Sprint Cup: Crew Chief Changes for 2012
Shane Wilson has been named the crew chief of the No. 29 Budweiser/Rheem/Jimmy John’s team with driver Kevin Harvick for the 2012 season. Wilson has previously been with the No. 33 team of Clint Bowyer for the past three seasons. Gill Martin, who has been with the No. 29 team since May 2009, has been named director of team operations.
Wilson and Harvick have worked together in 2006 to earn 10 wins, 24 top-five and 31 top-10 finishes in the Nationwide series en-route to winning the championship. The team had an 824-point margin of victory, creating a new series record.
Steve Addington, the No. 22 crew chief for the 2011 season, is taking his talent to the No. 14 team of Tony Stewart for the 2012 season. Addington has served as crew chief for Bobby Labonte (2005), J.J. Yeley (2006-2007), Kyle Busch (2008-race No. 33 of 2009) and Kurt Busch (2010-2011) during his Sprint Cup career. Twelve wins were scored with Kyle Busch at Joe Gibbs Racing and four wins with Brother Kurt during while working with Penske Racing. 
It came as a bit of a shock when Stewart’s crew chief Darian Grubb announced at Homestead that he was released from the team at the end of the 2011 season. The news of him leaving Stewart-Haas came shortly after he led the team to winning the Championship. As of now, Grubb has not announced what team he will be with next year.
The garage rumors say that he may rejoin his former co-workers at Hendrick Motorsports, possibly as a crew chief for one of the team’s four cars. Team owner Rick Hendrick told reporters during a teleconference Monday morning that his crew chief lineup is set for 2012. However, Hendrick did admit to making Grubb another offer to rejoin the team.
Rumors have been confirmed this week that Drew Blickensderfer will join Richard Childress Racing next year to crew chief the No. 31 team with driver Jeff Burton. Luke Lambert, interim crew chief during the closing weeks of the 2011 season, will remain at RCR in a yet-to-be announced position.
[/media-credit]Blickensderfer is leaving Roush Fenway racing after nearly ten years with the team, most recently as the crew chief of the No. 6 team with driver David Ragan.
Countdown to Daytona: 89
89 days remain until they fire the engines at Daytona, so the focus today is on a number that has seen scarce use compared to others in NASCAR’s top series. Car no. 89 has only been used in 266 races. By comparison, number 43 has been used 1,809 times and the second-most frequently used number, 11 have started 1,735 Sprint Cup races.
Shepherd Racing Venture/Rick AdkinsAl Keller led things off at the treacherous Langhorn Speedway in 1949; NASCAR’s fourth ever race. Keller drove his ’49 Ford to an eighth place finish after starting 22nd. Keller made a total of 29 Sprint Cup starts, but only used the number 89 two other times. A host of NASCAR legends used the number 89, including 1952 champion Tim Flock, Buck Baker, Ned Jarrett, Buddy Baker, and the first African American driver to win a race, Wendell Scott.
Buck Baker was the first to win in car 89; that win came in 1952 at Columbia Speedway in Columbia, South Carolina. Baker also won in car no. 89 three years later at the .750 mile Charlotte Speedway. Baker made a total of 635 starts, winning 46 races and two championships. Baker will be featured in the coming days in upcoming articles.
The number 89 has two notable wins. The first was when Buddy Shuman won the only points-paying Cup race to date outside the United States later in 1952. That win came at Stamford Park in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Shuman’s victory was his only win in 29 starts. NASCAR hasn’t journeyed outside the country since for a points race.
The other notable victory came for driver Joe Lee Johnson, winner of the first World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Johnson bested Johnny Beauchamp by four laps to take the victory and a $27,150 payday. Adjusted for inflation, that figure would be $197,599.65.
Beginning in 1983, the no. 89 became most associated with the Mueller Brothers Racing Team and their Evinrude Outboards backed cars. Based out of Wisconsin, the Mueller Brothers used drivers from the Midwest, many from the ASA ranks. Their first driver was Dean Roper, a three-time USAC national stock car champion. Jim Sauter, father of Jay, Johnny, and Tim drove the majority of the races from 1985-1993, with Rodney Combs driving the car in 1989. Sauter had limited success in the partial schedule the Meuller Bros. ran; his best finish was a 10th in the wreck-strewn 1987 Oakwood Homes 500.
Female driver Patty Moise made her first Sprint Cup start in 1987 in a car prepared by Marc Reno and Ernie Irvan at Watkins Glen. Moise crashed her no. 89 butter-flavored Crisco machine and made just four more Cup starts before transferring over to the Nationwide Series.
