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| | Thursday, September 30 | |||||
Special to ESPN.com | ||||||
| It was Scarlet O'Hara, who said in Gone With The Wind, "Tomorrow is another day." That may be true, but if you're Jeff Gordon, tomorrow will not include his buddy Ray Evernham.
This weekend marks the first race that Ray Evernham will not be calling the shots for Gordon and orchestrating a possible win for the Rainbow Warriors. Evernham won't be in the pits for first time since the pair broke into Winston Cup together on Nov. 15, 1992.
Evernham left Hendrick Motorspots on Wednesday to pursue his own team next season and beyond, leaving Gordon to go forward without the only crew chief he's ever known in Winston Cup.
Change is a part of life, a part of sports, and especially a part of racing. Change is basically inevitable. The Evernham-Gordon saga is not the first time that members of a super team decided to go separate ways. In 1981, it happened to Petty Enterprises -- NASCAR's all-time super team. Twenty-three years earlier, Dale Inman wrenched Richard Petty's first race car, an Oldsmobile, for his stockcar debut. A week later, the pair traveled to Toronto, Canada, for The King's first career Winston Cup start. They finished 17th. Inman would win six Winston Cup championships with Petty, but after winning a seventh Daytona 500 with The King, Inman emotionally quit and quietly left the team. Inman's ties were not just professional, he had family ties. Inman is Richard Petty's cousin. The departure of Evernham and his championship credentials will leave a void. How big or how small depends on how many Evernham deciples also wheel their tool boxes out the door and follow him to his next endeavor. What does the breakup mean? On one level, it's a chance for everyone to see who can do what, without whom. It could be the defining moment of the 24 team. If the Evernham-less team does pick themselves up and carry on to win races and championships, it will be a credit to Evernham and the winning drive and team character he shaped and nurtured over the last seven years.Gordon's new crew chief will be Brian Whitesell, a guy who followed Evernham to Hendrick Motorsports from Alan Kulwicki's team in '92. A guy who sat next to Evernham on the pit box for 216 races. A guy who won the Western Auto Mechanic of the year award in '97. And a guy, who last Friday, called the shots during practice and qualifying, while Evernham stood in the back ground, allowing Whitesell room to get his feet wet. But Evernham was close enough if Whitesell needed advice. Friday, when the Winston Cup tour unloads in Martinsville, Va., all eyes will be on Whitesell. Competitors, fans, and media will be watching to see how the super team with "Superman" behind the wheel handles the turmoil and change. As for Evernham, he will miss his first Winston Cup race in nearly seven years. He will watch the Martinsville race from his couch, not on top of a pitbox. What will the Chief Rainbow Warrior do for an encore? Ray will try to build another NASCAR powerhouse from the ground up. Although nothing is official, this time he will attempt to do it as a part-owner. His partner is generating more speculation and controversy than the second shooter on the grassy knoll. Let's just say Joe Gibbs may not be the only former NFL coach in a Winston Cup garage next season. Another thing to consider is Evernham's team possibly becoming part of Chrysler's supposed return to Winston Cup in the year 2001. The one fact, however, is nobody except Evernham knows all the details. There is one item that is fact. On the wall in the No. 24 shop is a sign. It's the Rainbow Warrior check list. There are small orange check marks next to the first four lines. The lines read: | ALSO SEE Evernham heads over the rainbow, leaves Hendrick Motorsports
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