MOORESVILLE, N.C. (June 14, 2016) – NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) veteran Marcus Richmond will take over crew chief duties for the No. 00 Haas Automation Chevrolet Silverado and driver Cole Custer for the remainder of the 2016 season, JR Motorsports announced today. Richmond replaces Joe Shear Jr., who resigned earlier in the month.
“Marcus is a well-known crew chief in the Truck Series garage, and we are delighted he has joined our team,” said Kelley Earnhardt Miller, general manager of JR Motorsports. “He brings a lot of experience and the kind of steady leadership that can take us to Victory Lane and into the inaugural Chase this season. Paired with Cole and the rest of the team, we are eager to see this new partnership begin at Iowa Speedway.”
Richmond has 205 starts as a crew chief in NCWTS competition, with nine victories, and led Ty Dillon to a runner-up finish in the 2013 championship standings. He comes to JRM from previous stints at Richard Childress Racing, Red Horse Racing, and most recently, GMS Racing, where he wrenched Johnny Sauter to a victory at Daytona International Speedway earlier this season. In addition to the nine victories, Richmond’s trucks have recorded 48 top-five and 94 top-10 finishes as well as nine poles.
“The main reason I came to this team is because they do what it takes to win races, and they have a driver that can win races,” said Richmond, who guided his teams to top-five points finishes in 2013-15. “I feel like this is a great opportunity to do that here at JR Motorsports, with Cole in the driver’s seat. We are going to have to evaluate where we are with everything and build on it as quickly as possible. With JRM’s knowledge and support from Gene Haas, maybe we can jump to where we need to be quickly. We want to have a good solid plan for the rest of the year.”
Custer, the 18-year-old Californian, currently sits 14th in points after seven races, with one top five and a pair of top 10s. Custer owns two NCWTS victories in 26 starts, including his first in 2014 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in which he became the youngest driver to win a NCWTS race.
Richmond will begin his duties on the pit box this weekend at Iowa Speedway.
ABOUT JR MOTORSPORTS:
JR Motorsports is the management company and racing operation for Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR’s 13-time Most Popular Driver and winner of more than 40 NASCAR-sanctioned races. Now in its 15th year of overall competition, JR Motorsports races in multiple divisions, including the NASCAR Xfinity Series where it won a championship in 2014. The company also competes in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and owns two championships in regional late model divisions. To learn more about the organization, its drivers and its sponsorship opportunities, visit www.jrmracing.com.