The Mueller Bros. last start came in 1993 at Michigan. They tried to run a partial schedule in 1994 with Sauter, but failed to qualify for a race that year. The Mueller Bros. returned for a partial schedule in 1996 in the Camping World Truck Series, but used the numbers 4 and 42. Their two drivers were current Roush-Fenway racing GM Robby Reiser and 2011 Sprint Cup Champion Tony Stewart.
Aside from a one-off by Dennis Setzer in 1998 at Talladega, the only other driver to use no. 89 in the last decade is the venerable Morgan Shepherd. Shepherd made 32 starts from 2002-2006 before moving his team to the Nationwide Series, where he continues to use the number to this day.
In total, car no. 89 has scored a total of three poles, four wins, 18 top-fives and 58 top tens.
Countdown to Daytona: 90
As 2011 wraps up and Tony Stewart enjoys his third Sprint Cup title, many teams are already looking to Daytona and the 2012 season, hoping they’ll be the team seated at the champions’ table next year. We’ll count you down to next year’s Daytona 500 (its only 90 days away!) with some numberology for each number as the Super Bowl of NASCAR draws closer.
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[/media-credit]A car no. 90 was entered in NASCAR’s first-ever race by none other than future two-time champion Tim Flock. Flock finished fifth in that race at Charlotte Speedway (not the same as the current track). He would use the number 90 just eight more times before changing to 91; then his famous number 300. However, the name most associated with car no. 90 is Junie Donlavey.
A longtime resident of Richmond, Donlavey fielded his first car in 1950 with Runt Harris. Donlavey would dabble in the sport over the next 15 years, but began his long association with the number in 1965 with driver Sonny Hutchins.
Donlavey’s sole win as an owner came in the 1981 Mason-Dixon 500, when driver Jody Ridley outran Bobby Allison over the last 20 laps to earn both his and Donlavey’s only victory. The victory didn’t come without controversy, however, as Allison’s car owner, Harry Rainer filed a protest, claiming that “No question we were a lap ahead of Ridley”. Although NASCAR admitted to a scoring communication difficulty, they upheld Ridley’s victory after 20 minutes.
“This has got to be a bigger thrill for Junie than me”, said Ridley. “I’m a rookie in the Grand Nationals. I just can’t believe it. This is the biggest thrill of my life.” Ridley raced for Donlavey through the 1982 season before driving for Robert Mcentrye and Rahmoc. His final Cup race came in 1986.
Donlavey was well known for giving young drivers a start in racing. Notably, Ken Schrader drove for Donlavey for a three year stint, garnering Rookie of the Year honors in 1985 and nearly winning the 1987 Firecracker 400, losing the lead with two laps to go. Coincidentally, the loss came to Allison, who changed tires during a late caution and stole the victory.
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[/media-credit]Ricky Rudd, Ernie Irvan, and Mike Wallace all drove for Donlavey in the early parts of their career. Notable drivers who made their debut for Donlavey include Joe Weatherly, Harry Gant, Robby Gordon and current TNT analyst Wally Dallenbach Jr.
In a recent interview I conducted, Dallenbach said he had “Nothing but great memories” in his time with Donlavey. “I drove for him in my rookie deal into NASCAR, and Junie and the whole team were fantastic. I learned a lot and they were great people. Junie has given a lot of guys opportunities; opportunities they wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. For what he had to work with, he did a great job. Junie never really had what you could call a major sponsor. “Orkin Pest Control and Ford Motorsports Sportswear were the only major primary sponsors Dallenbach had for his rookie season.
Donlavey was also notable for giving older drivers a shot behind the wheel. Benny Parsons, Lennie Pond, Buddy Baker, Dick Trickle, and Charlie Glotzbach all drove Donlavey livery towards the end of their careers.
Donlavey’s last start as a car owner came in the 2002 UAW-GM Quality 500 where Jason Hedlesky, current spotter for Carl Edwards drove a Lucas Oil backed machine; dropping out early due to handling issues.
His former crew chief and current owner Tommy Baldwin Jr., told a USA Today reporter at the time “It’s kind of a shame that he’s gotten to this point where he can’t run successfully week in and week out,” But Junie never really cared about that.” Donlavey seemed to agree, saying that “I have met so many nice people that, if I had to trade the people I met for money, there wouldn’t be enough money around.”
Dallenbach also agreed, saying “Junie liked [having] the team in Virginia, with friends and family working on the car. In his time, you could do that, but I don’t think Junie wanted to become a big-time Cup team. I think he had the opportunity to do that, but that would have required moving the operation to Charlotte”.
That was indeed the case, as Sara Lee reportedly pulled their sponsorship after the 2001 season when Donlavey refused to move his team to North Carolina.
Since then, the no. 90 has been used sparingly, most recently with Scott Riggs driving for Raymond Key at Phoenix in 2010. In total, car no. 90 has obtained two poles, one victory, 64 top five, and 231 top-ten finishes in the course of 918 starts.
