(By Greg Engle CupScene.com Editor,NASCAR Examiner)
Posted: Saturday,February 6th, 2010
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Mark Martin has not slipped into the role of mentor to his Hendrick Motorsports Dale Earnhardt Junior.
Earlier in the week, there was some speculation that during the off-season the crews of the No. 5 and No. 88 Chevy had made some crew swaps. Last season the No 5 team with 51-year-old Mark Martin won five races and was a contender for the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Meanwhile Dale Earnhardt Junior went winless and wasn’t even close to breaking into the top 20.
During Earnhardt’s season last year, the team tried several things to turn their performance around. Earnhardt’s crew chief, and cousin, was replaced and Earnhardt admitted that he met with Hendrick Motorsports executives searching for help.
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
None of that helped and Earnhardt Junior not only went winless but also finished the season lower in the points then he ever has in his NASCAR Sprint Cup career.
During the off-season the Earnhardt gained some of the members of Martin’s crew and there was speculation that Martin himself had taken over the role of mentor.
Not so, according to Martin. MORE–>>
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