RACINBOYS EXCLUSIVE By Lee Spencer -- Front Row Motorsports has bolstered its crew chief lineup for 2019.
According to sources, veteran leaders Drew Blickensderfer and Mike Kelley will join Seth Barbour in overseeing FRM’s three Monster Energy Cup Series squads.
The three crew chiefs are no strangers to one another. They all worked together while at Roush Fenway Racing more than a decade ago
Blickensderfer will oversee the No. 34 Ford and driver Michael McDowell. The Decatur, Ill., native started as a crew chief with Roush Fenway Racing in 2006. Between his duties in Cup and the Xfinity Series, Blickensderfer, 42, won the 15 races with drivers Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards and David Ragan. He was Kenseth’s crew chief for the 2009 Daytona 500 victory.
Most recently, Blickensderfer was crew chief of the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports team and driver Bubba Wallace. He worked for RPM starting in 2013. Blickensderfer is also a guest analyst for FOX Sports. He replaces Derrick Finley, who will be the technical director for Front Row Motorsports.
Kelley will assemble the new No. 36 team around rookie driver Matt Tifft. The veteran crew chief won back-to-back Xfinity titles with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in 2011-2012. In addition to his eight wins with Stenhouse, Kelley won races with Edwards, Ragan and Trevor Bayne. Kelley was tasked with the Roush’s rookie experiment—Team 60—last year with drivers Chase Briscoe, Ty Majeski and Austin Cindric.
Kelley is on loan from Roush Fenway Racing, where he’s worked for the last 17 seasons.
The 47-year-old Floridian raced Modifieds and Goody’s Dash cars around his hometown of St. Petersburg before moving to North Carolina to pursue a career in NASCAR.
Donnie Wingo, another Roush alumni, will continue in his role as Competition Director.