Wilson named crew chief for RCR's No. 33 in 2009

WELCOME, N.C. -- Richard Childress Racing has named veteran NASCAR crew chief Shane Wilson to head up its No. 33 team for the 2009 Cup Series season.

Wilson will call the shots for Clint Bowyer, who was announced in August as the driver for RCR's fourth Cup Series team next year after completing this season with its No. 07 team.

Clint Bowyer

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"Shane brings a great deal of knowledge and success to the team, much of which he has earned since coming to RCR in 2006," said Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. "He will be able to hit the ground running since he's already familiar with and has been a part of the organization for the past three years. He and Clint have worked together a little bit and I'm confident they will complement each other in this new program."

Wilson, a South Royalton, Vt., native has been with RCR since January 2006 and has nearly a quarter-century of motorsports experience. Wilson guided Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton and RCR's No. 21 Nationwide Series team to 10 victories and the 2006 championship and another six victories in 2007. He was the crew chief in 2004-05 for Penske Racing's No. 77 Cup Series team and also has experience in the Truck Series and the Camping World Series, West Division. Wilson has played a significant role this year with RCR's new car test program and has worked at-track with development drivers Stephen Leicht and Austin Dillon.

"The experience I've had in the Cup Series will pay big dividends with the [No. 33] team," Wilson said. "Those two years of experience showed me what to expect and what it takes to succeed. The cars are different from when I was there the first time, but I've worked quite a bit on the continued evolution of RCR's new car program and I'm very aware of what it takes to compete at this level for 36 races.

"Teaming up with Clint is a great situation because he has won Cup races and has made the Chase these past two seasons. He and I have worked some in the Nationwide Series and we've tested together so there is already a comfort level that have established. I appreciate the opportunity and look forward to the chance to prove myself."