Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Dream Team Dysfunction

During Speedweeks and the Daytona 500 it appeared Dale Jr. was back in racing form, but the California race indicated more of the same trouble that plagued him in 2009.

The orange and white #88 driven by Earnhardt was not especially fast and he qualified mid-pack just as he did most of the previous year.  The car was never capable of running in the lead pack.

Radio communication with Lance McGrew showed frustration when Jr. thought a tire was going down.  McGrew showed frustration when it was determined there was a broken axle.  He nearly threatened the crew if they didn't have a spare axle ready to go for the lame car.

The broken axle may have partially been driver error due to spinning the tires on the concrete area of pit road.  The concrete was problematic to several teams.

Yes, it is still only the second race of the season.  The California race was the first real race of the season under normal conditions without the pressures and hype of Daytona.  This track has not been a good one for Earnhardt Jr.

Perhaps the poor performance of Jr. and team McGrew should not be judged at this point.  It is premature and unfair or is it?

We saw this same story last year and it looks like the script they used during 2009 is still being used despite all the pronouncements of the new improved team.

Poor qualifying, poor performance during the race, broken parts, frustrated driver and a frustrated crew chief all sound way too familiar.

The other three drivers for Hendrick Motorsports performed much better as usual with one of them, Jimmie Johnson, winning the race.  This cannot come as a surprise one of the drivers faired poorly and it happened to be Earnhardt Jr.

In spite of all the wishful thinking and praise bellowed after Daytona stating Jr. was back and Jr. Nation had reason to cheer, it may have been for naught.

We want Dale Jr. to be back.  NASCAR needs him to be back.  He wants to be back.  Despite our "wants" something is wrong with the #88 team.

If after the first six races we don't see the team competitive and top five finishes, it will be obvious there is trouble in River City.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will not be content to have another humiliating season regardless of the reason.  The problems need to be fixed quickly.  McGrew must do whatever it takes to get the team on track for wins.

JR Motorsports is structuring itself to have Dale Jr. become the owner/driver in the Sprint Cup series.  Maybe that is the only answer to the ongoing stagnation.  Tony Eury Sr. needs to take on strong leadership should such a scenario play out.  Dale needs "Pops Eury."

I for one can't wait to see Jr. win and finish well.  Jr. Nation is holding it's collective breath as the Las Vegas race nears.  What are the odds on the third attempt for Dale Jr. to get his mojo back?  Can he really get it back at HMS?

We await the return of the euphoria we felt when Jr. charged to second place at the end of the Daytona 500. 

A happy driver equates to a happy crew chief, strong teamwork and wins.  Dysfunction may be a factor that cannot be resolved with what we hoped would be the Hendrick dream team in 2010.