When Dale Earnhardt finished 12th in the 1992 season, falling short of expectations, a change came atop the pit box. Kirk Shelmerdine stepped aside, and Andy Petree took over as crew chief of the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing car from 1993 through 1995. Over that three-year stretch, they won back-to-back championships in 1993 and 1994, finished second in 1995, and collected 15 victories along the way. Behind the scenes, however, Petree says there was more at play than met the eye.
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Petree revealed that he formed a close bond with Ray Evernham, who became crew chief for Jeff Gordon at Hendrick Motorsports starting with Gordon’s Cup debut in the 1992 finale. The relationship ran so deep that the two crew chiefs even had a private radio channel, sometimes talking shop while races were still underway.
Speaking on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Petree described the secret alliance. “We had this relationship as crew chiefs then, and believe it or not, we were almost like teammates. The rivalry on the track was between the drivers, but Ray and I were very close.
“We actually debriefed with each other every race from 93, 94, 95. And so every race, I would do the post setup on the car, and Ray would have his stuff, and I would have mine, and we would talk about it,” he added.
Though they stood on opposite sides of the fence, with Petree at Richard Childress Racing and Evernham at Hendrick, they shared setup details while their drivers traded paint on Sundays. Petree acknowledged that if word had reached team owners, heads might have rolled. “They would have fired us on the spot if they didn’t know. But it helped us both,” Petree said.
“Back then, they didn’t realize the benefit of having that kind of teamwork, basically, that we both gained from it. The rivalry was still real. In fact, we’re trying to beat each other through strategy, whatever, on the track. But when it came to the cars and the setup, we were an open book with each other,” he added.
“They would’ve fired us on the spot if they would’ve known.”
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Petree noted that Evernham leaned on him for experience at the Cup level, while he drew from Evernham’s approach and ideas. In general, team information, like car setup details, strategies, and so on, is guarded like gold, but the two chose to compare notes.
But evidently, from 1993 through 1995, Dale Sr. and Gordon stood atop the mountain. Earnhardt’s back-to-back title win streak was broken by Gordon in 1995, who turned the tables.
