"I'm not gonna let him fail" - When Rick Hendrick reflected on his trust in Dale Earnhardt Jr. amid continued underperformance

Rick Hendrick once shared why he kept Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the team despite the latter not producing good results on track. Hendrick said on a 2019 Dale Jr. Download podcast episode that he couldn't let Earnhardt Jr. fail, highlighting the immense trust and faith he had in his driver.

In 2011, Rick Hendrick, owner of NASCAR Cup Series powerhouse team Hendrick Motorsports, decided to shuffle the crew chiefs for three of its drivers in a bid to improve their performance. He gave. As part of this shuffle, Steve Letarte, previously crew chief for Jeff Gordon's No. 24 team, was paired with Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 88 team.

The shuffle proved to be successful for Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88 team as the driver won five races with Letarte. This includes the victory at Michigan International Speedway in 2012 that snapped his 143-race winless streak.

Reflecting on the decision to keep Dale Earnhardt Jr. despite underwhelming performances, Rick Hendrick shared:

“I believe, we’re all in the people business, and I don’t care what kind of business you’re in. It’s got to mesh, it’s got to fit, you got to get that right combination, and I could see it, feel it wasn’t right and I felt like Steve, he could do it.” [16:00]

The now 75-year-old added:

“And they’ll tell me a couple of times that that shop was never as good as the 48 shop… 24, 48. So I knew I had to get in his head that he was going to be in that shop with that team, and Stevie was already there, and so it just worked out.”

“I never thought about this is the end of it. I thought about I’m not going to let him fail. We’re going to keep going, changing until we get it right.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Steve Letarte ended their run after the 2014 season, following the crew chief’s retirement. The duo secured five of the driver’s 26 wins in the premier series, four of which were earned in 2014, including a Daytona 500 victory.

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Rick Hendrick exchanged gifts with Dale Earnhardt Jr. at latter’s final race at Homestead-Miami

After 10 seasons with Hendrick Motorsports, Dale Earnhardt Jr. retired in 2017. During the season finale at Homestead-Miami, Earnhardt Jr. exchanged gifts with team boss Rick Hendrick, marking the end of an era.

Dale Jr. received the No. 88 car he drove at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, while Rick Hendrick got the driver’s helmet.

“The deal I had with Rick was if I finished the race with the car in one piece, I’d get the car and he’d get the helmet. So, yeah, I’m going to take this thing back home,” Earnhardt Jr said.

The 26-time Cup race winner also thanked Hendrick for the constant support, saying he was a friend and a father figure to him.

"I got very emotional talking to Rick. He’s been like a father to me. It’s easy to thank him for making me a driver for his team. But to thank him for being what he’s been to me as a person and a friend and a father figure is very hard," the driver added.

While the driver-team owner relationship was over in 2017, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Rick Hendrick still work together through JR Motorsports. They are co-owners of the championship-winning Xfinity Series team, along with Kelley Earnhardt Miller.