Martinsville or Talladega: Which is true wild card? (cont'd)

2. Dale Earnhardt Jr. says he needs "a dictator" as a crew chief. Who should owner Rick Hendrick choose to fill that role?

Mark Aumann: What's Hugo Chavez doing? Seriously, I don't know who has the kind of authority it would take to keep the No. 88 on the tracks, week after week. Junior looks up to a lot of folks. Is there a veteran crew chief out there who can make the tough decisions?

Joe Menzer: Well, to me it's pretty obvious that Lance McGrew is not the answer. Anytime they've shown hints of developing something -- like right around Kansas when Junior said he hoped Lance McGrew would be back -- something else blows up on them. Junior needs a complete fresh face.

'End of my rope'

• Earnhardt Jr. at a loss
• Cross: Life now imitates art
• Junior, Kenseth: mirror images

David Caraviello: Well, given that Gen. Francisco Franco is still dead, I'm not sure. Who in the Cup garage is truly a dictator these days? Maybe Chad Knaus, and Junior isn't getting him. And the later we get into this season, the more it looks like Earnhardt will stay with McGrew. Who's no dictator, though the two have made some gains together.

Joe Menzer: Really? What gains have they made?

David Caraviello: They have more weeks where they run better until something freaky takes them out. Kansas, for example. And Junior knows by working with Lance that he has to get better in terms of professionalism and communication, which is half the battle. Hey, I'm not saying McGrew is the next Dale Inman, But they've had some good days. They've just wound up with little to show for them.

Joe Menzer: I think the No. 88 team was 19th in points when McGrew replaced Tony Eury Jr. as crew chief. They are 22nd now.

Mark Aumann: Yeah, but how much of that is being lousy and how much is just lousy luck? It's so hard to judge in the basis of a small sample size. And yeah, Junior's better -- but they're still not to the level of the other three teams in the stable.

Joe Menzer: Those are the bottom-line numbers. Sure, they've had some bad luck. But you know what? Everyone has some bad luck from time to time. You either deal with it and work your way back -- make your own good luck, so to speak -- or let it get you down where it can snowball on you. I say Junior is as down as I've ever seen him. And you can only start moving up when you first get your mind right.

Mark Aumann: It has gotten to the point where you say to yourself, "What will happen to Junior this week?" And inevitably, something usually does.

David Caraviello: At times, Mark, they've had to deal with both bad luck and being lousy. And let's be honest -- regardless of who's on the box, a lot of this still hinges on Junior. In his comments last week he sounded as if he wanted to wash his hands of responsibility, just take whatever Hendrick gave to him. That's not going to happen. Whoever his crew chief is, it's incumbent on Earnhardt to make the working relationship better. I think he's tried to do that with Lance, to a degree. The frustration is just getting to him.

Joe Menzer: I'm just not buying into this theory that things have improved for him with Lance McGrew. No offense to Lance, who obviously has stout credentials, but the numbers sort of speak for themselves. They have not been able to sustain whatever good runs they've had. And when you're leading and a loose lug nut drops you from the lead to 32nd or 35th and takes you right out of a race, that's not bad luck! That's bad teamwork!

Mark Aumann: How bad is this season? Junior has five top-10 finishes. Sam Hornish Jr. has seven.

Joe Menzer: Three of the top-10s came with Tony Eury Jr. as his crew chief. In the first 12 races before Cousin Tony left.

Mark Aumann: Certainly you would assume he'll run well at Talladega -- but how many times in recent years has he gotten caught up in something there? He's just snake-bitten this season. And I don't know if wholesale changes are the answer.

David Caraviello: Going back to the original question, if not McGrew, then who? Pat Tryson is an A-list guy, but he's going to Waltrip. Who else does that leave? You can't really go back to the Eurys, as much as Junior may want to. I'll tell you the guy, but I don't know that he would do it, and I think he currently has a non-compete clause: Ray Evernham. The dude is sitting out there. He's a taskmaster and a legend. If he couldn't whip that No. 88 team into shape, no one could. But then again, I don't believe the terms of his Gillett buyout would allow him to do it right now, or even next year. But if he shows any interest at all, that's your guy.

Joe Menzer: Wouldn't that be something? But you're right, circumstances make it seem as if Evernham coming back would be impossible -- but I do seem to remember a conversation with him, last January I think, where he wouldn't rule out just such a return under just the right scenario.

Mark Aumann: Harry Hogge would be perfect for the job. But I don't see this having a Hollywood ending.

David Caraviello: That's right. Ain't nothing stock about a stock car.

Joe Menzer: One other point to make about Junior: you know, everything at Hendrick, or even throughout the garage, gets compared to the chemistry Chad Knaus and Jimmie Johnson have, along with the rest of that 48 team. But here's the thing they've essentially been together since, what, 2002? Their kind of special chemistry isn't built overnight. Nor can Junior expect to build that, really, with anyone overnight. And he'll be 35 next year and doesn't have the kind of time that Chad and Jimmie did when they grew together. Yes, they've won three championships in a row and soon will claim their fourth. But they've been working toward this for eight years.

David Caraviello: And yet, Joe, they were very good from the beginning. Jimmie led the points late in the season as a rookie. Yes, they've worked at it for a while. But they also clicked instantly.

Mark Aumann: I think that's what everybody's wanted to see with Junior. But they haven't found the magic.

Joe Menzer: My point is that they didn't win that first championship together until their fifth year, in 2006. Junior doesn't have that kind of time if he wants to build a championship team, or be part of one I should say. They not only need to find the right crew chief and crew guys, but they need to do it in a hurry and then stick with them. A tall order, and one that I'm not sure they will be able to fill.

David Caraviello: Who says he doesn't have the time? Guy race until they're 50. He has plenty of time.

Joe Menzer: Mark Martin excelling at age 50, remarkable though it is, is the exception to the rule and you know it.

David Caraviello: I didn't say excelling. Junior has a good 10 more years left in him, if he wants it. Let's not act like the guy is in the closing stages of his career.

Mark Aumann: Bobby Allison, anyone?

Joe Menzer: Another exception to the general rule. Most guys have established what they are by their mid- to late-30s, if they even get to race that long. (Continued)