NASCAR’s 2015 off-season has already brought with it a flurry of changes and now it seems as though more are coming for the No. 78 and No. 88 teams.
As the 2015 NASCAR off-season continues to roll on so do the changes being made by teams.
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In the past couple of weeks there have been a flurry of changes when it comes to drivers securing new rides for 2016. Brian Scott, Ryan Blaney and Chris Buescher have all recently announced that they will be riding full-time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2016. Other teams like that of Tony Stewart, Danica Patrick and Kyle Larson have all announced that they will have new crew chiefs in 2016.
This week moves were announced from the No. 88 team of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 78 team of Martin Truex Jr. who is coming off one of the best seasons in his NASCAR career.
No. 88 Team
On Tuesday HMS announced the hiring of Tim O’Brien as the new engineer of the No. 88 team for 2016. O’Brien replaces Kevin Meendering who left HMS for a crew chief role at JR Motorsports and driver Elliott Sadler next season, according to Jim Utter of Motorsport.com.
The addition of O’Brien is another step in the right direction or at least that is the hope of the No. 88 team. Earnhardt Jr. has shown promise each of the last two seasons before fading away in the Chase. The retirement of Jeff Gordon in 2015 and the pending retirement of Tony Stewart in 2016 has to make Junior Nation feel as though the window to win a title will soon be closed.
Earnhardt Jr. has already gone on record saying that he wishes to end his career driving for JR Motorsports and one might have to assume that at age 40 he is getting close to that time.
Before joining HMS O’Brien was part of Michael Waltrip Racing.
No. 78 Team
With 2016 will come a shift in manufacturer for Martin Truex Jr. and the No. 78 team.
The move to Toyota and the alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing is going to have an immediate impact on the pit crew for the No. 78 team. According to a report from Pit Talks, JGR will be putting the No. 78 crew together and they even had an educated guess as to who might comprise the new crew.
"At the end of last year JGR hired long time front man David Mayo. Mayo spent the last couple of years at HMS on the fronts so it would make sense that he would get a shot on the #78. You also have Adam Hartman who was a changer on the #78 last year that could compete for that spot. At the front carrier position we are hearing that MWR #55 carrier Chris Hall could be an option. Jacking the car could look like this, if Jason Tate comes back and jacks the #20, which we think he is, it would make sense for Baily Walker to move over to the #78. Walker was hired mid season to take over on the #20 when Tate went out with an injury. So that leads us to the rear. Lee Cunningham, who changed on the #15 last year, has been rumored to be a JGR guy next year. If so, we would expect him to be on this team as well. This leaves the rear carrier and Gas Man as the only two guys we’re missing. We’ve heard that Adam Mosher and Brian Dheel, who pitted the #78 last year, will continue next year at those two positions."
None of those moves are confirmed but it would certainly make sense for the No. 78 team to have a revamped crew come 2016. The move to Toyota should only elevate Truex Jr. and his team, a team that joined eventual champion Kyle Busch in the final-four in 2015.
Next: 2016 Sprint Cup Series Championship Odds
As the 2015 NASCAR off-season continues be sure to check back with BTF for all of the latest news and changes in NASCAR.