“He Is Being an A**Hole to Josh [Berry]” – Dale Earnhardt Jr Reveals Wild Hendrick Motorsports Experience With Their Star Replacement Driver

The phrase “Teamwork makes a dreamwork” surely holds water in the world of NASCAR. It’s usually just the drivers who usually enjoy moments under the limelight. But one cannot discount the fact that every sport requires a dedicated group effort. And the one that leads the pack in NASCAR is none other than the crew chiefs of the teams.

These crew chiefs, often called the quarterbacks of NASCAR, are more than just race strategists. They are the master puppeteers who not only minutely coordinate the functioning of the driver and lead him to the start-finish line but also serve as effective managers who call the shots and hold the reins of the whole race.

And in doing so, they can occasionally be intimidating. Even Dale Earnhardt Jr found Blake Harris, currently Alex Bowman’s crew chief, to be one. Dale Jr revealed this on a special episode of The Dale Jr. Download podcast.

Dale Earnhardt Jr divulges on Blake Harris’ approach towards race at Darlington

There is no denying that Hendrick Motorsports is the most successful team in the Cup Series. But it was not an overnight success story, rather, the relentless and collective work of all the members, along with the drivers. But had it not been for the crew chiefs, many drivers would have lost their faith in racing. 

However, these crew chiefs who work in tandem with the drivers might often come across as presumptuous. Even Dale Earnhardt Jr considered Blake Harris to be audacious when his driver, Josh Berry, drove as a substitute for Alex Bowman. In the latest episode of his podcast and speaking to his co-host Mike Davis and guest, Alex Bowman, Junior revealed, “When Josh was filling in for Alex at Darlington, I am on the radio sitting on the back of the pit box and Josh is having a pretty rough day.”

He added, “He came into the pits and he kinda just walked the car into the pits, really slow and easy. They didn’t put the car in the right place and they didn’t have a good stop. And Blake said, ‘Hey man, I know we are having a bad day but if we are here to execute I need your a** to execute, that means on pit stops, everything.’

“Every time we come down the pit roads this car is gonna p*ssed off from the pit crews. They are gonna perform their best and if you are not executing they can’t do that. Get your a** in the game. I was sitting back there going holy s**t.”

Junior also exclaimed, “I was like he is being an a**hole to Josh […]”

While Bowman retorted, “He is a lovable a**hole. We love him. He puts together fast race cars, that’s all I can ask for. Maybe not so much today. Maybe we will be a**holes with Blake and will be faster tomorrow.”

Watch this story: Hendrick Motorsports Driver Blamed Teammate Chase Elliott For Meeting Delay As Kyle Larson and Co Wait

It’s not just Harris, HMS’s other crew chiefs are no less strict. Take Kyle Larson’s crew chief, for example.

Cliff Daniels’ pep talk remains to Kyle Larson remains iconic even after a year

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However, it’s not just Blake Harris who knows how to stay in the game and change the tide of the game through strategies. But also his counterpart, and crew chief of Kyle Larson, Cliff Daniels. This championship-winning duo has proved it’s not just technicalities and strategies that are required to win a championship. But sometimes a bit of motivation can often work wonders. 

And can be affirmed by, their radio conversation which recently made headlines at Charlotte Motor Speedway last year. After sustaining a choppy practice session, where everything went wrong, Kyle Larson was heard sulking on the radio, 

However, Daniels chose to control his emotions and assured his driver, “We hit the wall, we spun out, we literally caught on fire. We are also the most penalized team on the pit road in the first half. All that means is that in the 2nd half, we’ve got to execute right now. Start with this pit stop. Then it’s going to restart. Then it’s going to be whatever comes after that.”

These instances only assert that it’s not over until it’s over. One has to keep moving forward without conjuring about the results. And these crew chiefs are nothing less than superheroes, keeping their calm and spearheading their way into the race.

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