LANCE McGREW NAMED FULL-TIME CREW CHIEF FOR DALE EARNHARDT JR.
CONCORD, N.C. (Oct. 30, 2009) -- Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick
Hendrick has named Lance McGrew the full-time crew chief of the No. 88
AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolets driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The 41-year-old McGrew assumed the role May 28
on an interim basis.
"I have total faith in Lance and what he's capable of accomplishing with
Dale Jr.," Hendrick said. "There was a lot of pressure with how he came
into this deal, and the way he's handled it has been extremely
impressive. Lance is confident in himself and in his decisions, and all
the outside distractions aren't going to faze him. He's a strong-willed
guy who will keep his eye on the ball and not settle."
McGrew will complete the final four races of the 2009 schedule, beginning
with this weekend's AMP Energy 500 at Talladega, Ala., and return in
2010, which will mark the 11th full-time Sprint Cup season for Earnhardt.
"Lance has been part of the solution, not the problem," said Earnhardt,
an 18-time winner in the Sprint Cup Series. "He's tough, which is what I
need, and we've really clicked in a short period of time. The
communication has gotten better every practice and every race, and I know
that's going to keep improving. Having this decision behind us is really
important, and now we can focus on the future instead of the past."
As a crew chief, McGrew earned the 2003 Nationwide Series championship
with driver Brian Vickers and has posted victories in all three of
NASCAR's national touring series. In addition to Vickers, he has won
races with drivers Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Ricky Hendrick, Mark Martin
and Tony Stewart.
"The communication between Dale Jr. and I continues to improve every
single week," said McGrew, a native of Baton Rouge, La. "Both of us are
110-percent committed to the success of this team, and we're going to do
everything necessary to get the job done for Hendrick Motorsports, our
sponsors and Dale's fans."
-credit: hm
