Roush Fenway Racing sets crew chief lineup

Nov 1, 2014; Fort Worth, TX, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (17) during practice for the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Roush Fenway Racing announced its crew chief lineup for its three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams for 2015 on Tuesday. Bob Osborne will be the crew chief for Trevor Bayne and the No. 6 team and Nick Sandler will be the crew chief for Ricky Stenhouse and the No. 17 team, while Matt Puccia remains with Greg Biffle and the No. 16 team.

"“We are excited about our 2015 crew chief lineup,” RFR co-owner Jack Roush said. “Much like our driver lineup, our crew chief assembly features a quality mix of veteran leadership and youthful insight. We feel this lineup, combined with the addition of Kevin Kidd to oversee our Sprint Cup efforts, is a big step forward in the direction of placing our teams up front and contending week-in and week-out.”"

By keeping Biffle and Puccia together, Biffle retains familiarity atop the pit box. Biffle has made the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship postseason all three years in which he’s had Puccia as crew chief.

Stenhouse embarks on his third full season of Sprint Cup competition in 2015. His new crew chief, Sandler, was the head engineer for RFR’s No. 99 team the last four years under then-crew chief Jimmy Fennig.

Fennig has retired from crew chief duties and has been reassigned within Roush Fenway Racing to the position of Research and Development Coordinator.

"“I am personally excited to have Jimmy in this new role,” Roush said. “Jimmy’s experience is unparalleled in our sport, and I anticipate his input in this new role will have a major influence in a positive direction across the board with all of our teams going forward.”"

Mike Kelley, Stenhouse’s former crew chief, still will be with Stenhouse and the No. 17. He’ll be the car chief on the No. 17 for the upcoming season. Together, Kelley and Stenhouse won two consecutive Nationwide (now-Xfinity) Series championships and remained together for Stenhouse’s two Sprint Cup seasons, to date.

"“Mike has been an integral part of Ricky’s success, and in addition to his championships in the NXS, has championship experience as a car chief in the NSCS.”"

As Fennig steps away from the pit box, Osborne returns to work as crew chief for Bayne, who looks forward to his first full-time season of Sprint Cup competition after several years of part-time racing at the Cup level with Wood Brothers Racing.

Osborne was a crew chief at RFR from 2004 until 2012 before taking an engineering position within the organization.

"“Bob Osborne is a proven commodity, as evidenced by his 18 wins as a Sprint Cup crew chief,” Roush said. “He will bring a strong veteran presence to the No. 6 AdvoCare team as Trevor Bayne makes the transition to full-time Sprint Cup racing.”"

RFR also announced its driver/crew chief pairings for 2015 Xfinity/Nationwide Series competition. Phil Gould will be the crew chief for Elliott Sadler and the No. 1 team. Seth Barbour will be the crew chief on the No. 16 team for driver Ryan Reed and Scott Graves for the No. 60 team and driver Chris Buescher. Chad Norris will be the crew chief for Darrell Wallace Jr. and the No. 6 team.

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