Tuesday, September 09, 2014

Stewart, Harvick Will Swap Pit Crews

Stewart-Haas Racing, the championship-winning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team, has swapped the pit crews of it Nos. 4 and 14 teams, effective immediately. 

Beginning with Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, the No. 14 team’s tire changers, tire carriers and jackmen will switch to the No. 4 team, and vice versa. 

The new pit crew lineup for the No. 4 Budweiser/Jimmy John’s team includes: 

·      Front Tire Changer: Ira Jo Hussey (Manchester, New Hampshire)
·      Front Tire Carrier: Todd Drakulich (Tucson, Arizona)
·      Rear Tire Changer: Daniel Smith (Concord, North Carolina)
·      Rear Tire Carrier: Mike Morneau (Oxford, Maine)
·      Jackman: Mike Casto (Proctor, West Virginia) 

All of the above were members of the 2011 Sprint Cup Series championship-winning team with driver Tony Stewart. The new pit crew lineup for the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 team is as follows: 

·      Front Tire Changer: Bryan Jacobsen (Honesdale, Pennsylvania)
·      Front Tire Carrier: Brett Morrell (Windham, Maine)
·      Rear Tire Changer: Jonathan Sherman (Monroe, Louisiana)
·      Rear Tire Carrier: Josh Sobecki (New Kensington, Pennsylvania)
·      Jackman: Getty Cavitt, Jr. (Owensboro, Kentucky) 

“We made this change in the best interests of the entire organization,” said Greg Zipadelli, vice president of competition, Stewart-Haas Racing. “Our primary goal is to win races and championships, and this pit crew swap provides championship experience to the No. 4 team and continued race-winning experience to the No. 14 team.”  

The No. 4 team and driver Kevin Harvick head into the opening race of the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup seeded sixth among the 16 driver/team combinations competing in this year’s Chase. This is Harvick’s fifth consecutive Chase appearance and his eighth since the inception of the Chase in 2004. He finished fourth in his Chase debut in 2006, 10th in 2007, fourth in 2008, third in 2010, third in 2011, eighth in 2012 and third in 2013. 

Joining Harvick in the Chase is his Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Kurt Busch. Busch and the No. 41 Haas Automation team are seeded 10th. This is Busch’s second straight Chase appearance and eighth overall. He won the championship in his Chase debut in 2004, then finished 10th in 2005, seventh in 2007, fourth in 2009, 11th in 2010, 11th in 2011 and 10th in 2013.

8 comments:

  1. Nothing new. Johnson and Gordon did the same thing in 2010 when the #24 was out of contention. Helped the #48 when his 5th in a row.

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  2. Carole5:27 PM

    Harvick is never happy with his pit crew

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  3. Anonymous5:01 AM

    Might be just what the team needs,Hope it works.

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  4. Not like it's going to matter. Harvick is not a Sprint Cup Championship driver. All he'll ever be is a Nationwide series champion.

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  5. Dwayne in Memphis10:52 PM

    Dave, I know you've been voraciously defending this topic - but all of the major sports have a trade deadline. July 31 for MLB (playoffs in Oct), March 15 for the NBA - a month before the playoffs, after week 8 for the NFL...even hockey has one. So that the teams are set for the playoffs - across the board. Personaly, it's no biggie to me - some might be offended, but the crew are essentially tools like new air guns. Yes, they're part of the team, but so are the offensive and defensive lineman. They do all the blocking and Emmett Smith and Barry Sanders go down in history. But it's becoming a little off-putting the way you seem insulted and offended by the way some callers are saying something should be done.

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  6. Anonymous1:57 AM

    Surprised NASCAR nation hasn't blown up over this. OH, wait it isn't about Kyle Busch.

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  7. Anonymous10:19 AM

    Why would anyone be upset about this....would you take out a rusty old manifold bolt with a twelve point socket? No it wouldn't give you the best shot at getting the job done......why wouldn't you take your best pit crew to the most important race. Harvick races for Stewart-Haas Racing...they would like their best combination to win. Common sense.

    If your going to compete with the best, you need everything in your toolbox to try. If you don't win, you gave it your best effort.

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  8. Anonymous9:33 PM

    i dont have a problem with the crews being swapped , but the crew that the chase driver starts the chase with is who i feel they should have to finish with. No swapping after the chase begins ! Wish Larry Mac was still sitting up on a pit box or Jeff Hammond !

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