The
events of the last few days at JR Motorsports prove the age-old adage about never
mixing business with family.
Late
last week, the team announced the departure of Competition Director Tony Eury,
Sr., who in addition to his competitive duties with JRM, is the father of team
co-owner Tony Eury, Jr. and uncle to co-owners Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Kelley
Earnhardt-Miller. The move was difficult, emotional, even traumatic, with
Earnhardt-Miller calling the discussion, “one of the most difficult I’ve ever
been a part of.”
Eury,
Jr., was eerily prescient in his reaction to his father’s firing, saying, “It
may not be the last thing we change. Whatever we have got to do to make the
sponsors happy…”
This
week, the hammer fell once again, this time on Eury, Jr. He was released as
crew chief of Danica Patrick’s NASCAR Nationwide Series team, with his continuing
status as co-owner of the team still to be determined.
 |
| Eury, Jr. and Earnhardt in happier times |
“Unfortunately
Tony Jr. is no longer with the company," said Earnhardt Jr. in a prepared
statement. "I had hoped he would be here for a long time, but as we’ve
discussed the direction of JR Motorsports moving forward, it was clear our
differences in ideas were too vast to overcome. I love him like a brother, and
you’ll never hear me say a bad thing about him.”
Eury
took his firing with restraint, saying, “They’re trying to fix the competition
of the cars. They thought they could do better without me there. They hired
Ryan (Pemberton) and Ryan’s their guy.”
The
dual firings are, at the same time, both simple and complicated.
The simple fact is that JRM
has not been competitive this season. After a breakout season in underfunded
Truck Series equipment last year, Cole Whitt is seventh in Nationwide Series
points, having managed just three Top-5 and 10 Top-10 finishes in 26 starts.
Danica Patrick – Whitt’s ultra-high profile teammate – is 11th in
the championship standings, with only on Top-10 finish to her credit this
season. She trails veteran Joe Nemechek by 17 points, despite Nemechek having
failed to qualify for a race earlier this season.
With sponsors like GoDaddy, TaxSlayer,
Hellman’s, Degree for Men and Clean Coal gracing their quarterpanels. JRM does
not have the luxury of running mid-pack. It is a high-profile team with
high-profile sponsors; sponsors that will almost certainly find somewhere else
to spend their money if JRM’s performance continues to disappoint.
This is not Thanksgiving
dinner at Grandma’s House. This is big-time, professional stock car racing; a “What
Have You Done For Me Lately” business with no tolerance for mediocrity. JRM
could have stood pat for the remainder of the season, wasting another three
months before beginning the process of fixing what is wrong.
Sappy sentimentality never
won a race in NASCAR, and while firing family members is a rough way to do
business, it’s the only way for a team that hopes to compete at the
sport’s second-highest level.
Your overriding assessment that this proves family and business does not mix is way off the mark as far as I'm able to see. Eury, Jr's statements regarding his departure so that. So the business relationship comes to an end, but there is no public evidence that the familial relationship is scarred. Though I grant that you have access we do not, so you may have that evidence.
ReplyDeleteFrom my perspective, your assessment is akin to the mother watching her child perform all sorts of feats and yelling for the child to stop that before he hurts himself. You shout this warning enough times and you're going to eventually be right because at some point, all children hurt themselves. Look at the length of this relationship. It's been business and family between these three for at least 15-ish counting Junior coming into the Nationwide Series.
I really hope they go after Elliot Sadler. He would be a lot of help to Cole. If he doesn't go to Joe Gibbs. As far as family an business, it has worked for them a long time. I just think after the season Jr has had he is seeing a different light on the team an what a few changes can make. Hopefully they will get it turned around. It could be a long road ahead for them. I hope not though.
ReplyDeleteProbably the best comments I've seen so far Re: this matter..Earner
ReplyDeleteI agree that the performance has been down a bit, but one of the biggest problems, whether people like to hear it or not, has been Danica Patrick. She's been great on road courses (and decent at Daytona/Talladega) in the #7, but that's about it. She really hasn't progressed much as a driver this season. The crew chief and spotter have to talk her through each lap, as though they're driving the car for her! Think about all of the talented Nationwide drivers who are being forced to start and park while Danica has huge money behind her; something's not right here!
ReplyDeleteI get that you don't like Danica, and that's fine. But does that explain why Dale Jr. and the other Cup drivers who haven driven JRM equipment periodically on the past 2-3 years have had so little success?
DeleteAbsolutely right Dave. The Eurys were not up on the technical side of the sport. You cant just jack 3 rounds of wedge in and fix these new cars. Seems to me they have to be really good out of the shop. I like Tony Jr., but I dont personally think he was ever that good of a crew chief. I know Danica has a lot to learn, but I said they should do this exact thing during the last off-season.
DeleteIt's not that I don't like Danica; I'd love to see her do well. However, I just don't think she has it, as far as driving ability. Her lack of ability/progress has hurt the already-struggling JRM, and it doesn't seem to be getting better (and I don't see a crew chief change really helping the situation).
DeleteThe Eury's never adjusted to the Car of Tomorrow. For that matter, Jeff Gordon never did either. Both had their maximum dominance prior to the "new" car.
ReplyDelete