Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s crew rushes to get its driver out following the wreck. Credit: CIA Stock Photo

Eury Sr. has stern words for Dale Jr. after wreck

Uncle says Junior's 'problem' with Waltrip will be addressed

CONCORD, N.C. -- Tony Eury -- Dale Earnhardt Jr's uncle and former crew chief -- was none too pleased with his nephew Sunday night after Earnhardt wrecked teammate Michael Waltrip in the Coca-Cola 600.

"I don't know what his problem is with Michael, but it'll be fixed [Monday] -- I'll guarantee it," an irate Eury said. "He acts like he's friends with [Waltrip], but every time he gets around him on the racetrack he ends up wrecking him."

	Tony Eury Sr. Credit: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images
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Earnhardt feels Eury may be overreacting.

"There's no truth to that," Earnhardt said. "We don't get in the habit of running into each other, and we don't really race each other that hard. He was the last person I wanted to run into."

Waltrip was running in seventh position and Earnhardt eighth when Earnhardt got into Waltrip's Chevrolet exiting the tri-oval on Lap 246, sending the No. 15 Chevy hard into the wall and collecting Matt Kenseth and Terry Labonte in the process.

"I can understand [Eury's frustration]," Earnhardt said. "There's no problem between me and Michael, and I think Michael understands that. It's definitely not the person I wanted to run into. It's unfortunate.

"Hopefully everybody can come to terms with it in one way or another. I know some guys of the guys on Michael's team are probably upset, but don't really know.

"If you're not in the race car, you don't know what the hell's going on out there, so I can't expect everybody to understand how we all came together and wrecked. But the people that understand will move on."

Labonte was sore following the crash and was taken by ground to Carolinas Medical Center for precautionary reasons. He was seen and released.

Kenseth and Waltrip were uninjured, though Waltrip did have the wind knocked out of him.

"I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time," Kenseth said. "The 8 car just ran over the 15 in the straightaway.

"I had Michael passed two or three times, I had him passed in [Turns] 3 and 4, but I couldn't quite finish the pass. He'd go back by me in [Turns] 1 and 2, which there's nothing wrong with that because that's his job. I just couldn't get by him.

"Dale Jr. got by while I was trying to pass Michael. He tried going outside of Michael a little bit and then he just turned under him and just hit him in the straightaway."

Eury said any issue between Earnhardt and Waltrip would be addressed in short order.

"I don't know what the problem is, but DEI's got enough problems that we don't need that," Eury said.

Junior believes there are no off-track problems.

"Michael was running out there in front of me, and I got a real good run off the corner and looked to the outside of him on the front straightaway, and he either moved up or took his natural line through the front straightaway, and I was right there on him," Junior explained.

"Next thing I know he was spinning around in front of me. I didn't know I was as close as I was to him, to hit him. Just spun him out. I hate it for him and Tony Jr. and all those guys. Just made a mistake."

Earnhardt said the communication between he and Steve Hmiel was "awesome," and that he felt like the No. 8 team let one slip away.

"We could have had a good top-five or even a victory [Sunday]."