Eury Sr.: ‘You don’t perform and you’re gone’

Tony Eury Jr. – the fall guy for Earnhardt's lack of driving skill

Tony Eury Jr., the former crew chief of Dale Earnhardt Jr., is "pretty beat down" after losing his position with Earnhardt's team, said his father, Tony Eury Sr. "Nobody works harder in that garage than him. He has worked so hard, he is worn slap out," said Eury Sr., whose driver Brad Keselowski won Saturday's Nationwide race at Dover International Speedway.

"My advice to him when this happened was to go do the (research and development) deal, get a breath of air and decide what you’re going to do at the end of the year, whether you stay at Hendrick Motorsports or not."

On Thursday, Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick named Lance McGrew interim crew chief for Earnhardt's Sprint Cup Series team beginning next weekend at Pocono. Eury Jr. was given a position in the HMS research and development department.

"He fits in good over there, but I’m not sure he wants to be on the R&D team. The media has wore him out, everybody has just wore him out. He’s beaten himself to death," Eury Sr. said of his son.

"He was taking it for a long time, then it started getting to him. It was getting to Dale Jr. and I love both of them like sons. I got two sons, Tony Jr. and Dale Jr. I’m kind of in the middle of it.

"I wish the best for both of them, but I told them I think they’re better off apart."

Eury Sr., who once served as Earnhardt's crew chief himself, said working with family members is difficult in NASCAR.

"It’s a cut-throat business," he said. "You don’t perform and you’re gone and the crew chief is always the first one gone." ThatsRacin.com