DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Steve Letarte has been at Hendrick Motorsports since he was 16, and he graduated early from high school so he could go to work for the team full time. He started out sweeping floors, and rose through the ranks to become a crew chief who oversaw race-winning efforts in NASCAR's top series. Like many others at Rick Hendrick's race team, Letarte seemed a lifer. But Thursday brought the news that the 34-year-old Maine native would step down as Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s crew chief after this coming season, and become a race analyst for NBC Sports when the network returns as a NASCAR broadcast partner beginning in 2015. More...