David Gilliland Racing’s No. 1 and No. 15 teams will undergo a small shuffling of personnel ahead of Saturday’s Worldwide Express 250 at Richmond Raceway, the organization announced via a pre-race advance.
Jerry Baxter – currently serving in his first full-time season as crew chief for the three-truck organization – will transition to working with Hailie Deegan beginning this weekend, calling the shots atop the pit box of the No. 1 Ford F-150 team.
Baxter, an 18-time winner as a crew chief across NASCAR’s top-three series, served as the crew chief for Tanner Gray and the No. 15 Ford F-150 throughout the first 17 events of the season, netting two top-five and five top-10 finishes.
Mike Hillman Jr. – who had been paired with Hailie Deegan and the No. 1 team since the beginning of 2021 – will now get the opportunity to work with Tanner Gray and the No. 15 team for the remaining six events on the NASCAR Truck Series calendar.
Hillman has served as a crew chief in NASCAR’s top-three series since 2005, in which time he’s racked up 23 victories in the NCWTS, as well as two championships with Todd Bodine in 2006 and 2010.
Both Gray and Deegan failed to make the series’ 10-driver post-season this year, with Gray currently sitting 14th in points, and Deegan sitting outside the top-20, with her only top-10 result coming at Mid-Ohio.
