This post is sponsored by Amp Energy.
Recap: Hendrick Says Dale Jr., McGrew Are Just Fine
Hendrick Motorsports team owner Rick Hendrick says driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. and crew chief Lance McGrew have a “great relationship” and are “working extremely well together” despite a frustrating race at Dover last week.
“You don’t let one race or a bad situation destroy the chemistry that’s there,” said Hendrick, who was this week’s featured guest on the AmpUpThe88.com video chat (viewable later today). “They have a tremendous amount of confidence in each other. And Dale has told me as late as this week that he’s very confident in the team. We just had a bad week.”
Hendrick said the change from the wing to the spoiler in the Sprint Cup Series has affected all of the Hendrick Motorsports teams – not just the 88.
“It really set our team back,” he said. “We had adjusted for the wing and not the spoiler, and we didn’t realize it was going to affect us as much as it has.”
Hendrick also said he wasn’t sure where incoming driver Kasey Kahne (who will drive for Hendrick beginning in 2011) would land next year.
"I promise you I don't know yet," he said. "We're still looking at different options."
Hendrick's appearance was part of the weekly Amp chat, which features a special guest or a member of the 88 team each week. The chats can be found on AmpUpThe88.com, where fans can also enter daily sweeps for autographed Earnhardt Jr. items and view an "Off The Track" video blog.
Among the other fan questions Hendrick addressed during the Amp chat:
• How often the team owner speaks with Earnhardt Jr.
• How the No. 88 team can be improved
• Hendrick’s grade for how the 88 has done so far
• Why he wanted to hire Earnhardt Jr.
• How Kahne’s arrival will affect Earnhardt Jr. and the 88 team
• Why Hendrick’s teams are separated into two different shops
• If the Hendrick drivers ever drive each other’s cars during tests
• What Hendrick thinks of Earnhardt Jr.‘s fans
• How Hendrick feels about NASCAR’s four-team cap rule
• Hendrick’s favorite track on the Sprint Cup circuit
And there were plenty more. To view the chat, visit the complete archive by clicking here (will be posted later today).
Next week on the Amp chat, special guests will include Steve Letarte and T.J. Majors, as the session will originate live from the Hendrick Motorsports tweetup at 5:15 p.m. Eastern time.
See More:
