Stump named SHR technical director

Rex Stump is the new technical director for Stewart-Haas Racing, as Motorsport.com first reported on Nov. 9.

Over the last 19 seasons, Stump created Hendrick Motorsports R&D department and played an integral role in chassis design and technology.

“Rex brings a tremendous amount of knowledge and innovation to Stewart-Haas Racing,” Greg Zipadelli, vice president of competition said in a release. “You can never sit still in the business and Rex’s record of success will help us stay ahead of the curve.”

Decades of development

After graduating from Kettering University with degrees in mechanical and automotive engineering, Stump worked at General Motors. As a Sloan Fellow, he completed a master’s degree in structural analysis from Wayne State University in Detroit.

Stump moved to the racing side with Team Penske and Rusty Wallace in 1991. Three seasons later, he returned to GM and at the end of 1995 Stump joined Hendrick Motorsports.

This is a team that’s accomplished a lot in a very short period of time.

Rex Stump

“Hendrick Motorsports provided me a lot of opportunities to succeed and I wouldn’t be in this position if it weren’t for Rick Hendrick, Ray Evernham and all the talented people I’ve worked with the last 18 years,” Stump said. “I’m proud of my time there but I’m looking forward to my new role at Stewart-Haas.

“This is a team that’s accomplished a lot in a very short period of time. There’s a championship to defend and race to win. I’m ready to go.”

Key contributor

During Stump’s tenure at HMS, the teams won 10 Sprint Cup titles with Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Terry Labonte and 183 wins. He was also instrumental in the design of Hendrick’s Car of Tomorrow when the vehicle debuted in 2006, the chassis for Tony Stewart’s championship in 2011 and the Generation 6 and 6.20 models.

Stump will assume a role similar to Matt Borland’s before he took on his Formula One duties, And with the addition of F1 to the Stewart-Haas Racing campus, it provides Stump a fresh opportunity outside of stock cars.

People sometimes reach a certain level and they’re looking for challenges.

Gene Haas

“Between Hendrick and Stewart-Haas Racing, people sometimes reach a certain level and they’re looking for challenges,” team owner Gene Haas told Motorsport.com following the Phoenix race. “These guys are really sharp, they’re very hard working and by seeing what other teams are doing, it gives them a whole new perspective.

“Swapping engineers and people moving around is pretty common. And it has a lot of benefits – taking the DNA from different teams and inner-mixing it to come up with a new species.”