NASCAR Teams Make Major Pit Crew Changes Ahead of Daytona Finale
Several NASCAR Cup Series teams are changing their pit crews ahead of the Daytona regular-season finale, including major moves involving Shane van Gisbergen and Alex Bowman.
NASCAR teams are adjusting their pit crews in the lead-up to Saturday night's Chase finale at Daytona International Speedway. Among the notable changes, Trackhouse Racing is moving the pit crew from Shane van Gisbergen's No. 97 Chevrolet to AJ Allmendinger's No. 16 Chevrolet. This swap involves front changer Ryan Mulder, rear changer JP Kealey, tire carrier Drew Morgan, and new additions Jackman Jorden Paige, Austin Holland, Jerick Newsome, Marshall McFadden, and Brendan Foley.
On the other hand, Hendrick Motorsports is reassigning William Byron's No. 24 pit crew members Dax Hollifield and Rod Cox to Alex Bowman's No. 48 team. Bowman will receive Brandon Johnson, Ty Boeck, and replacements Ian Schulz and Ty Bowman from Michael McDowell's No. 71 Spire Motorsports. This personnel shuffle occurs as the Chase begins, and with Daytona representing the final race before the playoffs, the timing of these changes naturally draws attention.
Trackhouse's decision to reassign van Gisbergen's pit crew is particularly intriguing, as the No. 16 crew has shown slightly better performance this season. By giving van Gisbergen the more effective group, Trackhouse aims to give the driver the best chance to secure a championship position.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
