Trackhouse changes nearly every Shane van Gisbergen pit crew member

At NASCAR's championship-clinching showdown in Daytona, Shane van Gisbergen finds himself just 31 points ahead of Ryan Preece in the points race. In a surprising move, Trackhouse Racing has decided to overhaul nearly the entire pit crew for van Gisbergen's No. 97 Chevrolet, bringing in members from the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet led by A.J.

Allmendinger. Allmendinger's team leases and sources its pit crew from Trackhouse, making them the perfect fit for this change. Some former van Gisbergen teammates from the No. 16 crew have been part of the Chase-bound driver's pit crew in the past, and they have been among the fastest groups recently. It's worth mentioning that van Gisbergen dropped out of the top ten after a sluggish stop at the end of Stage 1 at New Hampshire, failing to recover and finishing 20th.

Trackhouse replaced the jackman for Ross Chastain last year at the start of the playoffs, but swapping such a large portion of the pit crew is a significant change.

If van Gisbergen secures a spot in the Chase, he will be the sole Trackhouse driver to achieve that feat. While he currently leads in the driver standings by 31 points, the owner standings are much closer, with the No. 60 RFK Racing Ford just six points behind the No. 97. A penalty applied to Ryan Preece after Texas did not affect the team, keeping the gap small.

William Byron will also have new crew members for the upcoming race, but it's due to his jackman and rear tire changer being suspended after a wheel disconnected during a previous race. These crew members are being replaced by Alex Bowman's No. 48 members.