Crew chief changes for Petty, Green

LEVEL CROSS, N.C. -- Jeff Green and Kyle Petty will have new crew chiefs and both teams have made crew changes effective immediately, Petty announced Wednesday.

Three crew members, including former No. 45 crew chief Greg Steadman, will move to the No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge of Jeff Green this week.

The move was precipitated by former No. 43 crew chief Gary Putman leaving Petty Enterprises by mutual agreement.

"I'm very grateful for the opportunity Richard Petty gave me at Petty Enterprises, and I am looking forward to the future too," Putnam said. "We both agreed we needed to try something different, so I am moving on to look for other opportunities."

Car chief David Hyder and race engineer David Hoelger will also move to Green's No. 43.

Engineer Garth Finley, considered one of the top in his field on road course setup, will handle crew chief responsibilities at the Watkins Glen, N.Y., race this week for the No. 45. A permanent crew chief will be named next week. Ironically, it is the third straight year Finley has served as an interim crew chief at the Watkins Glen race.

"We really appreciate the effort Gary and all of the guys have given us. These changes will be good for everyone," Petty said. "Greg Steadman has worked with the No. 43 guys before and has done very well there, and we have some exciting things happening with the No. 45 too. We are looking forward to the future."