Evernham stable struggles with Daytona on horizon

A lot of guys in the garage like to give me a hard time about how poorly the New York Yankees are playing this season. I am a die-hard Yankee fan. Always have been. Always will be.

When I was a kid, the Yankees were a terrible franchise. They rarely won. Eight guys from the neighborhood and our dog Duke could have beat them. Duke wasn't much of a hitter but man could he play a mean centerfield. I grew up about 12 miles from New York City, if you're a good swimmer; 45 miles if want to take the scenic route.

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I grew up not far from team owner Ray Evernham. We went to different schools and did not know each other back them. As I recall our high school football team always kicked his team in the butt. He seems to remember it the other way around. Oh, well, someday I'll look it up so he won't have to.

I have known Ray for many years. We've had a few disagreements through those years. He and I probably remember those differently, too. But he has always been honest and helpful. He's not great at Karaoke, but, then, neither am I.

I like Ray. I like the Yankees. They are both sailing on the same ship right now, and that ship is taking on water. I truly believe the Yankees will turn it around and make a run. Maybe it's just that I want to believe that. I want to believe Evernham Motorsports will turn it around and make a run, too. But I am not as sure about that.

I had a short conversation with Ray in the garage Sunday morning at New Hampshire. When I have questions about certain topics or issues in the sport there are people you respect that will discuss those things with you. The insight from inside the garage can be eye opening.

I didn't stop Ray to discuss his teams, but it did come up near the end of our talk. I could see it in his face. Disappointment. Disgust. Almost embarrassed. My words, not his. Not embarrassed about effort, but by results. Or lack of results. It was race morning; Scott Riggs was not in the race. He had failed to qualify for the second consecutive race. But it was more than that.

I spoke with Ray in the garage at Darlington in May. The circumstances were similar. Riggs had missed the race. All three teams were struggling. Then we did talk about his teams. Obviously, if he knew what was wrong it wouldn't be wrong.

"I can't be car owner and crew chief at the same time," he told me in May. "I can't be everywhere and do everything. You have to be able to put people in place and hope you've done the right thing and they can do the job."

That was in May. Things have not gotten much better.

Sunday morning at New Hampshire when we talked about his organization he sounded like a car owner who wants to be a crew chief. Again.

"I've got to get back in there and figure out what is going on and why we aren't better," he said. Then, off he went into the hauler. I was not sure exactly what he meant, but it sure sounded to me like he was one step closer to putting on another hat.

Tuesday afternoon my computer made that little noise announcing the e-mail fairy had paid another visit. When I clicked over and saw the subject I thought I knew what the new hat was going to be: "Evernham Motorsports announces Team Director Change." It was two paragraphs, nine lines. Josh Browne out as team director of for Elliott Sadler, Scott McDougall in -- on an interim basis. He had been team director for the Truck and ARCA effort at Evernham.

"As we look to make vital improvements across our entire program, we are reviewing the allocation of personnel and resources within the organization. Josh is better suited to help the organization as a whole from an engineering perspective and our efforts in that area," said Ray Evernham, team owner and CEO. "I commend Josh for his decision and being a team player."

That's right from the release, race fans.

Sounds like George Steinbrenner giving a vote of confidence to Billy Martin.

The numbers for Evernham Motorsports this year are dreadful. Sadler is 22nd in driver points, Kasey Kahne is 26th and Scott Riggs is 37th and has missed three of the 17 races. When I was offered the opportunity to write this weekly column I made it clear I was not going to "rip" someone every week. I was going to introduce you to people, be optimistic, find the positive side of a bleak situation. Now, talk about a challenge. Well, let's try.

Elliott Sadler has one top-10 finish this season. It came at Daytona. This week we are going to Daytona. Last week, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. all had a good run with an interim crew chief. This week Sadler has an interim crew chief. See, things are looking better already.

"I've been fortunate at Daytona with three straight finishes of sixth or better," Sadler said.

"The sixth in the season-opening Daytona 500 is the best finish of the year for the 19 team. That's disappointing. We left Daytona expecting to be competitive every weekend. It's not because we haven't put forth the effort. We just need something good to happen and get some momentum."

Something good would be nice. Last week Elliott was 33rd. He was 14th at Sonoma. Before that, 35th, 21st, 26th, 36th, 21st, 27th ... ah, you get the idea. And things are no better for Kahne or Riggs. But Kahne finished seventhth in the Daytona 500 with cars sliding all over the place. He was 25th last July but Sadler was sixth. At Talladega Sadler, Kahne and Riggs all finished in the top 15. You have got to try and be optimistic.

"We're looking forward to getting back to Daytona for the night race," Sadler said.

"It has turned into a special event. The Fourth of July weekend is all about fireworks and there are usually fireworks on the track as well as after the race. This would be a great weekend for us to get our Dodge Charger back up front and create some fireworks of our own."

Elliott, say hello your teammate Kasey Kahne.

"It's difficult to believe, but seventh in the Daytona 500 is our best finish this year," Kahne said.

"Just when we think we've found the answer, we uncover another issue to address. This weekend, it's not about the Car of Tomorrow. Instead, the focus turns to restrictor-plate racing. Our Dodge Dealers team just needs something good to happen to get some momentum as we head into the second half of the season."

Something good would be nice. The first half of the season ends Saturday night, hopefully with a bang instead of thud. Now, remember, driver and crew have to find something to be optimistic about.

"It is always exciting to run a special paint scheme, especially at Daytona under the lights," said Kahne.

"We've run some cars with Adam Sandler movies on them in the past and they've always been a big hit. The last movie scheme we ran was in Michigan last year. We were fortunate enough to take that car to Victory Lane and hopefully we'll be able to have the same success this weekend. We had a great run at the Daytona 500. Hopefully we'll have that same kind of success this time around."

Got to be optimistic. The race is scheduled for Saturday night, July 7th. That would be 07/07/07. Maybe one of the Evernham cars will start seventh. That could be lucky. Maybe one will start 13th. That would be unlucky. Hey, wait a minute. The last time NASCAR raced on July 7 was in 2001. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the race. He had gone 39 races without a win. He was struggling going into Daytona with finishes of 19th, 20th and 39th in the previous three races.

Maybe one of the Evernham cars will start third. The last time before 2001 that the Cup Series raced on July 7 was in 1990 at the Pepsi 400 and the winner started third. The winner was ... oh, imagine that: Dale Earnhardt.

Those are the only two times in the modern era (since 1972) that NASCAR has raced on July 7. So maybe one of the Evernham guys will start 13th, one will start third and they will race side-by-side to the checkered flag and decide it in a photo finish!

Or maybe one of them will change their name to Earnhardt. Hey, you've got to be optimistic.

Just ask any Yankee fan.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.