Full Throttle

And as the music stops Rondeau is out and Steve Hmiel is sitting pretty as “interim” crew chief of #8 Budweiser Chevy.

This comes as no surprise to me, although some people clearly are (just for info this was trackbacked, then deleted by the petulent child on the other end). A quick review of in-car communication the last few races indicates Jr. and Rondeau weren’t on the same page and this change confirms it. The article makes the point that Dale Jr. is only 229 behind points leader Jimmie Johnson. That’s the “half-full” viewpoint. When your in 11^th place and only 171 points from falling out of the 400 point block to make the Chase the move is an obvious one.

“We are capable of consistently winning and are focused on that as a company. We are going to concentrate our efforts on improved results with the No. 8 car,” said Richie Gilmore, vice president of motorsports for DEI.

“Pete is a valuable asset and has brought a number of innovations to our organization. He will continue to do that in a different capacity and we’re happy that Pete is so strongly dedicated to Dale Earnhardt Incorporated and its success,” Gilmore said.

Yea right. He’s even more valuable in his new role as coffee runner and parts washer.

I expect Hmiel’s “interim” tag will last the rest of the season.