It’s a big blow to the short track community. Few names are as associated with engineering brilliance as FURY Race Cars. Founded in 2016 by Darius Grala, Jeff Fultz, and Tony Eury Jr., the company has quickly made a name for itself in the Late Model and Modified Racing scene in North America. What started from a simple shop quickly grew into a championship-calibre company, which began dominating one step at a time.

Now, almost a decade later, one of the most successful short-track operations is going to change permanently. Tony Eury Jr. is set to leave FURY Race Cars, bringing an end to a memorable era with an iconic founding group.

It all began with a simple philosophy: to build race cars that won. That’s exactly what FURY Race Cars managed to do in their very first year in business, including the legendary Snowball Derby. The dominance continued in the following years, with 357 wins and over 30 championships. A big reason for their success was Tony Eury Jr. The NASCAR crew chief brought plenty of experience with him, guiding FURY through its infancy days and building it into what the company is today.

Now, the company has announced that founding member Tony Eury Jr. will be leaving after building FURY Race Cars from the ground up. A statement released on social media read, “It is with very mixed emotions that we announce the departure of Tony Eury Jr. from FURY Race Cars. While we’re sad to see one of our founding leaders leave the company, we are also thrilled for Tony and his family with the opportunity that is ahead of him. Please join all of us here at FURY in wishing Tony the best of luck in his new “unnamed” adventure (we do not want to be the spoiler).”

Despite the secrecy surrounding Tony Eury Jr’s next career move, FURY Race Cars assured its customers that they will continue to provide the same service, the same parts, and the same high-quality cars. While there might be some new faces in the track support staff, and tech calls might be answered by some new voices, the company’s vision and commitment will remain the same. However, one can’t help but feel it’s the end of a big chapter.

The news was even retweeted by Dale Earnhardt Jr., for whom Tony Eury Jr. served as crew chief for years. It seems like the North Carolina native always falls just a decade short of some of the biggest career milestones. Just a few weeks ago, Eury Jr. was back in the garage at Bowman Gray, serving as crew chief for Burt Myers. And Eury Jr.’s words simply highlighted the love for racing he has, taking fans back to his days with Dale Jr.

He said, “Everybody told me I was crazy, that I just needed to stay at home. 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.”

It’ll be interesting to see how FURY Race Cars operates without him in the picture every day, but even though he has left the scene for a new chapter, his influence will remain on the shop floor and even beyond.

FURY has influenced the careers of several drivers

Before they stepped into the NASCAR world, many drivers began their careers driving Fury-built race cars in both Pro and Super Late Model Series. Kaz Grala, son of FURY Race Cars’ founder Darius Grala, drove for his father’s company after JGL Racing ceased operations in the middle of the 2018 season.

Driving the No. 61 Ford Mustang, the racer secured a 10th-place finish on his debut at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Xfinity Series. His best achievement in 12 appearances for the team was 5th at Daytona International Speedway at the 2018 Coca-Cola Firecracker 250, using a decade-old car which was intended to be a showpiece.

In 2016, Christian Eckes also made headlines for winning the Snowball Derby while driving a FURY Race Cars chassis. It was a significant milestone for the company, which had just been established a year earlier. Over the years, FURY has played a big role in the development of young racing drivers at the grassroots level, and it’s a goal the company will continue to pursue for the foreseeable future, even in the absence of Tony Eury Jr.