Ryan Pemberton, a veteran crew chief and competition manager who was atop the pit box for five NASCAR national-series wins and more than 600 starts, died Sunday. He was 54.
Pemberton was most recently director of competition at JR Motorsports, where he held that post from 2012 to 2022. He was also a crew chief for that Xfinity Series operation, most prominently in 2014 when he and Regan Smith combined for one win (at Daytona in the season opener) and a second-place result in the final standings.
“Ryan Pemberton was instrumental to JR Motorsports’ success during the decade he spent with us,” said Kelley Earnhardt Miller, JRM’s CEO. “He had such a passion for competition and, as a leader, knew how to motivate everyone he worked with. He will always be part of the JRM family. Our hearts go out to his wife Andrea and daughters Payton and Britton during this tremendously difficult time.”
Pemberton’s first stint as a crew chief also came in what is now called the Xfinity Series. He paired with Larry Pearson for a two-win campaign in 1995 and a sixth-place outcome in the season-long points.
He moved to the NASCAR Cup Series in 1997 and was the crew chief for 561 starts in a 16-year span. Pemberton was a part of two Cup victories, with Joe Nemechek (Kansas, 2004) and Brian Vickers (Michigan, 2009) both winning from the pole position. Among the other drivers he worked with in the Cup Series: Ernie Irvan, Mark Martin, Aric Almirola, David Reutimann, Robert Pressley and Derrike Cope.
Pemberton’s three siblings also carved a career in motorsports. Older brother Robin was a veteran Cup Series crew chief who later served as NASCAR Vice President of Competition. Randy Pemberton, who died in 2022 at age 62, was a popular broadcaster as a pit reporter and studio host, and brother Roman Pemberton has worked as a spotter in various NASCAR national circuits.