Owens Named Almirola's 2014 Crew Chief

Richard Petty Motorsports HAS announced the hiring of Trent Owens as crew chief for Aric Almirola and the No. 43 Ford NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team, beginning immediately. Owens has made a name in the NASCAR Nationwide Series over the past seven years, as a crew chief at both Braun Racing and Turner Scott Motorsports. The 38-year-old is a five-time winner on the Nationwide circuit, with five different drivers. This will be his first full-time opportunity to be a crew chief at the Sprint Cup level.  

The North Carolina native comes to RPM most recently from Turner Scott Motorsports where he served as crew chief for rookie Kyle Larson. The pair earned 17 Top-10 and nine Top-5 finishes, culminating in an eighth-place finish in championship points. Owens also made the calls when Larson won his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races earlier this year. In his Nationwide Series career, he has amassed 129 top-10 and 57 top-10 finishes in just under 250 races.  

Sammy Johns, Vice President of Competition and Race Operations at RPM said Owens will be a great match for Almirola. "Trent is one of the very talented people with a lot of crew chief experience, but is still relatively young," said Johns. "He has proven his results in the Nationwide Series with different teams, drivers and in different situations. Trent is hungry; he's aggressive and has proven he brings fast race cars each week. I believe he is ready to lead a Sprint Cup Series team and I'm happy to have him join Richard Petty Motorsports to lead the No. 43 team." 

Almirola, who is preparing to begin his third season with RPM, also said Owens is a great hire for the team.  

"I have known Trent for a while," said Almirola. "When I competed in the Nationwide Series, we raced against him every week. He's a very talented crew chief who has accomplished a lot, but he's still very hungry to do a lot more. Our team is the same. We're getting better, but we need more top -10's, top-fives and wins. I believe Trent can help us do that and he's a positive addition to the team." 

The No. 43 team finished the season with six top-10 finishes and one top-five. The team also tallied four consecutive top-10 finishes early in the season putting them in contention for a Chase position. Owens hopes he can help move the team into the Chase this upcoming season. 

"This is a great opportunity to join a Sprint Cup organization and a race team that can win," said Owens. "The No. 43 team has proven they can race up front. We just need to find a little more consistency to make the Chase. I believe we can put ourselves in contention for a Chase spot in 2014."