Search
Close this search box.

Partner

ThorSport Racing Makes Crew Chief Changes Heading Into Gateway; Shane Wilson No Longer With Team

Matt Crafton crew chief Shane Wilson leaves ThorSport Ben Rhodes crew chief swap
share it
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Matt Crafton crew chief Shane Wilson leaves ThorSport Ben Rhodes crew chief swap
Shane Wilson, who had been serving as crew chief for Matt Crafton, has parted ways with ThorSport Racing, and the team has made some changes at the crew chief position. Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett, NKP, Courtesy of Ford Performance

Heading into this weekend’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Toyota 200 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, ThorSport Racing has shaken up its crew chief lineup a little bit.

Veteran crew chief Shane Wilson, who had been serving as Matt Crafton’s crew chief this year, is no longer with the team, a ThorSport Racing representative confirmed to TobyChristie.com on Thursday.

Jeriod Prince, who won this past weekend’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway as the crew chief for Ben Rhodes, will move over to serve as the crew chief for Crafton and the No. 88 Ford F-150 team.

Brian Ross, who has served as the lead engineer for ThorSport Racing, will become the new crew chief for Rhodes and the No. 99 team.

Crafton, 46, has had a rough start to the season by his standards. The three-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion, prior to the swap, was on pace for his worst average finish (13.4) in a season since the 2006 season (13.8).

Through the opening 11 races of the year, Crafton has just one top-five finish and four top-10s. The California native will look to boost his 2023 numbers with a new crew chief atop the box.

Crafton started the 2022 season with Jeff Hensley as his crew chief. By the 15th race of the season, Hensley moved over to GMS Racing as the crew chief for Grant Enfinger. Bud Haefele would serve as the crew chief for Crafton in three races before Wilson took over for the final six races of the 2022 campaign.

Junior Joiner was the longtime crew chief for Crafton, as Joiner sat atop the No. 88 pit box from the 2012 season through 2021. Together, the duo racked up 13 of Crafton’s 15-career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series wins, and all three of Crafton’s championships in the Truck Series came with Joiner as his crew chief.

The veteran racer has been trying to find consistency from the crew chief position ever since Joiner stepped down following the 2021 season.

One Response

Leave a Reply

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

Latest Post

TG_Cup_ROVAL_RACE_KLarson_VLT-2
Report: 'Talks Starting' About Supercars Cameo for Kyle Larson
TG_ARCA_BMS_RACE_CDay_Pits
Hendrick Motorsports Signs Corey Day to Development Deal
Driver Intros Chase Elliott Cordele 2023
Chase Elliott Returning to SpeedFest at Cordele Motor Speedway on January 17-18
GgzLP90XQAAWfh0
Amazon Prime Video Inks Three-Year Deal with Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports
TG_ARCA_BMS_RACE_WSawalichC
Joe Gibbs Racing Reveals Four-Driver ARCA Lineup for 2025
`21624_Daytona_ARCA_Race_Pack_1
77 Drivers on Entry List for ARCA Pre-Season Practice at Daytona

Join Our Newsletter

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

Related Article