Hendrick will not appeal penalties against teams (cont'd)

"It's been a great season so far and we have a really strong, championship-caliber team in place," Letarte said. "The penalties are unfortunate and severe, but we'll put the situation behind us and focus on winning a fifth championship for the No. 24 team."

A Franklin, Wis., native, Malec has a long history with driver Jimmie Johnson. The pair met more than a decade ago when Johnson was racing off-road trucks, and they later became roommates when both were involved in the American Speed Association.

Malec and Johnson each moved to North Carolina in 1999 and again worked alongside one another in the Busch Series before joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2001 as original members of the No. 48 team. Malec has been car chief for Johnson's entire Cup career.

The 32-year-old Malec, also a tire carrier for the No. 48 team, will be supported on race day by veteran crew chief Lance McGrew. McGrew won the 2003 Busch Series championship with driver Brian Vickers and has posted victories in each of NASCAR's top three divisions. He is also familiar with Johnson after working as his Busch Series crew chief this season.

"Ron is the only car chief I've ever had on the No. 48 team," said Chad Knaus, crew chief for the No. 48. "He knows the guys better than anyone and they all have a ton of respect for him and what he's accomplished. Ron has been our backbone from the beginning and he'll do a terrific job.

"It's not the way I wanted to see him get an opportunity, but he's ready and more than capable of getting it done. I'm grateful to have talented guys like Ron and Lance available. It just goes to show how deep this organization is."

Knaus and Letarte will resume at-track duties for their respective teams at the Aug. 19 Nextel Cup Series event at Michigan International Speedway.

"It's definitely disappointing, but we have a very capable and committed team. For whatever reason, we seem to thrive on adversity," Knaus said. "We've overcome challenges in the past and I know we'll get through this as well. I didn't feel like we were outside the box in Sonoma, but that's NASCAR's call and they made it."