Tony Eury Jr.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Born |
January 3, 1973 Kannapolis, North Carolina |
| Sport | |
| Country | United States |
| Sport | NASCAR Sprint Cup Series |
Tony Eury Jr. (born January 3, 1973) is the former crew chief of JR Motorsports #7 Chevrolet Impala driven by Danica Patrick and Kelly Bires in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.[1] Eury had been the head of Hendrick Motorsports Research and development group but, previous to that, he served as crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr., his cousin on his mother's side.[2] Eury is the son of veteran crew chief Tony Eury Sr.[3]
Early life
Eury was born into a racing family in Kannapolis, North Carolina. His family lived near the Earnhardts north of Charlotte and the heads of both families, Ralph Earnhardt and Ralph Eury, were close friends. Tony Eury Jr. is the son of Tony Eury Sr. and Sandra Gee, daughter of famed engine builder Robert Gee. Dale Earnhardt Sr. married Sandra's sister Brenda, and they had Dale Earnhardt Jr. as a child. Despite both marriages ending in divorce, both sons grew up together.[3]
Racing career
Eury worked with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. from 1991 to 2007. In 1993, he became the car chief (and one of the tire changers) for Dale Earnhardt's NASCAR Busch Series team, working under his father, crew chief Tony Eury Sr. In the 2004, 2006, and 2008 seasons, Eury helped Dale Earnhardt Jr. get into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and challenge for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship. The 2004 season began with a win at the Daytona 500, the first of 6 wins that season.
In 2008, he began his crew chief career with Hendrick Motorsports, as Dale Earnhardt Jr. began racing for Rick Hendrick. After a poor showing in the 2009 Coca-Cola 600, some began to talk of Eury's possible firing and that he will be replaced by Ron Malec.[4] He was transferred to the R&D team on May 28, 2009. He was replaced by Lance McGrew.[5] On December 10, 2012, Eury was hired by Swan Racing (was Inception Motorsports) as crew chief for David Stremme in the Sprint Cup Series replacing Steven Lane.[6]
Personal life
Eury is divorced from Amy Eury.
References
- ↑
- ↑
- 1 2 NYTimes article
- ↑ "NASCAR — Hendrick mum on future of Earnhardt's crew chief". Associated Press. 2009-05-26. Retrieved 2009-05-27.
- ↑ "NASCAR — Eury Jr. out as Earnhardt's crew chief". Associated Press. 2009-05-28. Retrieved 2009-05-28.
- ↑ Fryer, Jenna (2012-12-10). "Eury Jr. named Stremme's crew chief at Swan Racing". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 2012-12-10.