Kenny Francis and Kasey Kahne are staying together.
Kenny Francis To Remain With Kasey Kahne At Hendrick Motorsports; Lance McGrew Reassigned
Francis, Kahne’s longtime crew chief, will move from Red Bull Racing to Hendrick Motorsports along with his driver after this season, Hendrick announced Wednesday.
With three other stellar crew chiefs already in the organization – Chad Knaus, Steve Letarte and Alan Gustafson – Hendrick said Lance McGrew was the odd man out. McGrew, currently Mark Martin’s crew chief, will move to a research and development role next season.
The news was hardly surprising.
Ever since McGrew was moved from Dale Earnhardt Jr. to Mark Martin in the offseason, it was speculated that he would be forced to find a different role after this year – when Kahne arrives to take over the No. 5 car.
Kahne and Francis have long been a solid team, so Hendrick wasn’t about to break them up.
Hendrick said Francis rated highly in the "fit factor" and said he's confident the crew chief will have a smooth transition into the organization after this season.
"We know the chemistry is already there with Kasey, and there's no doubt Kenny will communicate very well with our folks," Hendrick said. "He's a character guy who brings an awful lot to the table as a crew chief."
For his part, Francis called Kahne a "championship-caliber driver" and said he's looking forward to continuing to build their relationship.
"Mr. Hendrick has built an impressive team and culture," Francis said. "It's going to be fun to be a part of that when the time comes."
Though he was a championship crew chief in the Nationwide Series, McGrew hasn’t found the same success in Sprint Cup. He came under intense scrutiny from Earnhardt Jr. fans last year as their favorite driver floundered.
“Before the season started, I told Mr. Hendrick I was open to any role he wanted me to play moving forward,” McGrew said. “My goal has always been to contribute to the long-term success of this company however I can – period.”
McGrew will focus on special projects such as the new Sprint Cup car that is scheduled to roll out in 2013, Hendrick said.
“Lance is extremely talented and versatile,” Hendrick said. “There’s a ton of ways he’ll continue to impact the organization.”
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