatever division they race in. I think today's world has hurt some teams and has forced some mergers, but at the same time, it has allowed other teams an opportunity to come in to our sport. It is nice to see some good things come out of the tough economy and the tough market we have right now."

Gilliland's 36th-place finish at Bristol assured team owner Buckler that TRG was locked into the top 35 in owner points.

"It was pretty exciting to be running as competitively as we were early in the race," Buckler said. "From the qualifying session clear up to the first 60 laps we were really running well. We had a couple of issues which started on lap 125 with the pit stop. We then started to drop like a rock as the cars handling went away. Then you just have to cruise around and finish in the top 35 in owner points, which has been our original goal, and we got it."