Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Larry McReynolds dishes on Danica and JR Motorsports

   Former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series crew chief Larry McReynolds has worked with some of the most successful organizations in NASCAR. Now a TV analyst with Speed, McReynolds offered up his thoughts this week on the recent departure of Tony Eury Jr. and Tony Eury Sr. from JR Motorsports.

   While McReynolds agreed a change was needed based on performance, he had some straight-forward comments about that organization's driver lineup, which this season includes Danica Patrick and Cole Whitt.

   “I think their current driver lineup is running as well they’re going to run. In the Nationwide Series, Danica Patrick is probably as good as she’s going to be. She’s going to run between ninth and 15th and maybe score a top five on a really good day," McReynolds said. "I don’t care if you put Chad Knaus in as her crew chief. She’s going to run where she is running. 

 JR Motorsports announced Tuesday that Ryan Pemberton will serve as Patrick's interim crew chief this weekend at Kentucky. A decision past Kentucky hasn't been made.

 "As much as I’d love to say she could run fender-to-fender with Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Austin Dillon or Elliott Sadler, I don’t think it’s there. Danica is great for our sport and I’m excited about her running fulltime in the Cup Series. But she has run 51 Nationwide Series races, and that’s a lot of races.

   "By the same token, Cole Whitt is going to run where he is running. He was thrown into the deep end pretty fast. I think he’s between a sixth and 12th place driver right now. That’s where he ran with the Eurys, and that’s where he’s going to run without them."

   McReynolds said Richard Childress Racing's Nationwide program offers up a valid benchmark for comparison.

   "JR Motorsports is a Chevrolet team. RCR is a Chevrolet team, and they’re winning races and sitting second and third in the points, so it’s not a Chevrolet problem. JR Motorsports runs Hendrick engines but Turner Motorsports is winning races with Hendrick engines, so it’s not the engines," he said. "So, I think this is why they had to do something to try to make their race cars better.”

10 comments:

  1. Finally someone is at least somewhat calling out Little Miss Danica for not being talented.

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    1. Are you ninth best in the country at whatever job you do, if you have one?

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  2. You're an ass hat. If she's not talented let's get rid of the bottom 2/3 of all the drivers. That'll be a fun racing series to watch.

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  3. Larry Mac tells it like it is, Good for him

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  4. I tend to agree with Ken (not necesarily with the "ass hat" comment since I have no idea who Monkeesfan is). I'm sorry but it is metaphysically impossible for every driver and team in NA$CAR to be in the top 5 or top 10. Larry Mac? You don't have to like him to agree that he knows about what he says.

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  5. Most of the drivers that finish behind Danica do so because of inferior equipment. Some teams don't have enough money to drive a full race. Some teams lease their engines & if they put extra miles on the engine it costs them more. Danica has first line equipment with Hendrick engines and finishes well below the capability of the car.

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  6. Larry McReynolds talent is a commentator ( and not much at that).
    JR Motorsports drivers have the equipment and if they have better decision making on the pit boxes, maybe they can and will run better.

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  7. L.McRcReynolds comments are the way he sees the situation based on past performance of the the drivers, comparisons with other similar outfitted teams etc. He also is aware it isn't just the crew chief that is gone on Danica's car but the competition director for the team has been changed, what immediate impact this will have is not known to anyone including McReynolds That is until the passage of time. He doesn't have a crystal ball but he does have past experience to base his opinion on. Can't wait for the next race.

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  8. Larry is right except I think he ranks Danica too high. She's a wreck waiting to happen, and Cole Whitt, well, the kid just don't have the talent to drive! Tony Jr was right. They need a Cup driver!

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  9. Ken, her only credential to race is her gender. Her talent is nonexistent. Think before you scream.

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