Furniture Row Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing modify team alliance

Furniture Row Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing have modified their technical alliance that gives FRR more managerial control of the pit crew for drivers Martin Truex Jr. and Erik Jones.

Under terms of the alliance between the two Toyota-supported organizations, JGR trains and supplies the pit crew members for the respective cars of Truex and Jones. The pit crews are considered JGR employees even when working on the cars of a different team.

But JGR having control of FRR’s pit crew came under scrutiny last month when JGR suspended two members of Truex’s crew following a confrontation with Adam Stevens, the crew chief for JGR driver Kyle Busch. Lee Cunningham and Chris Taylor got heated with Stevens after Truex and Busch were involved in an accident racing for the lead during the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

JGR suspended Cunningham and Taylor three races apiece, creating the perception the team was weakening a rival that had regularly outperformed it during the season. Truex leads the Monster Energy Cup Series in wins, laps led and points, whereas JGR’s four drivers (Busch, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth and Daniel Suarez) have two combined wins.

Any pit crew members JGR assigns to FRR will now report directly to FRR instead of JGR, though the crew members will continue to train during the week at JGR’s headquarters in Huntersville, N.C. FRR is located in Denver.

Fox Sports first reported the modified agreement on Wednesday. A FRR spokesman confirmed the news to SB Nation.

Cunningham and Taylor will return for Saturday night’s Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Their suspensions did not negatively impact Truex, who’s finished second, first and third in the past three races.