Eury Got a Hold on Me? Dale Earnhardt Jr. Looks for an Eixir to Ailing 09 Season

Flashback to June of 2007, when Dale Earnhardt, Jr. made his blockbuster announcement of signing with Hendrick Motorsports after spending a decade with his family run team in the NASCAR Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series. The deal, which brought arguably NASCAR's icon into the best team in the sport, looked like a match made in heaven and Earnhardt's best shot to win multiple races and that first Cup title in top notch, elite equipment.

With plentiful resources and a familiar face calling the shots atop the pit box for the No. 88 AMP/National Guard team, the expectations for "Little E" skyrocketed to surefire Chase material. Indeed, Earnhardt made the Chase, ranked fourth in points tacked on with a fuel mileage win at Michigan in June.

But the Earnhardt Express would suffer a free fall in the final 10 races of the 2008 season, to the caboose of the freight train in 12th spot.

There's no question that during driver 88's time working with crew chief and cousin Tony Eury, Jr. has had its pressure points and questionable calls. On many countless occasions last season, Earnhardt had a car capable of at least a solid top-10 finish, or a win, only to succumb to a poor finish more often than not due to poor pit strategy.

However, this season has not only been the same old song and dance for the No. 88 team. It has been nearly been a flop of a season where Earnhardt and Eury, Jr. simply can not get their cars to run as competitive as teammate and points leader Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson, who has surged up to the top-10 in points.

Is their poor performance and season soley because of crew chief Tony Eury Jr?

Could it be that the 88 team does not get the "same equipment" as his teammates?

His season has been stuck in a rut, not exclusively on the heels of his head wrench, but also on Earnhardt himself, who made his share of mistakes during Speedweeks in Daytona.

Perhaps the pressure and expectations of the 34-year-old veteran from Kannapolis, N.C., has really gotten to the psyche of Earnhardt. Living under the shadow of his illustrious and legendary father Dale Earnhardt Sr., "Little E" must feel the weight of the world on his shoulders in dealing with the critics as well as himself in trying to succeed.

Then again, Earnhardt's constant scapegoating of his struggles this season does not aid his efforts to silence the media when discussing the enigma that is the No. 88 team.

Whereas teammate Mark Martin's poor season is attributed to sheer bad racing luck with engine failure or cut tires, Earnhardt's struggles are almost epic on a race-to-race basis as the only "chase" he's been going after is being the first driver in position for the "Lucky Dog" pass.

In the most clearest of terms, the only person who can turn Earnhardt, Jr's season around is Earnhardt himself. All the pressure he feels from others as well as himself (every driver definitely feels that burden to succeed!) has to be translated into some type of motivation to not only start a race weekend well, but to compete and finish well.

Earnhardt fans, don't despair. It's never been in the Earnhardt vocabulary to quit and let mediocrity continue in a prolonged basis.

Take note on the following:

Dale Earnhardt, Sr. endured a winless 1997 season and aside from his single win in the Great American Race in 1998 and a trio of triumphs in 1999, "The Intimidator" did not exactly set the world on fire until his resurgence in 2000 with a runner up placing in the driver's championship.

As the saying goes, anything can and will happen.

So for now, you could say that Eury's got a hold on Earnhardt, Jr.

For now.