Dale Earnhardt Jr. has 16 career Cup victories. Credit: Autostock

Earnhardt focused on getting DEI back on track

RICHMOND, Va. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s season of discontent is not the end of the road for the No. 8 team. In fact, he makes a case that the final 11 races -- beginning Saturday night at Richmond -- will be more than making laps toward a year-end vacation.

"I'm pretty disappointed I didn't make the Chase," Earnhardt said, "but we've got to look forward to what we can do these next 11 races to make next year a better year. [We will] just try to figure out what we need to do to make sure the team's right, the car's right."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Credit: Autostock

Inside the Numbers Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2005 Race Start Finish Daytona 5 3 Fontana 40 32 Las Vegas 34 42 Atlanta 35 24 Bristol 19 4 Martinsville 26 13 Texas 11 9 Phoenix 15 4 Talladega 36 15 Darlington 39 8 Richmond 27 14 Charlotte 15 33 Dover 15 22 Pocono 34 33 Michigan 41 17 Sonoma 10 42 Daytona 39 3 Chicago 25 1 Loudon 24 9 Pocono 38 32 Indianapolis 27 43 Watkins Glen 16 10 Michigan 16 18 Bristol 41 9 Fontana 41 38 Avg. 26.8 19.1 DALE EARNHARDT JR. •   Driver Page

The season began with high expectations after Dale Earnhardt Inc. swapped the crews of the Nos. 8 and 15 in hopes that both Earnhardt and teammate Michael Waltrip would be in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

Tony Eury Sr. also was promoted from crew chief of the No. 8 to director of competition for DEI, and Steve Hmiel became technical director.

The adage about the best laid plans? Yeah, it's true.

Waltrip fell from contention early in the season (he was never higher than 14th in the point standings) and Junior officially was eliminated last week at California.

The crew swap came under even more scrutiny when Pete Rondeau was relieved of his crew chief duties after only 11 races with Earnhardt and Hmiel took over on an interim basis in late May.

So are more changes in order?

"Yeah, we'll make changes," Earnhardt said. "I really can't talk about the changes we're going to make.

"If me and Tony [Eury] Jr. are going to work together next year, that'd be a good idea to begin work [this season] on that relationship. With the few races left, use it to work on [team chemistry]. ... It'd be good to get on track with [Tony] if that's what we're going to do next year."

Eury served as Junior's car chief before moving over to the No. 15 as part of the offseason swap, and he recently signed a contract extension to remain with DEI.

However, Earnhardt said it's not as simple as saying he wants this or that and -- snap! -- it's so.

"I suppose I could do that, but that's just not the way it's done," he said. "That's not the way you do business. It's a team. It's not just what one person wants. It's not what one person wants. ... It's what does Tony Jr. think? What does Steve Hmiel think? You get everybody's opinion and you try to get everybody.

"I'm not the one with all the ideas and the best way to do it. I certainly can help, but I think there's a lot of experience there with Richie [Gilmore] and Steve and Tony Sr.; those are the guys who have to work together to make it all right."

	There hasn't been much to smile about for Dale Earnhardt Jr., left, and Michael Waltrip Credit: Autostock
	Inside the Numbers Dale Earnhardt Inc. 2005 (full-time drivers thru 25 races) Driver W T-5 T-10 Rank D. Earnhardt Jr. 1 5 10 18 M. Waltrip 0 3 7 19 DALE EARNHARDT INC. •   Team Page

Earnhardt also said Teresa Earnhardt has done her job as the head of DEI.

"With everything else she's had to deal with, she's done what she could," he said. "It'll be good when we get a few more people in there in a few places. She's under the understanding we need some kind of a head guy in there making some choices -- not necessarily over just motorsports -- but the whole show. But, I don't know; that's not my business."

On the motor side, Earnhardt did not hide his disappointment after the engine blew up last week. To address the issue, Gilmore, who is DEI's vice president of motorsports, may have a larger role in building future powerplants.

"I'm sure he'll go back and have some influence on the motors and we'll get some power back," Earnhardt said. "He's good at running the motorsports side of it, and he's good at building engines. He's good at both -- but he can't do both. He's got to do one or the other. He does both of them good, but probably can't do both of them together and make it happen.

"[The crew] has been told what they're doing next year. Richie has sat down with most of them, and they all have an understanding about what they're going to be doing next year."

In the meantime, Junior will focus on what racers do. "Try to win," he said. "That's what you try to do: steal a little bit of the spotlight from those guys in the Chase. You do what you can to win races. That's it."