by Victor Lee for Crosswalk.com Sports
John Wooden left the UCLA Bruins.
Joe Gibbs left the Washington Redskins.
Now Ray Evernham is leaving Jeff Gordon and Hendricks Racing.
Evernham is the "coach" -- otherwise known as crew chief in the racing business -- who has led Gordon to dominance at an early age. They are the most prolific crew chief-driver combination of all time, industry insiders agree, despite Evernham being just 42 and Gordon just 28.
Drivers get most of the glory, but there is increasing public understanding of the vital role of the crew chief. Cliff Champion has been the crew chief for Dale Jarrett, Cale Yarborough and Ricky Rudd and has worked with Evernham and Gordon. Champion says, "The relationship is a lot closer than a head football coach and his quarterback. It's different from team-to-team, but with Ray and Jeff, Ray has been Jeff's mentor.
"Ray had been in the sport and brought Jeff along. It has been as much of a friendship as anything. That's what is going to cause Jeff to suffer most."
Many people see racing as an individual sport, but it is not. "The driver has to have the talent," Champion says. "But the communication between the driver and the crew chief is one of the most important factors in whether they can win. The driver is like your computer link to the car. Without that chemistry and feedback from driver, it's a guessing game."
Gordon's talent is unquestionable with three championships already and 47 career victories. Gordon and Evernham obviously communicated superbly. It is also obvious that without Evernham, Gordon wouldn't be near 47 wins. The crew chief is responsible for the setup of the car, and Evernham has set-up Gordon beautifully.
"The spring combinations, the shock combinations, the front end setting, everything that makes the car handle -- it's an endless list," Champion says of the tasks. "He has people under him, but he is responsible. During the race, he decides whether to take on four tires or two during a pit. He is responsible for race strategy. He may have one strategy, then a caution will come out and change everything. When a caution comes out, his car may dive into pit road and he may have 15-to-20 seconds to decide what to do to it. If he's too slow, there are a dozen guys looking up at him for instructions while the race is going by them."
Evernham has handled it all with calm and poise -- increasingly so as he has matured. Not only did Evernham and Gordon grow together in racing, they grew together spiritually. Both have given their life to Jesus Christ. Gordon is more known for speaking about his faith because he gets more attention and is more out-going.
"When I worked with Ray and Jeff back in '94, Ray was a believer, but he was more of a closet believer," says Champion, research and development director for Ricky Rudd. "It wasn't that he was ashamed of it, it was just that it was a very private matter and he didn't feel comfortable speaking out. Now, it is more acceptable to speak out and he has grown more and is more open about his faith."
In his early years as a crew chief, Evernham was known for running such a tight race shop that he was overbearing.
"As he has matured as a Christian, he has changed his demeanor on the race track," Champion says. "Now everybody enjoys working for him. They are enjoying life and enjoying the wins. Before, it was just work, work, work."
One thing Evernham has tirelessly worked at is making Jeff Gordon a great driver. He is as responsible as anybody, having mentored him from his Busch Grand National days in 1991.
"That chemistry between them has been a big part of the success," Champion says. "Not taking anything away from Jeff; but with any driver and crew chief combo that was good, once you break that up, it's hard to get back together. I've seen race teams go out and hire all the best people for every job, have no chemistry, and not win a race.
"That race team was built around Jeff and Ray. I'm sure they'll have success without Ray, but it will take a little time to get over it."
