Blake Harris will be joining Trackhouse Racing and work as Shane van Gisbergen’s crew chief for the 2027 NASCAR Cup Series season.
The announcement, which was made by Trackhouse Racing on Monday, November 9, comes as Harris caps off his fourth consecutive season working as a crew chief at Hendrick Motorsports and the No. 48 Chevrolet team piloted by Alex Bowman.
Bowman, who was absent for four races earlier this season, concluded the 2026 season in 26th place in the standings with four top-five results, eight top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 20.0. Next season will mark Bowman’s final full-time campaign in the Cup Series division as Connor Zilisch will then replace Bowman in the No. 48 entry for the 2028 season.
Harris made his first appearance as a Cup crew chief with Martin Truex Jr. at Texas Motor Speedway in mid-October 2020 before he worked as Michael McDowell’s crew chief in 2022, the latter of which occurred at Front Row Motorsports. Beginning in 2023, Harris worked at Hendrick Motorsports as the No. 48 crew chief and with Bowman. Over four seasons, the duo notched a victory at the Chicago Street Course in 2024 along with 17 top-five results, 31 top-10 results, four poles (including the 2023 Daytona 500 pole) and 313 laps led. They also achieved a Playoff berth in 2024 and finished in ninth place in the final standings.
Even when the No. 48 entry was piloted for select events by interim competitors Josh Berry, Anthony Alfredo and Justin Allgaier in two seasons, during which Bowman suffered a back injury from a sprint car accident in 2023 and suffered from vertigo in 2026, Harris remained atop the pit box of the No. 48 team.
Through 173 events as a Cup Series crew chief, Harris has achieved a single victory, four poles, 24 top-five results and 62 top-10 results while working with six different competitors. The 2027 season will feature a seventh competitor Harris will be working with, that being van Gisbergen, a three-time Supercars champion and driver of the No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet entry. Harris replaces Stephen Doran while Doran transitions to Spire Motorsports to work as a Cup crew chief for Michael McDowell.
This past season, van Gisbergen, who competed in his second full-time campaign in NASCAR’s premier series, notched a pair of road course victories (Watkins Glen International in May and Sonoma Raceway in June) along with a pair of poles, six top-five results, 10 top-10 results, 270 laps led and an average-finishing result of 18.9. Despite missing the Chase, he emerged as the highest non-Chase competitor in the final standings in 17th place to cap off the 2026 season.
Hendrick Motorsports’ decision on a new crew chief for Bowman and the No. 48 Chevrolet team for the 2027 Cup Series season remains to be determined.
The 2027 NASCAR Cup Series season is scheduled to commence with the Wheatley Vodka Clash at Daytona International Speedway on February 13. This event will then be followed with with 69th annual running of the Daytona 500 that will occur on February 21 and air on FOX Sports, MRN Radio, SiriusXM and HBO MAX.
