On June 13, 2007, Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced he would join Hendrick Motorsports for the 2008 season. On September 14, 2007, it was announced that he would drive the No. 88 car, after a deal with Robert Yates Racing that sent the No. 88 car to Hendrick Motorsports. The No. 88 replaced the No. 25, which scaled back to part-time. Amp Energy (owned by longtime Hendrick sponsor PepsiCo) and the National Guard (which had sponsored the No. 25) stepped up to sponsor the car. Earnhardt, Jr.'s crew chief and cousin, Tony Eury, Jr., also made the move to Hendrick Motorsports. However, this partnership only lasted until April 2009 when Tony Eury, Jr. was replaced by Lance McGrew, a technical advisor and part-time crew chief with HMS for the No. 25 car.