Steve Letarte has left Hendrick Motorsports. What had been nothing more than talk at the start of the season has become a reality. After 19 years Letarte is moving on. He’s heading to NBC where he will be an analyst for the network starting in 2015. Monday Hendrick Motorsports released part 1 of Letarte’s “exit interview”. In the part 1 Letarte talked about talked about long his tenure at the famed team along with is memories of being the crew chief for Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Tuesday the organization released part 2, the final installment, of the interview. Letarte gave his thoughts on the No. 88 team going forward and how success in 2014 reaffirmed his decision to move on to a new career.
Letarte was the crew chief for NASCAR’s most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr. in his final year at Hendrick. Earnhardt and Letarte won four races and qualified for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup for the fourth straight year.
“That has reassured my decision to become an analyst,” Letarte said. “The question I get asked is the opposite all the time, so people ask me, it’s got to be hard stepping away after such a successful season and my rebuttal is no it would be the opposite, I don’t know how could ever step away with a disappointing season. Mr. Hendricks has given me too much, Dale’s given me too much. MORE>>>
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
- NASCAR to debut new short track package at Phoenix - February 28, 2023
- The Wrench Who Stole Racing - December 16, 2022
- Matt DiBenedetto’s excellent run comes to abrupt, violent end - February 17, 2019
