Changes Afloat In NASCAR As Off-Season Begins

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Harvick hasn’t even finished his media tour celebrating his 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship and the NASCAR garage is already seeing changes. Here is a quick update of the changes that have taken place this week.

New Crew Chief for Jamie McMurray.

Tuesday, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates announced that Matt McCall would take over as the crew chief of the No. 1 car of Jamie McMurray. McCall takes over for Keith Rodden who guided McMurray to a win in the All-Star race this season. Rodden served one season as the head wrench for McMurray.

McCall was the race engineer for Ryan Newman in the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.

"We are very pleased to add a crew chief like Matt to what we feel is a team and program that is certainly on the rise and feel that he can take it to the next level, said Chip Ganassi, owner of Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates in a press release. Matt brings a lot to the table that we are thrilled to have. He has been a successful race engineer for the No. 31 team and has the added experience of being a driver, which we feel will add to his success in leading the No. 1 team. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience that will mesh very well with Jamie and the whole team. We couldn’t be happier."

Changes for Kasey Kahne and The No. 5 team.

Today, Hendrick Motorsports announced that Kenny Francis has been reassigned in the team. Francis has teamed with Kasey Kahne since the days at Evernham Motorsports and won 17 races on top of the pit box was named Hendrick Motorsports vehicle technical director. Francis will work with all four Hendrick Motorsports teams in 2015.

"I think for the crew chiefs it’s good to have someone that has that crew-chief mentality to help drive the technical side of the company, Hendrick Motorsports General Manager Doug Duchardt said in a Hendrick Motorsports press release. Kenny understands what it’s like to sit in that crew-chief role, understands the pressure that they’re under and can hopefully help deliver better race cars for them to perform with."

Keith Rodden, who will take over as the crew chief for the No. 5 team in Francis’ stead, said he’s “extremely excited” about what Francis will be able to provide in his new role.

"I don’t know anyone smarter or anyone who is more well-rounded that would be a better fit for that job,  Rodden said in the Hendrick press release. “I think for all the crew chiefs at Hendrick Motorsports, that’s really exciting and a really, really good fit."

Stewart-Haas Racing adding talent.

There are also some changes in the technical department at Stewart-Haas racing. Tuesday, Matt Borland was named Vice President of Technology for Haas F1 racing and Stewart-Haas racing. Borland had previously served as VP of Engineering at SHR. Today, the team announced that Rex Stump would be the new technical director at SHR. Stump comes from Hendrick Motorsports where he founded the organization’s research and development program and has been instrumental in chassis design and technology.

"Rex brings a tremendous amount of knowledge and innovation to Stewart-Haas Racing, said Greg Zipadelli, vice president of competition, Stewart-Haas Racing in the SHR press release. You can never sit still in this business, and Rex’s record of success will help us stay ahead of the curve.Hendrick Motorsports provided me a lot of opportunities to succeed and I wouldn’t be in this position if it weren’t for Rick Hendrick, Ray Evernham and all the talented people I’ve worked with the last 18 years. I’m proud of my time there, but I’m looking forward to my new role at Stewart-Haas. This is a team that’s accomplished a lot in a very short period of time. There’s a championship to defend and races to win. I’m ready to go."

Stump is famously known for the T-Rex car that Jeff Gordon drove in the 1997 Winston. The car was completely legal, but technologically so advanced that NASCAR said don’t bring it back to the track and changed the rule book.

HMS extends deal with Kahne through 2018.

It was also announced early Thursday that Kasey Kahne re-signed with HMS. While this isn’t a change it does go against what many NASCAR folks predicted was going to happen in regards to Kahne’s future. The move leaves many more questions than answers when it comes to Chase Elliott, Jeff Gordon and others.

Changes ahead for JGR and MWR … maybe.

Earlier this week Kyle Busch made it clear that he believes that there needs to be an “affiliation” between Joe Gibbs Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing. Busch believes that he, Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, Clint Bowyer and Brian Vickers can all find success in 2015 and compete with the Hendrick/SHR cars if they work together.

Busch also alluded to the fact that there is some tension between the two sides and that is why information isn’t easily shared. Busch seemed to believe whatever is causing that issue is going to be smoothed over in the near future.

Expect more shuffling as the off-season gets moving. Carl Edwards needs a crew chief at Joe Gibbs Racing, Daniel Knost’s status as Danica Patrick’s crew chief was up in the air and what will Jimmy Fennig do in his semi-retirement?

Stay tuned to Beyond The Flag for those events when they happen.