Just seven races into the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season, GMS Racing has elected to replace the crew chief of the No. 43 Chevrolet Silverado, after a difficult start to the season for driver Daniel Dye.
Blake Bainbridge, who has served as crew chief of the No. 52 Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota Tundra TRD Pro in five of the first seven races this season, will take over as crew chief of the entry, starting with Saturday’s event at Kansas.
Bainbridge will replace Travis Sharpe in the position after Sharpe was promoted to crew chief in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for the first time in his career. Sharpe and GMS Racing have amicably parted ways, per the team.
The experience for the Hueytown, Alabama native runs long in the industry, having held a career both behind the wheel and on top of the pit box. Bainbridge has extensive knowledge of the NASCAR Truck Series garage but has also spent time as a crew chief in the ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series.
In 2004, Bainbridge served as the crew chief for Rusty Wallace Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, when Jamie McMurray scored the victory at Darlington Raceway.
“You know, I’m really looking forward to taking on a new challenge with all the talented people at GMS Racing. I haven’t really known Daniel all that well, but from looking at how well he was able to run in ARCA last year, I can tell that he is hungry to prove himself,” said Bainbridge. “Having the chance to guide a rookie is something that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed during my career, so working with Daniel is going to be fun. I’m thankful for the opportunity and am ready to make the most out of this season with our No. 43 team.”
Through the opening seven NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events of 2023, Daniel Dye has picked up three top-20 results, including a career-best 16th-place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Entering Kansas, the 19-year-old driver is ranked 21st in series point standings, with an average finish of 23.0.
“We are always looking at the ways we can improve our program and believe that bringing Blake onto the team will do just that,” stated Tom Ackerman, Technical Director for GMS Racing. “Blake is well-known in the garage area and has a ton of talent, so he will be a perfect fit for Daniel as he continues to learn the ropes of the Truck Series in his rookie year. We are appreciative of everything that Travis has done for our organization in helping build our third truck team, and definitely want to wish him the best moving forward in his career.”
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