Tony Eury Sr., left, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. combined to win 15 Cup races. Credit: Autostock

DEI shuffles crew chiefs

Rondeau to run No. 8 team, Eury Jr. takes over No. 15 garage

MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- Tony Eury Sr. has been promoted from crew chief of the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet to director of competition for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Steve Hmiel, previous director of competition, will now be the technical director for DEI.

DALE EARNHARDT JR. •   Driver Page •   2004 Stats •   Superstore: Junior gear! •   Gillette Young Guns Challenge

During his tenure as crew chief, Eury Sr. led Dale Earnhardt Jr. to two Busch Series championships and 15 Cup victories, including the 2004 Daytona 500.

Pete Rondeau has been named crew chief of the No. 8 team. He took over as crew chief on the No. 15 NAPA Chevrolet late in the 2004 Cup season. Rondeau led Earnhardt Jr. to a Busch Series win at Bristol this year and Ron Fellows to a second-place finish at Watkins Glen.

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Tony Eury Jr. will now be crew chief of the No. 15 of Michael Waltrip. Eury Jr. was car chief of the No. 8 team the past five seasons and was also instrumental in Earnhardt Jr's two Busch championships.

The core members of the Nos. 8 and No. 15 teams will collectively transfer intact with the promotions of Eury Jr. and Rondeau.

Richie Gilmore, vice president of motorsports for DEI, said the moves come on the heels of a successful season and the teams wanted to improve and achieve even greater success.

"We all sat down and talked because we want all of our teams to produce even better results," Gilmore said. "Everyone is excited about this and we're already getting ready for Daytona testing. We think the results will show up immediately."