RPM names a new crew chief for Aric Almirola
As part of the continued restructuring of its competition department, Richard Petty Motorsports on Tuesday announced a new crew chief for driver Aric Almirola.
Photo by: Action Sports Photography
Effective immediately, Drew Blickensderfer will take over as crew chief for Almirola and the No. 43 Ford team in the Sprint Cup Series. He replaces Trent Owens, who has been reassigned to another position within the organization.
Blickensderfer, most recently the director of research and development at RPM, has nine years of crew chief experience in the Cup series. He made his crew chief debut in 2009 at Roush Fenway Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and since that time, he’s worked with 13 different drivers in both series and tallied 15 wins, including the 2009 Daytona 500.
“We are continuing to analyze every part of our organizations and make adjustments where needed,” said Brian Moffitt, CEO of RPM. “We've made significant investments in both teams, and the results for the No. 43 team have not been what we expected.
“By making this change now, we hope that Drew can begin momentum to improving on-track performance and get the team in a good place for the 2017 season. Trent Owens has been a valued member of our organization and will continue to play a significant role with Richard Petty Motorsports.”
Earlier this month, RPM parted ways with its longtime director of operations, Sammy Johns.
RPM has struggled this season. With the championship Chase set to begin this weekend, both RPM Cup series drivers missed the 16-driver field. Almirola is currently 27th in the standings and has yet to finish in the top 10 in 2016. His best result was 12th in the season opening Daytona 500.
Rookie Brian Scott, who joined the organization this year, is 34th in points.
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