DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 11, 2015) Cole Pearn’s current status in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series couldn’t be better. The 32-year-old Canadian native was named crew chief for Martin Truex Jr.’s No. 78 Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevrolet following the 2014 campaign.
A former race engineer for Furniture Row Racing, Pearn will make his official crew chief debut Saturday night (Feb. 14) in the non-points Sprint Unlimited, a 75-lap race at the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway. It will be the first major event of Speedweeks, which will culminate with NASCAR’s crown jewel — the Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 22.
Truex qualified for the Sprint Unlimited, previously known as the Budweiser Shootout — as a result of being a former Daytona 500 pole winner (2009).
“I am really looking forward to having Cole as my crew chief,” said Truex, who will be making his fourth career appearance in the Sprint Unlimited. “He is heavy in the brain department and I am heavy with the right foot. I guess you could say that’s a pretty solid driver/crew chief combination.”
Truex added, “That was good news when NASCAR changed the qualifying requirements for the Sprint Unlimited. When you’re at Daytona you want to race when everybody else is racing, you don’t want to be on the sidelines. The Sprint Unlimited is a fun race without the pressure of points. This race always seems to get a little dicey but that’s what we enjoy.”
Though the race requires more work and more cars to be transported from the Furniture Row Racing shop in Denver, Colorado to Daytona Beach, Pearn couldn’t be happier to be one of the 25 teams entered for the Sprint Unlimited.
“You want to be a participant, not a spectator,” said Pearn. “You kind of feel out of it when you don’t qualify for this race. It’s a good event to work out the bugs and begin preparations for the 500. We’re coming to Daytona well equipped and well prepared.”
The Sprint Cup teams will return to the track on Sunday for Pole Day qualifying.
Saturday night’s Sprint Unlimited will be aired on FOX, beginning at 8 p.m. ET. FOX will also air Sunday’s Pole Day qualifying at 1 p.m. ET.
Furniture Row Racing Traveling Crew, 2015
No. 78 Over-the-Wall Crew
Front-tire changer
Dave Collins, Hayden Lake, Idaho
Front-tire carrier
Craig Curione, Sanborn, N.Y.
Rear-tire changer
Kyle Turner, Yorktown, Va.
Rear-tire carrier
Adam Mosher, Fort Mill, S.C.
Jackman
Carey Wimbish, Granite Falls, N.C.
Gasman
Brian Dheel, Akron, Ohio
No. 78 Road Crew
General Manager
Joe Garone, Denver, Colo.
Crew Chief
Cole Pearn, London, Ontario, Canada
Car Chief
Blake Harris, Maypearl, Texas
Engineers
Jeff Curtis, Fairfax Station, Va.
Pete Craik, Melbourne, Australia
Spotter
Clayton Hughes, Thomasville, N.C.
Engine Specialist
Craig Griffiths, Thomasville, N.C.
Engine Builder
Earnhardt-Childress Racing
Shock Specialist
Nick Kerlin, Old Fort, Ohio
Tire Specialist
Tommy DiBlasi, Annapolis, Md.
Mechanic
Gary Frost, Romeo, Mich.,
Austin Frankart, Fort Seneca, Ohio
Transportation
Chuck Lemay, DeKalb, IL, Chris Burton, Cincinnati, Barry Huston, Bloomingdale, Mich., Roy Miller, Elkridge, Md., Henry Benfield, Statesville, N.C.
