Although #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. says he doesn’t need to give car owner Rick Hendrick any input on his 2015 crew chief, Earnhardt might not have a choice. Hendrick is planning on demanding that Earnhardt play a role in who will replace Steve Letarte when Letarte goes to NBC after this season. Earnhardt told the media the day after Letarte’s announcement that he had confidence in Hendrick and his Hendrick Motorsports executives to make the right choice and that his input wasn’t needed. ‘He told you that, but I’m sure at the end of the day, he’d say, ‘Why did you pick him?” Hendrick said with a laugh Tuesday during the Sprint Media Tour. ‘He has a lot of confidence in us to make the right decision. But at the same time, the chemistry has got to be there. We want him involved. We’re going to get him involved.’(Sporting News)(1-29-2014)
