Eggleston leaves No. 15; Hmiel to fill in

Scott Eggleston

By Tim Packman, Turner Sports Interactive
June 8, 2001
1:37 PM EDT (1737 GMT)

BROOKLYN, Mich. -- Scott Eggleston, crew chief for Michael Waltrip's No. 15 Chevrolet, has parted ways with the team. Steve Hmiel, technical director for Dale Earnhardt Inc., will fill that duty on a temporary basis.

Eggleston left the team on Thursday.

"In the truest sense of the words, it was a mutual agreement between the team and himself," said Ty Norris, general manager for DEI. "Steve will be filling in for awhile until a permanent replacement is named."

Video: Waltrip wins Daytona   Video: Waltrip wins his 1st Daytona as his brother brings him in  The Buzz: June 7, 2001  Buy Waltrip gear!

Waltrip began the season by capturing the prestigious Daytona 500 win. Since that time, he has not had one top-10 finish and has spiraled down to 28th in points.

His best finish since Daytona was a 13th-place effort at Las Vegas. He has also registered two DNF's this year; his most recent was 43rd-place finish at Dover last week after being involved in a second-lap incident.

Waltrip's best finish since Daytona is 13th at Las Vegas.

"We will be interviewing for someone to replace Scott on a permanent basis," Norris continued. "Until then, the crew chief duties will be with Steve."

Hmiel, a native of Syracuse, NY, has worked with Terry Labonte, Sterling Marlin, Mark Martin and Johnny Benson as a crew chief through 252 races. His most notable success was with Martin, where he achieved 13 of his 15 victories.