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Richard Petty Motorsports announced Wednesday that Chris Heroy will take the reins as crew chief for the No. 9 Ford and rookie driver Brian Scott in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series next season.
Heroy has served as crew chief for Chip Ganassi Racing‘s No. 42 Chevrolet for the past four years, two each with drivers Juan Pablo Montoya and Kyle Larson. The 38-year-old — nicknamed “Shine” (short for “sunshine”) for his easygoing demeanor — was previously the lead engineer for Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 team.
Heroy has netted 14 top-five finishes and three Coors Light Pole Awards in 144 Sprint Cup appearances as a crew chief. He’ll work alongside former colleague Trent Owens, currently the crew chief for the No. 43 Ford and driver Aric Almirola.
“I’m really excited to join the team,” Heroy said in a release provided by RPM. “I really enjoyed working with Kyle (Larson) for his rookie season, and I’m looking forward to working with Brian as he works toward the Rookie of the Year title. This team has done a great job building consistency over the past year and continuing their winning tradition is a top priority, and I believe we can accomplish that this season.
“I’m excited to work with Trent as well. We worked together when Kyle was racing for both Ganassi and Turner Scott. I think we will work well together, and we can get Richard Petty Motorsports to Victory Lane.”
Scott, a Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate for next season, was announced last week as the Petty team’s replacement for Sam Hornish Jr., who parted ways with RPM after one season in the No. 9 ride. Drew Blickensderfer began last year as crew chief for the No. 9 Fusion, ceding that role in May to Kevin “Bono” Manion for the rest of the season.
The 27-year-old Scott, a NASCAR XFINITY Series regular the past six seasons, has 17 starts in NASCAR’s top division over the last three years. He won his only Coors Light Pole Award in May 2014 at Talladega Superspeedway.