Hendrick Motorsports announces changes for 2011

Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR

Junior Nation has been waiting a long time to hear this: Lance McGrew and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are parting ways.

On Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2010, Hendrick Motorsports announced the changes made for next season. Crew chiefs are being shuffled around as are garages. Although Jimmie Johnson and the #48 team have won a lot of races as well as their five Sprint Cup championships, the rest of his teammates have not won a single race this past season. Rick Hendrick, owner of the Hendrick Motorsports team and 10-time owners' champion, spoke with reporters on a telephone conference Wednesday morning. He mentioned that the idea to make the following changes started after the Texas race.

Steve Letarte will now be Earnhardt Jr.’s crew chief and the #88 team will now be working with team #48’s garage. The seven-time winner of the Most Popular Driver award, Earnhardt Jr. hasn't won a race in two seasons nor has he made the Chase these past two years. He finished the 2010 season 21st in points.

Personally, I believe this will be a positive change for Earnhardt Jr. He does not need a nanny (as Terry Blount, senior writer for ESPN.com mentioned in his article) but Letarte’s optimistic personality along with Earnhardt’s boyish charm and humor will be a good mix, and Earnhardt Jr. will be in very strong hands. Both Letarte and Earnhardt Jr. are people persons, and Letarte's biggest strength is helping his driver find their confidence again.

Letarte told reporters that he is excited and proud to take on the task; you can see his comment in a video as well as his introductory video which can be found here.

Earnhardt Jr. also issued a statement on his website, DaleJr.com:

"Rick Hendrick is someone I trust wholeheartedly, and any decision he makes inside or outside his organization is something I support. He is a 10-time champion owner, and that speaks directly to his ability to lead. I am committed to give Steve Letarte and the new team 100% of my effort. I spoke with Steve last night, and his enthusiasm really pumped me up to the point I wish we were going to the track this weekend. I really enjoyed working with Lance (McGrew), and I want to thank him and everyone on that team for their hard work. I've had a lot of fun with that group, and we'll continue working together to make all the Hendrick Motorsports teams better."

Todd Warsaw / Getty Images for NASCAR

The #24 team will now be sharing a garage with the #5 team. Jeff Gordon parts ways with Letarte, but Alan Gustafson is now his crew chief. This will be Gordon’s sixth crew chief since the start of his career. Gustafson’s professional manner, engineer intelligence and positive reputation will blend well with Gordon, and Gordon will benefit by sharing a a garage with team #5 and Mark Martin.

Mark Martin will be paired with Lance McGrew. After a successful year in 2009 and a second-place points finish, Martin's 2010 season didn't go nearly as well - he finished 13th in points. Both McGrew and Martin have a professional business mindset, so the pairing could work in their favor.

Five-time Cup champion Johnson will not part ways with crew chief Chad Knaus in 2011. The two have worked well together, winning 53 races since they were paired in 2002, including six victories in 2010.

Sure, the garage will be different but not much: Letarte and Knaus are still working together as will McGrew and Gustafson. The point is to keep Team Hendrick in contention for a championship - not only for Johnson to win, but for his teammates to contend and win as well. It is clear that the Joe Gibbs Racing team has young, talented drivers in the #11, #18 and #20 cars. To stay competitive, Hendrick must make the necessary changes to keep his teams in the running.

In a statement posted on the Hendrick Motorsports website, Hendrick said:


"This will improve us as an organization, across the board. We had a championship season (in 2010), but we weren't where we wanted and needed to be with all four teams. We've made the right adjustments, and I'm excited to go racing with this lineup."

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Quaker State Extends Partnership with Hendrick Motorsports to Include Sponsorship of Mark Martin in 2011

HOUSTON, September 4, 2010 –Quaker State and Hendrick Motorsports are proud to announce an expansion of their unparalleled technical relationship, which will increase exposure for the motor oil brand in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Beginning in 2011, the three-year agreement includes primary placement for Quaker State on the No. 5 Chevrolet in four Sprint Cup races annually and associate sponsorship of all Hendrick Motorsports cars.  Quaker State also will continue to be poured in the more than 80 Hendrick Automotive Group franchises throughout the United States.

“We are extremely proud to announce our continued sponsorship of Hendrick Motorsports,” said Lisa Davis, Vice President, Shell Lubricants Americas. “Hendrick Motorsports sets the benchmark for performance in NASCAR, and we are proud that Quaker State racing oil has been under the hood of every Hendrick race car for the past 15 years. We have achieved tremendous success together and look forward to many more wins and championships, as Hendrick’s ability to perform on and off the track continues to grow.”


