Veteran Danny Stockman Jr. will be returning to the NASCAR Xfinity Series to serve as the crew chief of the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Camaro entry that is set to be piloted by newcomer Jesse Love for the 2024 season.
The news comes a day after Richard Childress Racing announced that Love, this year’s ARCA Menards Series champion from Menlo Park, California, will replace Sheldon Creed in the team’s No. 2 entry and contend for both the rookie and championship honors for the upcoming Xfinity season.
The news also marks a reunion for Richard Childress Racing and Stockman, a native of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, who worked at RCR as a crew chief from 2010-19. During the 10-year span, he notched a combined 21 victories between the Xfinity and Craftsman Truck Series divisions. He also recorded two NASCAR championships: the Truck Series title in 2011 and the Xfinity Series title in 2013, both with current Cup Series competitor Austin Dillon.
“Richard Childress Racing just feels like home to me so I can’t wait to cross the railroad tracks in Welcome, [North Carolina] and race for wins and championships with a talented group of racers,” Stockman said. “Jesse Love is a bright young talent and it’s an honor to be able to work with him as he makes the next step in his career in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. I am grateful to Richard Childress for this opportunity and excited to go for wins and championships for Whelen Engineering.”
Stockman first joined RCR in 2010 to assume the role as crew chief for Austin Dillon and the team’s No. 3 entry in the Truck Series after previously being a truck chief for Kevin Harvick Inc. The duo would capture their first two career victories throughout the season, with Dillon achieving the Rookie-of-the-Year title, before winning another two races in 2011 and capturing the series’ championship by six points. They would then move up to the Xfinity Series in 2012, where they won two races and Dillon claimed the rookie title, before notching the title in 2013 by three points amid a winless season.
Since his last championship in 2013, Stockman has worked with 15 different competitors across NASCAR’s top three national touring series from 2014-23. He currently serves as the crew chief for rookie Nick Sanchez and the No. 2 Rev Racing Chevrolet Silverado RST team in the Truck Series. Despite recently missing the cutline to this year’s Championship 4 round in a tie-breaker, Stockman and Sanchez have achieved five poles, two top-five results, 11 top-10 results, 304 laps led and an average-finishing result of 13.1 through 22-scheduled events.
Stockman’s lastest season as an Xfinity Series crew chief occurred in 2018 when he worked with Daniel Hemric and the No. 21 RCR Chevrolet team, a team that recorded 23 top-10 results through 33 events, made the Playoffs and transferred all the way to the Championship 4 round before settling in third place in the final standings. His latest victory in the series occurred in 2016 with Austin Dillon at Auto Club Speedway.
Through 208 Xfinity Series events, Stockman has achieved one championship, seven victories, 19 poles, 80 top-five results and 147 top-10 results while working with seven different competitors. In addition to six full-time seasons as a Truck Series crew chief, Stockman has served as a Cup Series crew chief for a single season, which occurred in 2019 while working atop the pit box of the No. 3 entry piloted by Austin Dillon as Dillon ended up in 21st place in the final standings.
“Danny Stockman will be great addition to RCR’s NASCAR Xfinity Series program and we are looking forward to welcoming him back to our organization,” Richard Childress, Richard Childress Racing’s Chairman and CEO, said. “Danny has proven that he is a talented crew chief, especially working with a young driver. He’s accomplished a lot in his career, including helping guide Austin Dillon to two championships. I know he will do a great job working with Jesse Love and representing Whelen Engineering.”
“Danny Stockman is a racer’s racer and fits right in with Richard Childress Racing, so we are excited to welcome him back to our NASCAR Xfinity Series program,” Danny Lawrence, RCR’s managing director of team alliances and Xfinity operations, added. “His work ethic is second to none and we know that he will do a great job in guiding Jesse Love through his first season of NASCAR Xfinity Series competition and be an asset to our entire organization.”
With his plans for next season set, Stockman’s last Truck Series scheduled event as a crew chief is set to occur in next weekend’s series’ season-finale event at Phoenix Raceway on November 3, with the event’s broadcast to occur at 10 p.m. ET on FS1. He will then make his return as an Xfinity crew chief with Love and RCR for the 2024 season opener at Daytona International Speedway that is set to occur on February 17 at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.
