It’s a blast from the past as Dale Earnhardt Jr. sits down with longtime NASCAR crew chief Tony Eury Sr. to talk about what he’s been up to and their years together at Dale Earnhardt Inc. As the week kicked off with Dale Jr. announcing a Budweiser partnership to bring the iconic red, DEI-styled No. 8 car to the Florence 400 late model stock event, it was only fitting that he catches up with the man who was atop the pit box for the glory days. Tony explains that he has been working with his son Tony Eury Jr. at Fury Race Cars, where they stay active in late model and grassroots competition. They unpack Tony’s years spent behind the wheel as a driver at Metrolina and Concord before his family ran out of funds to keep competing. Around this time, Tony was juggling the decision to work on Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s car for a living or continue his career at Great Dane Trailers. Ultimately, after he put enough time in to receive some retirement benefits, Tony left Great Dane and headed over to DEI full-time.
Dale Jr. was eager to learn more about the decision to put him in a full-time Busch Series ride, to which Tony was instrumental in making it happen. Tony recalls having a conversation with Dale Sr. about the hire, and Tony suggested that instead of spending money on other drivers he should give Dale Jr. a chance. They also talk about capturing back-to-back Busch Series championships and making the jump to NASCAR Cup competition. Dale marvels at Tony’s confidence that they would do well from the start, and Tony explains it was thanks to the team’s long track record of success with other racers. The guys reflect on some of their favorite moments working together and how they got DEI’s plate track program up to speed, becoming one of the most dominant forces in the modern Cup era.
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