Quaker State’s technical relationship with Hendrick Motorsports began in 1996 and helped produce a Sprint Cup championship that first season with the No. 5 team and driver Terry Labonte. Now with more than seven million on-track miles, the association has resulted in an unparalleled number of racing triumphs, including 143 Sprint Cup wins, eight Cup championships, three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championships and one NASCAR Nationwide Series championship.

“We’re excited to continue what has been an extremely successful relationship,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports and chairman of Hendrick Automotive Group. “Our engine department works hand-in-hand with Quaker State technical personnel to develop the highest possible grade of racing oil for our teams. And the Quaker State relationship extends beyond the racetrack and into our dealerships by providing customers with a durable oil that offers a high level of protection for their vehicles.”

Mark Martin, winner of 40 Sprint Cup races, will drive the No. 5 Chevrolet in 2011. Quaker State’s four races as primary sponsor of the No. 5 car will be determined at a later date.

“The new Quaker State paint scheme looks awesome,” Martin said. “I’m not sure how a paint scheme can look fast, but Quaker State and Hendrick Motorsports did it with this one. I can’t wait to race it and hopefully take it to Victory Lane.

“I know Quaker State and Hendrick Motorsports have a long history together, but I also have a history with Quaker State. The color green actually brought me some good luck back in 1986, when Quaker State was a sponsor on my ASA (American Speed Association) car. Not only did we win races, but we also won the championship that year. I’m excited to be working with them again, after all these years.”

The complete lineup of durable Quaker State motor oils is formulated to deliver outstanding friction-related wear protection for optimal engine performance in any driving condition. For additional information, please visit www.QuakerState.com.


About Quaker State
Quaker State brand products are manufactured by Shell Lubricants.  “The term “Shell Lubricants” means Pennzoil-Quaker State Company (doing business as SOPUS Products), a Shell Group Company, engaged in the lubricants business in the U.S.” Shell Lubricants manufactures and blends products for use in a range of applications from consumer motoring to food processing and heavy industry to commercial transport. The Shell portfolio of top quality lubricant brands includes Pennzoil®, Quaker State®, FormulaShell®, Shell Tellus®, Shell Cassida®, Shell ROTELLA® T, Shell Spirax®  and a portfolio of car care products and Jiffy Lube® services.

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Have lunch with Mark Martin at Darlington Raceway

DARLINGTON, S.C. (March 3, 2010) – Darlington Raceway will host a fan luncheon with 2009 Southern 500 winner Mark Martin on March 17, Darlington President Chris Browning announced.

Martin will be in town to promote the upcoming Southern 500 set for May 8. The luncheon will begin at 11:30 a.m., and will include a question and answer session with the two-time Southern 500 Champion moderated by an announcer from the Motor Racing Network.

Fans interested in attending the event must first sign-up at DarlingtonRaceway.com/MarkMartin. The event will be held at the Florence Civic Center and is free of charge. Directions and information about the Florence Civic Center are available on DarlingtonRaceway.com.

“We wanted to create an event we could invite our fans to participate in,” Browning said. “Mark is a fan favorite, and a perfect fit at Darlington because he has such a great appreciation for the history of our sport, and we are really looking forward to hosting this great event.”

Following the question and answer session, five lucky fans and a guest will be selected to attend a meet and greet with Martin.

“Darlington is one of my favorite stops on the schedule. To win the Southern 500 you have to battle the track as well as the other competitors,” Martin said. “The fans that come out and support Darlington are great. I’m really looking forward to hanging out with them on March 17.”

You can keep up with all of the latest news from Darlington Raceway at DarlingtonRaceway.com, on Facebook at Facebook.com/DarlingtonRaceway and on Twitter at Twitter.com/TooToughToTame.

Darlington Raceway or the track “Too Tough to Tame” as it is known to many, is where the purest of NASCAR competition meets true southern hospitality. A NASCAR staple since 1950, Darlington Raceway has seen some of motorsports most talented drivers thunder to Victory Lane. In 2010, NASCAR’s stars return to battle the track “Too Tough to Tame” in the Sprint Cup Series Southern 500® and Nationwide Series Darlington 200. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will also make a stop at Darlington for the first time since the 2004 season.

The Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series will visit the track on Mother’s Day Weekend, May 7-8, for the Southern 500® and Darlington 200. The Camping World Truck Series will make its return to Darlington Raceway for first time since 2004 on Aug. 14 for the Too Tough to Tame 200. Tickets for all three events are on-sale now. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Darlington Raceway ticket office at 866-459-RACE or online at http://www.darlingtonraceway.com/tickets/.

Release courtesy of Darlington Raceway

Photo from NASCAR Media

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