Post by dalejrfan on Aug 12, 2006 11:14:17 GMT -5
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is in a dogfight to make the Chase for the Nextel Cup championship. He's also a car owner, and he can be a tough boss when he has to.
In his first season owning a Busch Series team, Earnhardt Jr. fired his first driver this week. Mark McFarland is out with 12 races still left this season.
"Mark's got a lot of talent as a driver," Earnhardt Jr. said Friday before qualifying at Watkins Glen. "It's a case of where his personality and his mentality didn't match well with what we were looking for.
"I talked to him several times about how he could be more emotional, project his personality better to the media. Those things you don't learn overnight, but I tried my best to prolong that decision. We probably pushed it back four or five times to give Mark time."
Earnhardt Jr. said he still saw a bright future for the laid-back McFarland, who had only one top-10 in 21 races and was mired in 22nd place in the points standings. The car is sponsored by Navy.
"Mark's got what it takes," Earnhardt Jr. said. "He's got a lot of drive and determination, but you've got to show that emotion so we can see it and believe it. I believe it, but not everybody else is that close to him. So, do they believe it, do they see it? No.
"So, everybody's got this big question mark about Mark. He's got to really sit down and ask himself what he's got to do to prove how driven he is."
Busch Series champion Martin Truex Jr. took over the No. 88 Chevrolet this weekend at Watkins Glen, but it's unclear who will finish the season.
In his first season owning a Busch Series team, Earnhardt Jr. fired his first driver this week. Mark McFarland is out with 12 races still left this season.
"Mark's got a lot of talent as a driver," Earnhardt Jr. said Friday before qualifying at Watkins Glen. "It's a case of where his personality and his mentality didn't match well with what we were looking for.
"I talked to him several times about how he could be more emotional, project his personality better to the media. Those things you don't learn overnight, but I tried my best to prolong that decision. We probably pushed it back four or five times to give Mark time."
Earnhardt Jr. said he still saw a bright future for the laid-back McFarland, who had only one top-10 in 21 races and was mired in 22nd place in the points standings. The car is sponsored by Navy.
"Mark's got what it takes," Earnhardt Jr. said. "He's got a lot of drive and determination, but you've got to show that emotion so we can see it and believe it. I believe it, but not everybody else is that close to him. So, do they believe it, do they see it? No.
"So, everybody's got this big question mark about Mark. He's got to really sit down and ask himself what he's got to do to prove how driven he is."
Busch Series champion Martin Truex Jr. took over the No. 88 Chevrolet this weekend at Watkins Glen, but it's unclear who will finish the season.