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Power Rankings: Which NASCAR Cup Series crew chief is the top shot-caller?
By Pat DeCola | Published: April 7, 2020 11
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There are so many talented pairings between driver and crew chief in the NASCAR Cup Series capable of putting together the right strategy any given weekend. NASCAR.com's Pat DeCola ranks the top 10 pit bosses four races into the 2020 season.
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Jerry Markland | Getty Images
10. Chad Johnston
Driver: Kyle Larson, No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
Comment: Johnston has just seven wins over 10 years, but has been a remarkably consistent above average presence in the Cup garage for a decade, trusted by the likes of Larson, Tony Stewart and Martin Truex Jr. In fact, he might even be NASCAR's most underrated pit caller -- his two worst seasons as a crew chief came with a Hall of Famer behind the wheel. Look for Larson and Johnston to break out in 2020 and perhaps land in the top five here by season's end.
Driver: Kyle Larson, No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
Comment: Johnston has just seven wins over 10 years, but has been a remarkably consistent above average presence in the Cup garage for a decade, trusted by the likes of Larson, Tony Stewart and Martin Truex Jr. In fact, he might even be NASCAR's most underrated pit caller -- his two worst seasons as a crew chief came with a Hall of Famer behind the wheel. Look for Larson and Johnston to break out in 2020 and perhaps land in the top five here by season's end.
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John Harrelson | NASCAR via Getty Images
9. Jeremy Bullins
Driver: Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
Comment: Another entry that could rocket up the charts by season's end, Bullins has performed admirably in the early going with his new driver in the 2012 champ. A winner each of the last three seasons with a shrinking average finish, expect Bullins to be sitting on his first multi-victory season by the end of the year.
Driver: Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
Comment: Another entry that could rocket up the charts by season's end, Bullins has performed admirably in the early going with his new driver in the 2012 champ. A winner each of the last three seasons with a shrinking average finish, expect Bullins to be sitting on his first multi-victory season by the end of the year.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
8. Greg Ives
Driver: Alex Bowman, No. 88. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Comment: Ives ended a streak of three winless seasons last year with Bowman and he liked it so much, he made sure to get that first win of 2020 out of the way early this year (Auto Club). He hasn't had multiple seasons with a win since 2015 (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) but there's a strong chance he changes that in 2020.
Driver: Alex Bowman, No. 88. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Comment: Ives ended a streak of three winless seasons last year with Bowman and he liked it so much, he made sure to get that first win of 2020 out of the way early this year (Auto Club). He hasn't had multiple seasons with a win since 2015 (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) but there's a strong chance he changes that in 2020.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
7. Alan Gustafson
Driver: Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Comment: Gustafson has compiled four three-plus win seasons over the last decade, no small feat for the ol' resume. He's gotten close to a title in the past (2009, Mark Martin; 2015, Jeff Gordon) and if he's able to continue to reign in Elliott's talent, he should have another shot this year.
Driver: Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Comment: Gustafson has compiled four three-plus win seasons over the last decade, no small feat for the ol' resume. He's gotten close to a title in the past (2009, Mark Martin; 2015, Jeff Gordon) and if he's able to continue to reign in Elliott's talent, he should have another shot this year.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
6. Chad Knaus
Driver: William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Comment: Sure, it's easy to say Knaus is winless since 2017, but when you have more championship rings than can fit on one hand it holds a little cache. Plus, the gains he and Byron have made are abundantly clear to the point that it doesn't feel like a stretch at this moment to picture the talented young driver as (gulp) a dark horse title contender this year -- whether he's previously won a race or not.
Driver: William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Comment: Sure, it's easy to say Knaus is winless since 2017, but when you have more championship rings than can fit on one hand it holds a little cache. Plus, the gains he and Byron have made are abundantly clear to the point that it doesn't feel like a stretch at this moment to picture the talented young driver as (gulp) a dark horse title contender this year -- whether he's previously won a race or not.
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Todd Warshaw | Getty Images
5. Todd Gordon
Driver: Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
Comment: With a pristine 12.6 average finish in 288 career races -- more than a third of which were top-five finishes -- Gordon should be more heralded than he typically is. Don't expect much, if any, drop off in the shift over to Blaney from a title and seven strong seasons with Joey Logano.
Driver: Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
Comment: With a pristine 12.6 average finish in 288 career races -- more than a third of which were top-five finishes -- Gordon should be more heralded than he typically is. Don't expect much, if any, drop off in the shift over to Blaney from a title and seven strong seasons with Joey Logano.
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4. Chris Gabehart
Driver: Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Comment: A strong case could be made for Gabehart to be No. 1, seeing as he's had nothing but success in his one-plus year at the Cup level and already has a pair of Daytona 500 wins. The three chiefs above him are all still at the top of their game, however, with championship rings ... something Gabehart doesn't have. Yet.
Driver: Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Comment: A strong case could be made for Gabehart to be No. 1, seeing as he's had nothing but success in his one-plus year at the Cup level and already has a pair of Daytona 500 wins. The three chiefs above him are all still at the top of their game, however, with championship rings ... something Gabehart doesn't have. Yet.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
3. Adam Stevens
Driver: Kyle Busch, No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Comment: When your driver is having a "down year" so far and that still means he has two top fives and an average finish of 13.5 in four races, you're probably pretty excellent at your job. Stevens is definitely that, and he and Busch look primed for a sixth straight year of four-plus wins and a Championship 4 appearance.
Driver: Kyle Busch, No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Comment: When your driver is having a "down year" so far and that still means he has two top fives and an average finish of 13.5 in four races, you're probably pretty excellent at your job. Stevens is definitely that, and he and Busch look primed for a sixth straight year of four-plus wins and a Championship 4 appearance.
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Chris Graythen | Getty Images
2. Rodney Childers
Driver: Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Comment: The longest-tenured pairing at the Cup level have a whopping 26 wins together since 2014 alone and are never really not considered championship contenders. The perfect blend of fire and ice, the dynamic duo of Childers/Harvick have already put together four straight top 10s to open the season.
Driver: Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Comment: The longest-tenured pairing at the Cup level have a whopping 26 wins together since 2014 alone and are never really not considered championship contenders. The perfect blend of fire and ice, the dynamic duo of Childers/Harvick have already put together four straight top 10s to open the season.
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Chris Trotman | Getty Images
1. Paul Wolfe
Driver: Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
Comment: Things that are hard to do: win at the Cup level, do it twice in the first four races of the season and do it atop a new pit box after spending the past nine seasons with a different driver. Wolfe did all that already in 2020, pushing him over the 30 win plateau. The Logano/Wolfe pairing is bad news for the rest of the field, with one of the most cerebral crew chiefs now teamed with one of the most aggressive drivers in the sport. Wolfe has a legitimate shot to become the first full-time crew chief to win a title with different drivers since Dale Inman in 1984 (Richard Petty/Terry Labonte).
Driver: Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
Comment: Things that are hard to do: win at the Cup level, do it twice in the first four races of the season and do it atop a new pit box after spending the past nine seasons with a different driver. Wolfe did all that already in 2020, pushing him over the 30 win plateau. The Logano/Wolfe pairing is bad news for the rest of the field, with one of the most cerebral crew chiefs now teamed with one of the most aggressive drivers in the sport. Wolfe has a legitimate shot to become the first full-time crew chief to win a title with different drivers since Dale Inman in 1984 (Richard Petty/Terry Labonte).