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One might say that there are three seasons in NASCAR. There's the racing season. Then there's silly season - when rumors fly about where drivers are headed. Now comes crew chief musical chair season.
Early in the week Stewart-Haas Racing announced that Chad Johnston, previously at Michael Waltrip Racing, would replace Steve Addington as crew chief for the recuperating Tony Stewart.
The team also announced Daniel Knost has been promoted from race engineer on the No. 39 team to crew chief for the No. 41 Haas Automation team with Kurt Busch.
The team also announced that Matt Borland has been named vice president of engineering. “In this role, Borland will oversee all of the team's technical initiatives and various research and development projects. He will also transition from being an active crew chief (of the departed Ryan Newman) to that of a mentor,” the team said -- specifically in regard to Knost's new role.
Greg Zipadelli who was formerly Stewart's crew chief at Joe Gibbs Racing, has been named vice president of competition where he will manage all four Sprint Cup teams (Stewart, Busch, Kevin Harvick, and Danica Patrick), with each crew chief reporting to him. Previously the team announced that Rodney Childers would be Harvick's crew chief on the No. 4 car.
What happened to Addington? He's been named competition director for the Phoenix Racing and crew chief of the No. 51 Chevrolet with a driver to be named later.
Stewart, who once fired his then current crew chief, Darian Grubb, weeks before he won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship told the Associated Press why he's changing his crew chief for the third time in six years. "It's literally results. I don't think we were ever on pace to be where we needed to be," he said.
"It's a moving target and I don't think you could bring Ray Evernham back to Jeff (Gordon) and get the same results now. I think it's a constant moving target. The relationship is one aspect of it, but still the moving target is the technology side of it.
"The more pieces you add to the puzzle, the harder it is to put the puzzle together. When we had two crew chiefs and two drivers, it was at a certain level. And then the third team and now the fourth team. Now you have to make sure, instead of just getting two crew chiefs to communicate, now you have four. The equation gets more complicated."
And, over at Roush Fenway Racing, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. will be reunited with Mike Kelley who was the crew chief on Stenhouse's two Nationwide Championships (2011 and 2012).
Early in the week Stewart-Haas Racing announced that Chad Johnston, previously at Michael Waltrip Racing, would replace Steve Addington as crew chief for the recuperating Tony Stewart.
The team also announced Daniel Knost has been promoted from race engineer on the No. 39 team to crew chief for the No. 41 Haas Automation team with Kurt Busch.
The team also announced that Matt Borland has been named vice president of engineering. “In this role, Borland will oversee all of the team's technical initiatives and various research and development projects. He will also transition from being an active crew chief (of the departed Ryan Newman) to that of a mentor,” the team said -- specifically in regard to Knost's new role.
Greg Zipadelli who was formerly Stewart's crew chief at Joe Gibbs Racing, has been named vice president of competition where he will manage all four Sprint Cup teams (Stewart, Busch, Kevin Harvick, and Danica Patrick), with each crew chief reporting to him. Previously the team announced that Rodney Childers would be Harvick's crew chief on the No. 4 car.
What happened to Addington? He's been named competition director for the Phoenix Racing and crew chief of the No. 51 Chevrolet with a driver to be named later.
Stewart, who once fired his then current crew chief, Darian Grubb, weeks before he won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship told the Associated Press why he's changing his crew chief for the third time in six years. "It's literally results. I don't think we were ever on pace to be where we needed to be," he said.
"It's a moving target and I don't think you could bring Ray Evernham back to Jeff (Gordon) and get the same results now. I think it's a constant moving target. The relationship is one aspect of it, but still the moving target is the technology side of it.
"The more pieces you add to the puzzle, the harder it is to put the puzzle together. When we had two crew chiefs and two drivers, it was at a certain level. And then the third team and now the fourth team. Now you have to make sure, instead of just getting two crew chiefs to communicate, now you have four. The equation gets more complicated."
And, over at Roush Fenway Racing, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. will be reunited with Mike Kelley who was the crew chief on Stenhouse's two Nationwide Championships (2011 and 2012).