The value of a good crew chief is immeasurable. But every team in NASCAR knows the holy trifecta that makes a title challenger. The obvious first is the driver, followed in close second by the car. And last, but definitely not least, is the crew chief. With all the success Tony Stewart has had, he knows it too.

Stewart raced and created some great Cup Series seasons, winning the title thrice. From all those years of experience, he learned a lot that he now brings to the table in his role as the owner of Stewart-Haas Racing.

Relying on an old partner to help out

The latest decision taken by Stewart and his team illustrates a crew chief’s importance. As reported by Bob Pockrass on Twitter, “Chad Johnston, a former Tony Stewart crew chief, returns to SHR this year as No. 41 Cup crew chief for Ryan Preece.”

They took the decision to hire Chad Johnston because of various reasons. Firstly, Johnston has been a part of the Cup Series in multiple seasons; he was the crew chief of Stewart in 2014 and 2015. He was also Kyle Larson’s crew chief during his stint with Chip Ganassi Racing.

Other than that, Johnston also has a good rapport with Preece. While Preece raced for David Gilliland Racing in the Truck Series last season, he was guided by none other than Johnston. The pairing even won 2 races during their time together.

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The recruitment completes a major shake-up at SHR, and with little time remaining, they have a lot to do.

Tony Stewart has something planned for the #41

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With the 2023 season only a month away, the change of a crew chief looks like a major decision to make. But that change comes at the back of other changes in the team.

Cole Custer ran the #41 of SHR until the end of the 2022 season. But Custer’s performances were deemed unsatisfactory – he secured only 3 top-ten finishes the entire season – they sensed a need for something different. SHR believed the form Custer had shown in 2020 had been in a slow downturn.

They decided to bring in Preece from the Truck Series. With a change of driver, they also sensed a change in the backroom staff. Therefore, Johnston replaced the incumbent chief, Mike Shiplett. The rest of the SHR team remains the same.

As reported by CBS, Greg Zipadelli said in the official statement: “It’s great to have Chad back with our race team. A lot of the people he worked with when he was here before are still here today, and he already has a rapport with Ryan Preece. Chad fits in seamlessly and has a tremendous work ethic.”

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Now that the changes have come in, the spotlight will be on how successful the gamble is. It’s going to be a tight few months going ahead.