Carl Edwards, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. get new crew chiefs for 2013 NASCAR season

The Chad Norris experiment is over for Carl Edwards and the No. 99 team.

After former Edwards crew chief Bob Osborne was forced to step aside due to health problems in July, Roush Fenway Racing selected Norris to lead the team for the rest of the season – and hopefully make the Chase.

There was no significant turnaround, though, and Roush announced Wednesday afternoon it will pair Edwards with veteran crew chief Jimmy Fennig next season instead of Norris.

Fennig won a championship with Kurt Busch and is currently crew chief for Matt Kenseth.

In addition, Roush said it will team current Edwards engineer Scott Graves with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. for that driver’s rookie campaign in the organization’s No. 17 car.

“We are excited about this change on both fronts,” team owner Jack Roush said. “Pairing two highly successful veterans like Carl and Jimmy should be quite a matchup and it is our expectation based on what Jimmy has been able to accomplish with many high profile drivers, that it will provide the spark to get the No. 99 program and Carl back into championship form.
“However, we are particularly excited about teaming up Scott Graves and Ricky. Through his extensive research and development work, Scott has an excellent understanding of the new 2013 body style. In his short time as a crew chief he has demonstrated a cunning knack as a leader on the pit box and he is going to be a great match for Ricky as he makes his move upwards into the Sprint Cup ranks.”