JR Motorsports announced
today the additions of Dave Elenz and Jason Burdett to its 2015 crew chief
lineup. The two newcomers join veteran Ernie Cope to complete the crew
chief roster that JR Motorsports will take into the new NASCAR XFINITY Series
season.
Elenz will serve as Dale
Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick and Kasey Kahne’s crew chief on the multi-driver
No. 88 team, renumbered from the No. 5 a year ago. Burdett will serve as
Regan Smith’s crew chief on the No. 7 Taxslayer.com team, allowing Ryan
Pemberton to return to his original post as the company’s director of
competition. Both Elenz and Burdett come to JR Motorsports by way of
Hendrick Motorsports.
Cope begins his second
season at JR Motorsports, but will transition to the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team
and spearhead Chase Elliott’s defense of his 2014 XFINITY Series championship.
The upcoming season will be Cope’s 13th as a crew chief. Despite
his 14 career victories, this will mark only the second time Cope has been
paired with a full-time driver to compete for a championship.
“This group gives us an
exciting mix of proven experience, future potential, and new opportunities for
everyone involved,” said Earnhardt Jr., owner of JR Motorsports. “Ernie
is one of the best crew chiefs in the business, and yet he’s rarely had the
opportunity to compete for a championship. Now he gets that chance with
Chase Elliott.
“Bringing in Dave Elenz and
Jason Burdett gives us the opportunity to call up some of the best talent at
Hendrick Motorsports and give them a shot at taking the next step in their
careers. That is the sort of foundation on which we built this company,
and I’m excited to continue that with two individuals who I feel will have
successful careers as crew chiefs in this sport.”
Previously an engineer on
both the No. 88 and No. 48 teams at Hendrick Motorsports, Elenz is a native of
Gaylord, Michigan, and graduate of Clemson University. He joined Hendrick
Motorsports in 2012 as engineer on Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88 team after stints at
Jasper Racing (2001-02), Ginn Racing (2003-07) and Red Bull Racing (2009-11).
Elenz spent one year on the No. 88 team before becoming an engineer on
Jimmie Johnson’s championship-winning team in 2013.
“I’m really excited to have
the opportunity to work with JR Motorsports,” Elenz said. “They’ve had a
lot of success in recent years. I look forward to learning from those
successes. To be able to work with the talented drivers we have in the 88
car next year is pretty unbelievable. I know we’ll be competing for wins
each and every week with those drivers.”
Burdett is a native of
Arkport, New York. His 17-year NASCAR career includes eight seasons as a
car chief at Hendrick Motorsports for Johnson (2002), Jeff Gordon (2008-10) and
Earnhardt Jr. (2011-14). He also was on Dale Jarrett’s teams at Robert
Yates Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing, the latter in which he served as
Jarrett’s crew chief for a bulk of the 2007 season. Burdett played an
integral role in Earnhardt Jr.’s four-win 2014 season, in which the team earned
a Daytona 500 victory, a Pocono sweep, and a long-awaited Martinsville win.
“There is a lot of
excitement surrounding JR Motorsports right now and I’m thankful to be part of
it,” Burdett said. “I’m grateful to Kelley, Dale Jr. and everyone at
Hendrick Motorsports who I’ve learned from over the years. Being able to
take this next step with JR Motorsports is a privilege. I’m looking
forward to working with Regan and the entire group next year.”
All three JRM teams will
compete in the full 33-race XFINITY Series schedule in 2015. Elliott and
Smith will vie for the driver’s championship, while the No. 88 team will
compete for the owner’s championship with multiple drivers. A full
schedule of drivers for the No. 88 team is still being finalized.
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