Search
Close this search box.

Partner

Drew Blickensderfer Moves to Stewart-Haas Racing to Serve as Aric Almirola Crew Chief in 2022

share it
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Drew Blickensderfer 2022 Aric Almirola Crew Chief
Drew Blickensderfer will move over to the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing team as the crew chief for Aric Almirola in 2022.

Drew Blickensderfer, who announced his departure from Front Row Motorsports last month, will move to Stewart-Haas Racing to serve as the crew chief for Aric Almirola and the No. 10 team during the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season.

“Drew has been in the sport a long time and knows how to get the best out of the people around him, and that’s really what the job of crew chief has become,” Greg Zipadelli, SHR vice president of competition said. “We have the same parts and pieces, but what we do with those parts and pieces will make the difference. Drew has worked with a lot of drivers and managed a lot of people. He already has a rapport with Aric, and that will make the learning curve in a season full of learning a little less steep.”

Blickensderfer, 45, will look to add to his four-career NASCAR Cup Series wins as a crew chief. Blickensderfer won three races during a three-year stint as a Cup Series crew chief for Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing between 2009 and 2011. Blickensderfer returned to victory lane in 2021 as the crew chief for Michael McDowell, who won the season-opening Daytona 500.

According to a press release from Stewart-Haas Racing, Mike Bugarewicz, who was Almirola’s crew chief in 2021, has been given a promotion and will serve as the organization’s performance director.

Zipadelli says Bugarewicz was the perfect person to move into the new role for the team.

“With the NextGen car being brand new, there will be continuous development on it every time it turns a wheel. Going into it, we knew we needed to shore up our resources and really bolster our competitive approach. Buga is the right guy to tackle all the newness that’s coming at us pretty fast,” said Zipadelli. “He’s an engineer and he’s also a racer. He will be that glue between simulation, at-track reality, engineering and our race teams, and his laser-like focus in this new role of performance director will be a huge asset to our team.”

The remainder of the 2022 SHR crew chief lineup will remain the same as it was in 2021.

Rodney Childers will return to the No. 4 team with driver Kevin Harvick.

John Klausmeier will continue to call the shots for 2021 Rookie of the Year Chase Briscoe and Mike Shiplett will return as the crew chief for Cole Custer.

Additionally, the team announced that Richard Boswell will return as the crew chief for the No. 98 NASCAR Xfinity Series team, which will be driven by Riley Herbst again.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Post

23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports submitting second preliminary injunction motion in antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR
With New Evidence, 23XI/Front Row Filing Second Preliminary Injunction in NASCAR Antitrust Lawsuit
Toni Breidinger full-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2025 with TRICON Garage
Toni Breidinger Going Full-Time NASCAR Truck Racing with TRICON in 2025
Spire Motorsports hires Matt McCall and Dax Gerrigner to competition department ahead of 2025 NASCAR Cup season
Spire Motorsports Hires Matt McCall, Dax Gerringer to Further Strengthen Competition Department
TG_TRUCKS_BMS_PQ_TAnkrum_Pits
McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Re-Signs Tyler Ankrum for 2025
Titan Risk Solutions sponsorship 2025 Richard Childress Racing Austin Dillon Austin Hill Jesse Love
Richard Childress Racing Continues Partnership with Titan Risk Solutions into 2025
Chase Elliott named 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Most Popular Driver, he has won the award seven years in a row
Chase Elliott Captures Seventh Consecutive NASCAR Cup Most Popular Driver Award

Join Our Newsletter

Ready to have NASCAR news hand-delivered to your email daily?

Related Article