If you're following me on Twitter, you know that there is constant Sunday conversation about Dale Jr. and the success, or lack thereof, depending on what week it is, of his team. Today, I think, is one of the prime examples of why this Lance McGrew/Dale Jr. thing isn't working. It's not because Lance isn't good, and it's not because Junior isn't good. It's because they aren't good together. Sure, they get along most of the time, and they put on a good show sometimes, but down to it's core, this driver/crew chief union isn't working. There are things that are said on the radio that make you wonder if they've ever met before. Sometimes, Junior hasn't been told how many tires he's going to take before he hits pit road. Huge disconnects.
But it's not all the crew chief. Dale Jr. has an attitude problem that is in his blood. It doesn't mean it's okay, it's just that it's who he is inherently. He knows he is what is going to make that car run well, and when he feels that he isn't being listened to, he loses it. He will completely shut down. He needs to change that to an extent, but he also needs someone who understands and can work with that. Tony Jr. would get pissy and shut down as well, and Lance can't seem to handle it. So what is the bottom line here?
We know, and I don't care what the haters say, that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. can drive a race car. This is evident everytime he gets into one that is set up the way he needs it. Lance McGrew can make great decisions at a Crew Chief. But a year into it, this set up isn't working. So the dilemma then becomes, what can be done?
Here is why this is a dilemma in the first place: Even with how rocky this season has been, they are still contenders to make The Chase. Even not being at their best, they are hanging in there with the best. Think about that. What could happen if they actually really got going? It's possible that at some point this season, while hanging in or around the top 12, that they click and then they could really kick some ass.
But let's say they don't click, they make The Chase anyway and finish 12th. In a year and a half of working together, that would show progress, am I wrong?
Or does Mr. Hendrick make a change now, hoping that whoever he brings in next is the one who can reign in Junior and turn him into the champion that we all know he can be? And is that reasonable? Would that team not deserve the chance to gel and maybe not make The Chase because of their "newness"?
Do you see the issues here? Expectations are so high for Dale Jr. and this team that no one would allow a new guy to come in and get comfortable, much like McGrew who isn't even a full year into the job, before they start judging.
Is this a lose/lose? Because thinking that someone new can come in and win immediatley is kind of nuts. What is not nuts is to think that Dale Jr. and McGrew could finally click a year into their partnership... even if we know, or feel, that it's not working right now.
So, let's all put on our owner hats. What do you do here? How to you face this dilemma?
Me? I give them until the end of July. If things stay the same through July, then I make a change and tell Mark Martin that I'm sorry, but I know he's not going to be around for a while, and the cost of having Junior run bad is much more important than he and his Crew Chief's relationship and I'm taking the CC. Alan Gustafson could work, and he would be my pick in July. Mark Martin is racing for another year full time at most, Junior has 15 to 20 years left and lot more hanging on his career at this time. That would give Dale Jr. and Alan a few months to hang in the top 12 and see if they can make The Chase and do something with it, build from there and see if they can make a run in 2011.
Thougths? Comments?
-RC
Labels: alan gustafson, Dale Jr., Dover., HMS, Lance McGrew, Mark Martin, NASCAR, Racing, The Chase
