Kevin Meendering Tag

By David Morgan, Associate Editor Starting next weekend at Watkins Glen, seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson will have a new crew chief atop the pit box. Hendrick Motorsports announced Monday that Cliff Daniels will take over the role that had been held by Kevin Meendering. “We have an opportunity to win an eighth championship and a lot more races with Jimmie,” Daniels said. “I’m proud to be in this position and have total faith in the team and our ability to perform at the level everyoneRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Correspondent The O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 appeared to be a return to form for Jimmie Johnson. The seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion earned a top-five finish at Texas Motor Speedway, his first since last year’s Coke 600. His No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 led the way for 60 laps, more than all of the laps the Hendrick Motorsports driver led last season. When the final caution waved with 80 laps to go, Johnson, along with most of the field, pitted. He restarted fromRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Correspondent After being a non-factor the last two weeks, tire strategy earns Jimmie Johnson a top-10 finish in the Ticket Guardian 500. The seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion ran inside the top-10 throughout much of the race at ISM Raceway. Johnson and his No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team led by crew chief Kevin Meendering elected to take two tires under caution with 91 laps to go. On not one, but two ensuing restarts, he held his own in the melee at theRead 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: 43 Years in Cup: 17 Career Wins: 83 Championships: 7 Things come in threes, that’s the best way to describe Jimmie Johnson’s underwhelming 2018 campaign. Now entering his 18th full season, Johnson won’t have three things that’s been synonymous with the sport’s juggernaut — his 16-year winning streak, Chad Knaus as crew chief and Lowe’s as his primaryRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Though Jimmie Johnson and Hendrick Motorsports may be losing Lowe’s as a sponsor at season’s end, the organization announced Sunday at Martinsville that they have found a new sponsor to take over starting in 2019 Lowe’s announced their departure from the sport back in March, forcing HMS to find a new sponsor for the No. 48 car for the first time since 2002. After seven months of looking, Ally Financial came to the forefront and they will sponsor the team full-time for the next two seasons.Read More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer It’s a dream come true for 37-year-old Kevin Meendering, who will become Jimmie Johnson’s crew chief beginning in 2019 after spending the last three seasons calling shots at JR Motorsports for Elliott Sadler in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Meendering will be Johnson’s second ever full-time crew chief after having Chad Knaus for 17 seasons, and during Thursday’s press conference, he spoke about this opportunity of working with the seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion. “Oh, it’s great. I’m excited for this opportunity for sure,” Meendering said.Read More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer “I have to say ultimately, it’s Rick’s call. It’s Hendrick Motorsports. We’ve had a lot of very open conversations and discussions but in the end, Rick is the one that makes the decisions,” Jimmie Johnson said on who made the call to split up a 17-year partnership with crew chief Chad Knaus. A day removed from the bombshell news of the NASCAR season took place, both Johnson and Knaus spoke for the first time about the announcement Thursday. It’s no secret the legendary duo has hadRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer What fans expected to be a career-long partnership will no longer be as the legendary duo of seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus will split at the end of the season after 17 seasons together. Hendrick Motorsports announced Wednesday that changes were made in both the No. 48 and No. 24 teams for the 2019 season. Knaus will now make the calls for William Byron, while current Xfinity Series crew chief Kevin Meendering has been promoted to becomeRead More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer It was not a typical race of survival for Elliott Sadler at Pocono Raceway. The NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Points Leader had to nurse a car that almost fell apart to earn a top-10 finish in the Pocono Green 250. Sadler restarted deep in the field in his No. 1 OneMain Financial Chevrolet Camaro SS. With the restrictor plate aero package being used at Pocono, the draft was a bigger factor than in previous seasons at the 2.5-mile track. As he attempted to bump-draft withRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor Less than two weeks after announcing that they would be sponsoring Kevin Harvick’s four race foray into the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2017, Hunt Brothers Pizza added another team to their sponsorship portfolio on Tuesday as they re-upped with JR Motorsports and Elliott Sadler for a two-race stint during the upcoming season. Hunt Brothers, which has sponsored a car at JRM since 2014, will serve as the primary sponsor for the March 4th race at Atlanta Motor Speedway and the October 21st event at KansasRead More