LONG POND, Pennsylvania,
(August 5, 2007) – Crew
Chief Tony Eury Jr. and the
No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet
team were sitting pretty for
the start of the
Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono
Raceway. They were starting
from the pole and were
primed for a solid run in
the Pennsylvania 500, hoping
to solidify their place in
the top 12, the cut off for
the Chase for the Nextel
Cup. Eury Jr., however, was
working overtime once the
green flag waved, as his
driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr.,
was battling a tight race
car that was not getting
better, slowly dropping him
further down the leader
board. Eury Jr. kept a cool
head and during a mid-race
caution, elected to change
the Chevrolet’s shocks. The
mechanical alterations, as
well as effective pit
strategy, brought the No. 8
team back from 26th
position, to finish the race
with a crucial top five. For
his gutsy mid-race decision
and highly successful pit
strategy, Eury Jr. was
awarded the WYPALL* Wipers
Crew Chief of the Race.
By lap 70 of the 200-lap
race, Eury Jr. had targeted
the car’s shock package as
the problem. Finding the
time for the daring mid-race
shock change would be
difficult as the timely
endeavor could result in
losing laps. After Earnhardt
Jr’s. poor-handling race car
eventually got the better of
him, causing him to spinout
on lap 123, Eury Jr. elected
to make the change over next
few laps of caution. After
two lengthy stops the change
was made without the team
dropping any laps, however,
Earnhardt Jr. was now
sitting in 26th position. As
the remaining laps unfolded,
Eury Jr. opted for a
two-tire stop during another
caution on lap 138, giving
Earnhardt valuable track
position. With a new and
improved Chevrolet,
Earnhardt was able to regain
the lost speed and handling,
fighting his way through the
field, finishing the day in
second place.
“Once the car got tight,
it just kept getting worse
and worse,” said Eury Jr. at
the conclusion of the race.
“We knew it was a top five
car so we needed to go for
it and make the shock
change. We got a bit lucky
with the caution only a few
laps later, but I can’t say
enough about my crew for
getting the job done without
getting a lap down.”
A panel of voters,
including a member of the
local media, Kenny Francis,
Robbie Reiser and a WYPALL*
Wipers representative,
agreed Eury Jr’s. mid-race
tactics deserved for him to
be awarded the crew chief of
the race. “That was a gutsy
call by Tony, considering it
could have been disastrous
if they had gone a lap
down,” said Reiser on Eury
Jr’s. decision. “It paid off
for them big time and really
put them back in the race.”
As the WYPALL* Wipers
Crew Chief of the Race, Eury
Jr. received $1,000. Earning
his second crew chief of the
race award puts Eury Jr.
tied for second in the
overall standings. Robbie
Reiser is currently leading
with three wins. Tony Eury
Jr., Larry Carter, Mike
Ford, Donnie Wingo, and Chad
Knaus are tied for second,
each with two wins. Jimmy
Elledge, Tony Gibson, Steve
Letarte, Mike Nelson, Darian
Grubb, Alan Gustafson, Chip
Bolin and Ryan Pemberton
each have one win. At the
end of the season, the crew
chief with the most wins
will receive $20,000 and be
crowned WYPALL* Wipers Crew
Chief of the Year.
