Ted Musgrave is fourth in the Craftsman Truck Series standings. Credit: Autostock

Musgrave gets new crew chief starting at Bristol

Rick Gay will take over beginning at O'Reilly 200 on Wednesday

CONCORD, N.C. -- Germain Racing on Tuesday welcomed Rick Gay as crew chief for the No. 9 Team ASE/Germain Toyota driven by 2005 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Ted Musgrave.

Gay's new team has shown signs of championship form, sits fourth in the driver's points standings, and boasts a record of seven top-five and 10 top-10 finishes in 16 races this year.

"Tom Ackerman and the team have mutually agreed to pursue other opportunities. He did a great job leading Ted to seven top-five finishes and 10 top-10 finishes this season," said team general manager Mike Hillman, Sr. "I didn't feel the chemistry was there to carry Teddy to Victory Lane, and make a strong run at the championship.

"We talked about it and decided to move in different directions. This was a tough decision, we'll miss Tom, and we wish him nothing but the best."

Gay, coming to Germain Racing from ppc Racing's Busch Series program with John Andretti, will take over the reigns of a team that started the 2006 season with six straight top-five finishes.

"Rick Gay is a good guy. He had some success last year working with Terry Cook in the Truck Series and he's been working this year with John Andretti in the Busch Series, and he's been with the Toyota banner in the past. I think he'll fit right in with our program and not miss a beat," said Hillman. "Hopefully he'll get Ted into Victory Lane."

Bristol will be a challenge for Gay, but he's anxious to get to 'Thunder Valley.'

"I'm looking forward to going to Bristol. I think it's a good race track to start out with. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is exciting -- but taking Musgrave to Bristol? I'm like a cat waiting to pounce on a canary right now. I can't wait to get there," said Gay. "I'm really excited to be back with Toyota -- I worked with them in 2004 with Huffman. With the resources they provide, I'm confident we'll be right there with the 30 fighting for the championship."

Veteran racer Musgrave is anxious to work with Gay.

"After meeting Rick at the shop, I'm very confident that we are all on the same page. He's had some good success with the people he's worked with, and he's really in line with our philosophy on our trucks and our testing programs," said Musgrave.

"You hate to change, we'll miss Tom from an engineering standpoint, but I think when you look at our record this year, and where we want to be, I think Rick is the puzzle piece we've been missing."