Time for a crew chief change?

RICHMOND, Va. – It was a fairly common scene in the Nextel Cup garage late Friday afternoon – a throng of television cameras and sports writers gathered at the tailgate of the No. 24 DuPont Chevy's hauler.

This time though, it was a bit different. The focus, though, wasn't on the driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet – Jeff Gordon – it was Gordon's crew chief, Robbie Loomis.

Looking quite comfortable in the spotlight – something he's gotten used to over the past six years as the crew chief to the four-time Nextel Cup champion – Loomis was cool, calm and collected as he answered a battery of questions about his team's poor performance recently and reports he's leaving the team at the end of the season or sooner.

Loomis, who is in the final year of his contract with Hendrick Motorsports, had been placed in this rather difficult position after comments made by Gordon earlier this week.

Gordon had answered a reporter's question about Loomis' future and his (Gordon's) below-par performance this season in a manner that raised more questions than it answered.

"Robbie is trying to decide right now what his plans are," said Gordon. "It has nothing to do with our performance right now. And because of our lack of performance this year, I really don't think Robbie should be blamed for that. It has nothing to do with whether he is my crew chief next year of not. It has nothing to do with the performance we've had this year."

Gordon's comments raised immediate speculation that the end of the 2005 racing season would also mark the end of the very successful six-year Gordon/Loomis partnership which has produced 27 poles, 23 wins – including this past February's Daytona 500 victory – and Gordon's fourth Nextel Cup championship in 2001.

This weekend Loomis is focused on qualifying his driver for the Chase. Gordon is sitting in 12th place, 30 points out of the final spot in the top 10, and he needs a stellar performance in Saturday night's Chevy Rock and Roll 400.

Loomis, whose career as a crew chief began with Richard Petty in 1991 has seen his life and his priorities, change dramatically in the past year.

Although he rarely likes to discuss his personal life, Loomis' mother Sally, who lives in Florida, had been seriously ill the past couple of years. Despite his busy schedule, Loomis made every effort to be with her which at times, he admitted, may have resulted in below-par race day performances.

His mother's condition has improved considerably, but Loomis also had to deal with the tragedy of the Hendrick Motorsports plane crash which last fall took the lives of several key members of the organization, who also happened to be close personal friends of Loomis.

It has had a profound effect on how the 41-year-old Loomis now looks at his life and his future in racing.

"I told my buddy over the winter that I've never been so uncertain in all my life about my future," said Loomis. "But I never felt so good about where I stand with everything. In life, always for years, I've had racing, God, and family. I'm trying to get it (to) God, family, then racing.

"To do that, I've got a lot of things I've got to work through. We're working through them right now. But I've been trying not to talk with anyone or do anything that's going to take my mind off getting this car in the Chase."

Loomis admitted that he has talked with both team owner Rick Hendrick and Gordon about his future, but it's hard for him to imagine working anyplace else. And not having a driver like Gordon behind the wheel of his race car would be difficult.

"I think he's the greatest driver in this garage area," said Loomis. "It's hard to imagine being anywhere different, but at the same time I think it's a time in my life that I've got to make sure that if I'm going to commit for the next three or four or five years somewhere. I've got to make sure I'm making the right decision."

He talked about the struggle to balance his personal and professional life, even searching out other crew chiefs with families and children [Loomis is single] in seeking advice on how they deal with the extremely stressful job of being a Nextel Cup crew chief and how it affects their family life.

"At this level, it's extremely tough, I'll tell you," said Loomis. "You've got to have blinders on the whole time that you're doing it."

The 2005 season started off on a high note with Gordon winning the Daytona 500. He followed that up with victories at Martinsville and Talladega. Since then, Gordon has just five top-10 finishes and no victories.

As recently as July, Gordon had expressed his full support for Loomis.

"As long as Robbie wants to be the crew chief, he's going to be the crew chief," said Gordon. "He's a great guy. He works so well with this race team. We brought him here for a reason. And at no time have I doubted Robbie."

But with only one race left to qualify for the Chase, Loomis may feel that the time is now to make his move.

Speculation is that Loomis will leave the team at the end of the season – and maybe sooner – if Gordon does not make it into the Chase. The name often mentioned as a possible replacement is Steve Letarte, who is currently the car chief for the No. 24 Chevy.

Loomis is already talking about the future – including a move by his mother to be closer to him in North Carolina.

"I feel like the good Lord gave me some extra time and I want to make sure I utilize it the right way with her," said Loomis. "I've missed Mother's Day, birthdays, and stuff – usually a week or two late anyway – but I want to make sure I get my priorities right with that and fix that."