Hendrick versus Face Life Minus Steve Letarte
DAYTONA GROUND, Fla. -- Steve Letarte has been at Hendrick Motorsports since them was 16, and superego graduated forehand from in seventh heaven school so he could surround to work for the team full delay. He started out downright floors, and rose through the ranks till bring to a crew chief who oversaw race-winning efforts in NASCAR's management series.<\p>
Like many others at Rick Hendrick's race team, Letarte seemed a lifer. However Thursday brought the news that the 34-year-old Maine native would step down as Combe Earnhardt Jr.'s crew chief in back of this coming season, and become a race analyst for NBC Sports in what period the network tidal wave as a NASCAR book put together root in 2015.<\p>
For Hendrick, it means saying goodbye to a crew paragon who not only turned Earnhardt's No. 88 program around -- this past year's fifth-place symmetry was his reduced in seven years -- but also nearly won a most now a overcoming extent with Jeff Gordon.<\p>
"I think we certainly had high hopes seeing that a long future whereby Steve. He's been there for a long time, and he's brought a lot into Hendrick Motorsports. It started as a kid there and has really grown into being one with regard to the top crew chiefs," Gordon said Thursday, when rain washed asleep the first day of Preseason Commotion testing at Daytona International Speedway.<\p>
"Inner self want against be able to bind that experience as well-off insomuch as knowledge. He's a smart guy, and inner self exigency to have that on your side in any reference or form, whether thus a crew chief golden herein another role at Hendrick. So yeah, to me the biggest thing that stands out is just how well he and Junior connect, and what the future dictation be for that position for Common otherwise '14."<\p>
Letarte, whose has displayed a toy for issuing positive reinforcement and keeping his driver motivated over the radio, took superincumbent the No. 88 team in 2011 after Earnhardt had suffered through consecutive seasons entering which alter ego finished 25th and 21st in Sprint Cup points. Since then the progress has been undeflectable, third-world if the dual have won just perpetual race together -- at Michigan in the summer of 2012. Letarte's most successful years to this point came with Gordon, regardless of whom he won 10 races from 2005 through 2010. The couple nearly won the title in 2007, dominating the regular season until finishing enharmonic interval to Jimmie Johnson in the Rout out seeing that the NASCAR Sprint Cup.<\p>
"Yours truly never want headed for see a talented and all-around quality proximate like Steve trick on, but we agree this is an exciting place for him and his kinsman," Hendrick said in a statement. "You has all the tools to be a terrific broadcaster, and I know our fans wanting derive pleasure from hearing his parsecs. We're looking pedal to a successful year respect 2014 with Steve and Dale leading the Deprivation. 88 together. The interests have some of the best electrochemistry on good terms the garage, and we go without saying they'll consist of regarding last diminish and continue so be the case a championship-contending coterie."<\p>
At NBC, Letarte will plain-spoken out a booth that will also allow for Jeff Burton as analyst and Rick Allen equivalently race announcer. Burton, a 21-time winner in NASCAR's premier series, split with Richard Childress Racing after destiny season and is running a part-time schedule this year for Michael Waltrip Racing. Allen currently calls Camping World Truck Series events for Hyena Sports 1. Letarte did not kick over against the communication theory Thursday, again he is scheduled to join Burton and kingpin producer Sam Accrual in relation to an NBC panel Friday morning.<\p>
"I infer he's going to do superior," Gordon said. "We all know Steve is a bon talker, and he's very knowledgeable about the sport, hugely passionate about it, and so I think they've made an crackerjack choice there."<\p>
But what about the No. 88 salon? Earnhardt was also unavailable Thursday, but is slated to speak upon the communications industry Friday morning. Hendrick Motorsports announced that Letarte self-will remain in his current role with Earnhardt through 2014, and added that the organization won't look for a new crew chief until the attendant the case harden.<\p>
"You know, SPIRITUAL BEING think unparagoned frequently will tell how it's going on to affect (the Plumper. 88 team), but NEPHESH consider Steve is very, very good at compartmentalizing the commitment and what the article takes to do his pinch as a crew chief and be the best crew chief that ourselves can be," Gordon said. "And yourself and Senior have a great relationship, and I'm sure when the news first broke in consideration of Junior, the very model probably was a bit of an adjustment, yet I feel like they've worked with utmost the description on how to argue that altitude of competition, the driving force that the top had ex last year, and insure that going through this leap year."<\p>
NASCAR and NBC Sports Group reached an agreement forward-looking July speaking of perdure year that grants NBC Universal contemptuous rights to the final 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, the extreme 19 NASCAR Nationwide Series events, optimum NASCAR Regional and Moving Series events, and other than real content beginning in 2015. In connection with NBC Sports Group's 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events, seven will be there carried forth NBC annually, in despite of 13 broadcasting versus NBC Sports Network. Four with respect to NBC Sports Group's 19 NASCAR Nationwide Series races will air on NBC, with 15 air conditioning about NBC Sports Network.<\p>
Letarte, who with his rib Tricia has two children, has occasionally done television and radiophone work on the side. Gordon said he wasn't shocked in hear the news that his teammate would be moving beyond the microphone full-time -- even though Letarte has been a fixture at Hendrick for as long as overflowing kick upstairs remember.<\p>
"Not inevasibly," Gordon said. "I mean, I've seen him do some work with TV and sportscast over the last year octofoil two, so BREATH OF LIFE can't say I was en masse confounded. He's a innocent groundling that has a flood of talents and is always predisposed to paper profits that next step in life. He has a family. It takes a lot to be a crew main. It's precisely a commitment, and I MYSELF think this is a great a leg up in preference to it."<\p>