Cole Pearn Tag

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer The man wearing a black t-shirt around the paddock is back. Cole Pearn, former NASCAR crew chief for Martin Truex, Jr. (from 2015-19 that resulted in 24 Cup Series wins and the 2017 championship), will make his return to auto racing as the head engineer for Conor Daly’s efforts for the 104th Indianapolis 500 Presented by Gainbridge August 23. Pearn spent two nights with Daly’s team (Ed Carpenter Racing) and has been preparing for the “Month of August” from a computer as he’s ready to markRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Former NASCAR Cup Series championship winning crew chief Cole Pearn will be taking his talents to the NTT IndyCar Series. That’s because Ed Carpenter Racing announced Wednesday that Pearn will be the lead engineer for Conor Daly’s No. 47 U.S. Air Force Chevrolet in next month’s 104th Indianapolis 500 Presented by Gainbridge. Pearn was elated when describing the announcement as he’ll be working with Peter Craik, the lead engineer of Ed Carpenter’s No. 20 Chevrolet and former co-worker at Furniture Row Racing. “I am super excitedRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Entering his 16th Daytona 500, Martin Truex, Jr. will be strapping in the No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry for the first time without long time crew chief Cole Pearn. Ushering a new era will be James Small, who will be on top of the No. 19 pit box for the first time. However, there isn’t much of a void since Pearn ended his NASCAR career during the off-season. In fact, it’s business as usual for Truex who’ll look to haveRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor Editor’s note: Motorsports Tribune will be previewing the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season for the full-time drivers in the series leading into February’s running of the Daytona 500. Age: 39 Years in Cup: 15 Career Wins: 26 Biggest Accomplishment: 2017 Cup Series champion, Two-time Xfinity Series champion (2004, 2005) Nearly equaling his win total from his 2017 NASCAR Cup Series championship season, Martin Truex, Jr. and crew chief Cole Pearn were a force to be reckoned with last season, racking up seven wins in their first season in-house atRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Just 10 days removed from championship-winning crew chief Cole Pearn exiting both Joe Gibbs Racing and NASCAR, the team announced Thursday that Australian James Small will be calling the shots for Martin Truex, Jr.’s No. 19 team. The 36-year-old has been Truex’s lead engineer the past two seasons at both JGR and the now-defunct Furniture Row Racing. Their collaboration proved to be a massive success this past season as Truex won seven races and finished runner-up in the NASCAR Cup Series standings. Small said it’s anRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor When the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season begins, the No. 19 team at Joe Gibbs Racing will have a new leader atop the pit box after crew chief Cole Pearn announced Monday he will be stepping down and leaving NASCAR to pursue opportunities outside the sport. In the team release detailing Pearn’s departure, he cited a familiar theme of wanting to spend more time with his family away from the grueling NASCAR schedule as one of the main reasons for his decision. “This was anRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Editor’s note: Motorsports Tribune will be previewing the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season for the full-time drivers in the series leading into February’s 61st annual running of the Daytona 500. Age: 38 Years in Cup: 15 Career Wins: 19 Biggest Accomplishment: 2017 Cup Series Champion A novel couldn’t told quite the tale that Martin Truex, Jr.’s fascinating NASCAR career has gone through his entire career. This past season, Truex came into 2018 with an all-time high in confidence and poised for a strong title defense. While that remained true,Read More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor HOMESTEAD, Fla. – If there was a sentimental favorite to win the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship, Martin Truex, Jr. and Furniture Row Racing were that favorite. With the impending closure of the team at the end of the season, it would have been a storybook finish to see Truex, crew chief Cole Pearn, owner Barney Visser and the entire organization raise the trophy for the second year in a row before riding off into the sunset and into the annals of NASCAR history.Read More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor HOMESTEAD, Fla. – When the checkered flag flies on Sunday, the book will finally be closed on Furniture Row Racing as the team will be shuttering its doors over the offseason regardless if they win a second-straight title or not. Ahead of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series cars hitting the track for the first time, team president Joe Garone addressed the team’s closure and how they have been rallying around each other in the final days. “It’s been brutal at the end here. But inRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Since Furniture Row Racing announced they would be shutting down at the end of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, the dynamic duo of Martin Truex, Jr. and Cole Pearn have been rumored to be moving in house to Joe Gibbs Racing for 2019. After months of speculation, the move is now official as the team announced that Truex and Pearn would be taking over the No. 19 Toyota next season. “Anytime you have an opportunity to bring two people of this caliber intoRead More