Tony Eury Sr. and JR Motorsports Part Ways – Effective Immediately

Tony Eury Sr.  is no longer the competition director at the NASCAR Nationwide team of JR Motorsports. Eury Sr. has had a long relationship with the Earnhardt family and had been the competition director for the past 5 years.  As of today the two sides have decided to part ways effective immediately.
Eury is a winner of 55 NASCAR races in both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series as a crew chief.  He has 28 years in the NASCAR industry, the last five of which were served as competition director and crew chief for JR Motorsports.  The company has amassed all nine of its victories under Eury’s watch.  JR Motorsports’ last victory came on Sept. 4, 2010, with driver Jamie McMurray.

Eury had been removed as crew chief for the No. 88 car and moved into the No. 5 entry earlier this year. There are no scheduled races left for No. 5.

JR Motorsports fields two cars in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for drivers Cole Whitt (No. 88) and Danica Patrick (No. 7) both drivers are inside the top-10 in the driver standings.

“The conversation Tony Sr. and I had was one of the most difficult I’ve ever been a part of,” said Kelley Earnhardt Miller, general manager of JR Motorsports. “I believe Tony Sr.’s passion for the sport is exceeded only by his yearning to excel in it, and that itself became the issue that both he and I struggled with. At JR Motorsports we do this to win races and compete for championships, and lately we have not met that standard. Being the competitor that Tony Sr. is, I know that bothers him more than anyone.”

Prior to joining JR Motorsports in 2007, Eury was a part of Dale Earnhardt Inc. There he won two Busch series titles.

“I can’t think of anyone who has impacted my career and development as a driver more than Tony Sr.,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I know my dad ultimately put me in the Nationwide Series car back in the ’90s, but Tony Sr. was the one who convinced him to do it. He was with me through two Nationwide Series championships and five full seasons as a Cup driver. We won a lot of races together, and as much as he impacted my career as a race car driver, he means more to me on a personal level. He’s done a lot for this organization, and I thank him for it.”

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