It is just a matter of a few weeks before the green flag once again waves in the air, marking the commencement of the 2024 NASCAR season. While the drivers may have indulged themselves in the off-season festivities, the teams have already sailed their boats and have buckled up for the upcoming racing season. One such team is Dale Earnhardt Jr‘s JR Motorsports.
It was an absolute treat for the eyes when the former 2x Xfinity Series champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. returned to the seats of his car, for two races. While as a driver Junior may have failed to earn a victory, as a team owner, his success knows no bounds. In the four-driver team, three of the drivers were able to make it to the playoffs, and on the virtue of a victory. Hoping to continue on the path of success, JR Motorsports announced its new roster of crew chiefs for the 2024 season.
JR Motorsports announces its new lineup for the 2024 Xfinity Series season
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It was just days back that Joe Gibbs Racing had announced its Xfinity Series driver’s lineup along with the crew chiefs. While Sheldon Creed bid farewell to his former team Richard Childress Racing, after a tussle broke out between the team owner and the driver, Aric Almirola on the other shifted his alliance to JGR after declaring his Cup Series retirement. Nevertheless, it was not just JGR who had a grand announcement to make for the 2024 season but also JR Motorsports, who was just a step behind in announcing their crew chiefs. The news was broken to the NASCAR community by journalist Bob Pockrass on his Twitter profile.
He informed, “JRM crew chiefs for 2024: 1-Sam Mayer-Mardy Lindley (same) 7-Justin Allgaier-Jim Pohlman 8-Sammy Smith-Adam Wall (Larson Cup lead engineer) 9-Brandon Jones-Phillip Bell (Gragson lead engineer at JRM and Legacy).”
While Mayer, Allgaier, and Jones have returned to the fold for another season with Dale Earnhardt Jr’s team, the new addition being Sammy Smith. After spending two seasons with Joe Gibbs Racing, Smith is set to pilot the No.8 Chevrolet with sponsorships from Pilot Flying J, TMC Transportation, and Allstate Peterbilt Group. Speaking of the crew chiefs of the drivers, Mardy Lindley and Jim Pohlman would be reprising their roles as crew chiefs for another season, while Wall and Bell would be the newest addition to JR Motorsports.
JRM crew chiefs for 2024:
1-Sam Mayer-Mardy Lindley (same)7-Justin Allgaier-Jim Pohlman
8-Sammy Smith-Adam Wall (Larson Cup lead engineer)
9-Brandon Jones-Phillip Bell (Gragson lead engineer at JRM and Legacy)
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) December 18, 2023
The new crew chiefs expressed their ecstasy about their new roles
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While both Lindley and Pohlman have tasted success as the crew chiefs of their respective drivers, it will be interesting to see what lies in the recruits for 2024. Both Wall and Bell have been a part of the HMS and JR Motorsports conduit. Wall before being posted as the crew chief in JRM, had served as lead engineer for Kyle Larson’s 2021 Cup Series championship-winning team and had a past stint with JRM. Bell on the other hand replaced Jason Burdett, who is set to Jimmie Johnson, had served as the lead engineer for Noah Gragson in the 2022 Xfinity season.
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Speaking on given the opportunities as crew chief, Bell expressed, “I’m very appreciative of the opportunity. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to be, because I know the systems and the people. It feels like coming home. The 9 team means a lot to me. We spent a lot of time and effort and helping build that legacy, getting the right systems in place to win races, and it means a lot to me to be here with them.”
Wall also stated, “It’s a lot of the same people here at JR Motorsports, so I’m excited to hit the ground running. It’s a really efficient process that they have going with HMS and JRM in terms of personnel, and I’m an example of how it works. To be able to come back to JRM on the crew chief level is a really nice path.”
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Having said that it is to be seen what lies ahead for the new crew chiefs along with the organisation as a whole. It will be interesting to see if JRM be able to clinch the championship title or will have to wait for another year.