MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Sept. 17, 2012) – The following is a statement from Dale Earnhardt Jr., founder and owner of JR Motorsports, regarding the departure of crew chief Tony Eury Jr.:

“Unfortunately Tony Jr. is no longer with the company. I had hoped he would be here for a long time, but as we’ve discussed the direction of JR Motorsports moving forward, it was clear our differences in ideas were too vast to overcome. I love him like a brother, and you’ll never hear me say a bad thing about him. I know he’ll have much success in anything he does going forward. As for our No. 7 team, no decision has been made on who will crew chief that team this weekend at Kentucky Speedway. We will discuss our options and make a decision very soon.”

This news about Tony Eury Jr. being let go came 10 days after JR Motorsports and competition director Tony Eury Sr., also known as “Pops,” had parted ways.

General manager Kelley Earnhardt-Miller said the decision to split with Eury Sr. came during a hard conversation about team performance.

JR Motorsports PR