Johnston to replace Heroy as Kyle Larson's crew chief
Chad Johnston will guide Kyle Larson and the No. 42 Target Chevrolet at Chip Ganassi Racing, sources have told Motorsport.com.
Johnston, who replaces Chris Heroy, led Tony Stewart and the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing team for the past two seasons. Motorsport.com has also learned the name of his replacement atop the No. 14 pit box (Read Here).
Prior to SHR, Johnston, 35, guided Martin Truex Jr. at Michael Waltrip Racing. He was displaced when MWR lost the NAPA sponsorship following the 2013 season.
“I am very excited for the opportunity to be joining Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, and the opportunity to work with Kyle Larson," Johnston said. "The organization has a great reputation in numerous forms of racing, and I’m looking forward to adding to that reputation in NASCAR. Kyle is certainly a unique talent, and I’m eager to get to work with him and the team as we look to build a foundation of success.”
The second-generation racer graduated from Indiana State with a degree in mechanical engineering. Johnston started his career in the aerospace industry before his passion for racing carried him to the Camping World Truck Series in 2004. After a short stint at Evernham Motorsports he joined MWR in 2009 and became Pat Tryson’s engineer the following season.
Johnston was promoted to crew chief for the 2011 June Pocono race. In his first full season with Truex and the No. 56 team qualified for the Chase. The following year, Johnston guided the team back to Victory Lane with the win at Sonoma — Truex’s second career victory.
Johnston replaced Steve Addington at SHR. But the last two seasons Stewart has struggled to get up to speed — and has graciously exonerated Johnston during his tenure. The three-time champion, who was 28th in the point standings entering the weekend, said during the Sprint Cup contender’s Media Day last Thursday change would be coming.
“There's going to be a lot of change,” Stewart said. “It's not like we were a 15th place car all year. We haven't been even close to that, unfortunately. There's going to have to be a lot of changes.
“The hard part is when you get back where we're at right now, it's hard to sit there and say exactly what you need, because if it was that easy, you'd have fixed it by now, which makes it even more difficult to sit here and to be honest and tell you what we know needs to be changed. That's the hard part is trying to find those variables that we need to work through to get better next year.”
Larson finished 19th in the 2015 Sprint Cup point standings. He earned his second top-five finish of the season Sunday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In his first season on the tour, Larson finished 17th in the standings with eight top fives and 17 top-10 finishes.
We fully expect the combination of Chad and Kyle to be the foundation of the No. 42 team for years to come.
Chip Ganassi
“We are very much looking forward to having Chad join the No. 42 team, and excited for the fresh perspective that he brings," team owner Chip Ganassi said. "We fully expect the combination of Chad and Kyle to be the foundation of the No. 42 team for years to come.
"Chad is a race-winning crew chief and has helped steer a team into The Chase, two goals we have each season for our teams. I think his background and experience with veteran drivers will help as we look to continue to build on Kyle and the team’s success in the Sprint Cup Series."
Johnston starts his new role on Tuesday.
Previous article
Harvick comes one position short of defending 2014 crown
Next article
Tony Stewart to have new crew chief for final Sprint Cup season
About this article
| Series | NASCAR Cup |
| Drivers | Kyle Larson |
| Teams | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| Author | Lee Spencer |
From the archive: Dale Earnhardt’s final Autosport interview
The death of Dale Earnhardt in the 2001 Daytona 500 shocked NASCAR to the core. At the Daytona 24 Hours, two weeks before his fatal accident, ‘The Intimidator’ shared his expectations of challenging for an eighth Cup title with JONATHAN INGRAM, in an article first published in the 15 February 2001 issue of Autosport magazine. Little did we know then what tragedy would unfold…
The lasting NASCAR legacy after Dale Earnhardt’s death
On February 18, 2001, seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Dale Earnhardt – the fearless ‘Intimidator’ – was in his element at Daytona International Speedway. While his own DEI team’s cars ran 1-2 towards the finish line, his famed #3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Monte Carlo was playing rear gunner to block any late runs from the chasing pack. As the cars tore through Turns 3 and 4 on that fateful final lap, Earnhardt maintained the strongarm tactics that encapsulated his persona… but his actions in those moments sadly proved to be his last.
Inspired by Pitbull, the “revolution” sweeping through NASCAR
The NASCAR Cup Series is changing. Whether it be the gradual morphing out the seasoned drivers of yesterday as the next generation step up, a radical calendar shake-up featuring more road courses than ever before and the prospect of an all-new car on the horizon, stock car racing’s highest level is nearing the end of a huge facelift.
The NASCAR storylines to watch out for in 2021
This weekend's Daytona 500 kickstarts a NASCAR Cup season that promises plenty of intrigue courtesy of new owners and a refreshed calendar. Here's what you need to know ahead of the new season…
Why Kyle Larson can't blow his big shot at redemption
From a disgraced NASCAR exile, Kyle Larson has been given a chance of redemption by the powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports squad. Effectively replacing seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson is no easy billing, but Larson has every intention of repaying the team's faith...
Why Roger Penske is an American motorsport icon
In this exclusive one-on-one interview, Roger Penske reveals the inner drive that has made him not only a hugely successful team owner and businessman but also the owner of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar. He spoke to David Malsher-Lopez.
Why NASCAR's latest second-generation champion is just getting started
Chase Elliott's late charge to the 2020 NASCAR Cup title defied predictions that it would be a Kevin Harvick versus Denny Hamlin showdown. While the two veterans are showing no signs of slowing down, Elliott's triumph was a window into NASCAR's future…
Why Kyle Larson deserves his second chance in a cancel culture
“You can’t hear me? Hey n*****” Those fateful words uttered by Kyle Larson, spoken into his esports headset on April 12, were directed at his sim racing spotter – but instead they quickly became amplified around the world via social media, including his own Twitch stream.
