by Larry McReynolds

Larry McReynolds: I don't know the whole story, but I was told was that Earnhardt attempted to try to do a program with DEI for JR Motorsports. They kept hemming and hawing and wouldn't really give them an answer. Finally, the sands in the hourglass were running, and Earnhardt was trying to run the final race of 2005 at Homestead. He finally had to do something. In a very short time, like hours, he put a program together with Childress.

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If I had started a late model team for my son Brandon while I was working for Childress or Robert Yates, I feel like I had the kind of relationship where I could have walked into their office and put together an engine program within a matter of minutes. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is not only the driver of the No. 8 car and pretty much the franchise for that organization. He's an Earnhardt, and he couldn't put together a program in a short amount of time for his Busch team. That doesn't say a whole lot about their relationship.

In my opinion, it's a perfect example that Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s time at DEI is short. There's such a separation between him and the management/ownership structure, and you can't have success when you've got that separation. As Darrell Waltrip has taught me, there's always more to the story. But the handwriting is on the wall that Earnhardt will not be there for his entire career.

Drafting DEI

Bill from Keene, N.H.: Do you know what Paul Menard did to improve his time and speed on the last day of Daytona testing?

Larry McReynolds: The only thing that helped the No. 15 improve to 5th on the final day was the draft, and it's almost like they're suffering the same syndrome that DEI suffered at Daytona Speedweeks a year ago. On pole day, Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr. qualified 33rd and 39th respectively. When the middle of the week rolled around, and they got in draft configuration, both cars came to life. Earnhardt had a very competitive car in the 150s and the 500, and until Waltrip's engine let go, he had the car to win the Daytona 500.

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DEI just can't run a fast single-car lap for whatever reason, but the cars run well in the draft. That's just fine for Earnhardt and Martin Truex Jr. because they're guaranteed a spot. While Truex is in the No. 1, and Menard is in the No. 15, the No. 1 team is actually the old No. 15 team. They just swapped numbers which is perfectly legal.

During the first week of testing, Truex and Earnhardt weren't very fast with single-car runs, but on the final day of testing, Earnhardt was good in the draft. The car drove well and did everything it should do in the draft. I guarantee you that Earnhardt, for sure, and probably Truex will be racing at the front of the pack in the Daytona 500.

Like Travis Kvapil, Scott Riggs and Scott Wimmer, DEI's third driver, PMenard, needs a good qualifying time to get into the Great American Race. If they don't find some speed, DEI may not even try to race the No. 15 car because Menard is running a limited schedule.

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FOX race analyst Larry McReynolds has more than 25 years of NASCAR experience as a mechanic, crew chief and broadcaster. He and his fellow Crew Chief Club members take you behind the wall at www.crewchiefclub.com.

"How to Become a Winning Crew Chief" is on bookstore shelves, or you may order your own autographed copy from www.DWStore.com.