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| | Friday, September 24 | ||||||
| Ray Evernham will be Jeff Gordon's crew chief this weekend at Dover Downs International Raceway. But the partnership that produced three Winston Cup championships may be in its final days.
In an interview Thursday with ESPN's John Kernan, Evernham did not deny reports that he could be leaving Gordon and the Hendrick Motorsports Team. But when asked about reports he could leave as early as this week, Evernham said he would be in Gordon's pits for Sunday's MBNA Gold 400.
Evernham joined Hendrick Motorsports in 1992. He has guided Gordon to 47 Winston Cup wins and his contract runs through the 2006 season. He also shares ownership of Gordon's Busch Grand National team. It became clear earlier this season when Hendrick Motorsports courted Tommy Baldwin Jr. as Evernham's possible replacement that Evernham wasn't planning to return next year as the No. 24 crew chief. But when Baldwin chose to stay with Bill Davis Racing as Ward Burton's crew chief, it was assumed Evernham, who has expressed his desire to step back from his current position, would move to a management position at Hendrick. Recent newspaper reports, however, have suggested that Evernham could be leaving Hendrick Motorsports altogether. But Evernham reiterated his commitment to Hendrick Thursday. "There is no friction at all between me, Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon," Evernham said. "We are giving each other our full and 100-percent support." Last weekend in New Hampshire, word circulated about a meeting Evernham had with Gordon's crew that Sunday morning. Sources told the Charlotte Observer that Evernham told the crew he would soon be leaving as crew chief. | ALSO SEE Labonte usually good to the last drop at Dover
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