WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — The old racing adage that “you have to slow down to go fast” never applied to crew chief Tony Eury Jr., until his body refused to keep going.
Three days ago, Eury finished a six-day stint at Northeast Medical Center in Concord, N.C., following an infection that spread to his spinal cord and a concurrent diabetic episode.
While most recent patients would be home recovering, Eury was scheduled to oversee Burt Myer’s NASCAR Cup debut at Bowman Gray Stadium in the Cook Out Clash—and he refused to miss the opportunity.
“Everybody told me I was crazy, that I just needed to stay at home,” Eury said. “But it’s in my blood.
“I told Burt I would do this deal.I just had to get myself right where I could get out here and help him. Burt and I have a lot of special memories up here winning races and championships.
“As long as I don’t pick up a lot of stuff, I’ll be fine.”
Eury started feeling puny on the way back from SpeedFest in Cordele, Ga. The 52-year-old third-generation racer, who won with Dale Earnhardt Jr., in both the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series, believes years on the road took a toll on his body.
“I came back from Cordele, and I felt fine down there,” Eury said. “I was basically just overworking my body—with (poor) eating and lots of soft drinks. It was a wake-up call to get right and live right and eat healthier.
“It’s hard to do that on the road, but if you put your mind to it, you can do anything.”
Eury served as Myers crew chief for three years at Bowman Gray. He also advised the driver after they parted ways. But when Team AmeriVet asked Myers to pilot the No. 50 Citrusafe Chevrolet, the driver insisted that Eury oversee the operation.
“Obviously, I wanted Tony as my crew chief but the first order of business was to make sure my friend was healthy,” Myers said. “Whenever he got the green light, we were really excited. I’ve worked with Tony lots of times and that was a make-or-break deal for this opportunity—making sure Tony was able to help us. And it worked out.”
Myers has won the Bowman Gray Modified Tour Championship 12 times. The 49-year-old Cup rookie from Walnut Cove, N.C., also earned the 2010 and 2016 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified and 2002, 2021, and 2023 SMART Modified Tour titles.
“We’ve had a lot of success here together,” Myers said. “Hopefully, we can continue that streak…I’m not nervous yet. Maybe I will be when I roll out. But right now, this is just business as usual for me. I just want to take my time and get used to the car and feel it out. I definitely know the race track but this is a new animal for me.
“This is really cool to get this experience at all. So anything positive that happens from here on out is just a bonus.”
For Eury, the show will go on. After the racing this weekend in Winston-Salem, he’ll back up the transporter and head for Speedweeks in Florida.
Follow Lee Spencer on Twitter @CandiceSpencer or email her at: [email protected].
