{"id":5609,"date":"2018-07-30T16:57:38","date_gmt":"2018-07-30T20:57:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/?p=5609"},"modified":"2018-07-30T16:57:38","modified_gmt":"2018-07-30T20:57:38","slug":"jr-motorsports-announces-new-crew-chief","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2018\/07\/30\/jr-motorsports-announces-new-crew-chief\/","title":{"rendered":"JR Motorsports announces new Crew Chief for Michael Annett’s 5 Car"},"content":{"rendered":"

Following a P15 finish at Iowa Speedway that saw\u00a0Michael Annett\u00a0<\/strong>and the No. 5 car fall further out of the playoffs, JR Motorsports has announced that the team is making a change. Starting at Watkins Glen International<\/strong> this Saturday, Annett and the No. 5 team will be lead by a new crew chief: Travis Mack.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

JR Motorsports announces new Crew Chief for Michael Annett’s 5 Car<\/h1>\n

\u201cWe are constantly building toward the team\u2019s future,\u201d<\/em> said JRM\u2019s director of competition, Ryan Pemberton, in a release. \u201cAt this point in the season, it was time for us to evaluate where the No. 5 team was and where we wanted it to be moving forward. It became clear a change was necessary.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Mack has worked with Hendrick Motorsports and JRM in the past, being the car chief from the 2014 NXS champion No. 9 car. He also worked with\u00a0Kasey Kahne\u00a0<\/strong>and Leavine Family Racing before his return to the JRM Xfinity program.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very grateful to be able to return to JR Motorsports,\u201d<\/em> Mack said in a release.\u00a0\u201cTo have been here previously as car chief and now to come back as a crew chief is a tremendous opportunity. I can\u2019t thank Dale Jr. and Kelley enough for that. I\u2019m looking forward to getting started with the No. 5 team this weekend.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Previous crew chief\u00a0Jason Stockert\u00a0<\/strong>will move into another role with the organization. Annett, just over a month ago, signed on to JRM through the 2019 season along with his Pilot Flying J sponsorship.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to thank Jason (Stockert) for all he\u2019s done for the organization in building the No. 5 team from the ground up,”<\/em> Pemberton added in the same release. “But we\u2019re also looking forward to a new chapter with Travis (Mack). He\u2019s a familiar face to many within the company and we\u2019re excited to put his talents to use with Michael and the Pilot Flying J team.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Annett and his team currently sit 40 points out of a playoff spot with seven races to go until the post-season.<\/p>\n

Playoff Grid
\n<\/strong>Seven races until<\/em>\u00a0Playoffs
\n1. Christopher Bell (4 wins)
\n2. Justin Allgaier (2 wins*)
\n3. Tyler Reddick (1 win)
\n4.\u00a0Elliott Sadler +285
\n5. Cole Custer +283
\n6. Daniel Hemric +278
\n7. Brandon Jones +178
\n8. Ryan Truex +131
\n9. Matt Tifft +103
\n10. Austin Cindric +83
\n11. Ryan Reed +55
\n12. Ross Chastain +1
\nPlayoff Cutoff<\/em>
\n13. John Hunter Nemechek, -1
\n14. Michael Annett -40
\n15. Ryan Sieg -66
\n*Driver has two wins, but only one can be used for the playoffs.<\/p>\n

MAIN PHOTO:<\/strong>
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>