Robbie Loomis to run GEM-Petty racing operations; crew chiefs named
By Bob Pockrass - Associate Editor
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Robbie Loomis has been appointed executive director of the team that will emerge from the merger of Gillett Evernham Motorsports and Petty Holdings.
Robbie Loomis will serve as the executive director of racing operations for the team that will emerge from the merger of Gillett Evernham Motorsports and Petty Holdings, and Kevin Buskirk and Sammy Johns will join existing GEM crew chiefs Kenny Francis and Mike Shiplett atop the pit boxes.
All four crew chiefs will report to former Petty executive Loomis, according to GEM Director of Competition Mark McArdle.
McArdle believes the planned merger and the realigned staff will help his team. Just having Richard Petty and longtime wrenchman Dale Inman at the team’s test last Friday in Rockingham, N.C., at the old North Carolina Motor Speedway was a plus, McArdle said.
Loomis, who reports to McArdle, will oversee the race teams, pit crews, team management and team transport, and he ran the Rockingham test.
“Robbie, with his experience and background, has got the respect and the buy-in of all the crew chiefs, all the race engineers and the drivers,” McArdle said in a phone interview Monday night. “It puts us in a stronger position at the race track. … We positioned him in an area where he is just highly suited to take it and knock it out of the park where we need help, which is at the track.
“I think we do an outstanding job manufacturing and developing race cars, but when it comes to getting the best out of them at the race track, some days we stumble. I think that is an area where Robbie can be a major contributor.”
GEM just missed having a driver in the 2008 Chase For The Sprint Cup as Kasey Kahne finished 14th in points. Teammate Elliott Sadler was 24th. The No. 10 GEM entry with various drivers was 37th in points.
The merger and other departures have resulted in several changes at GEM with only Kahne and Kenny Francis remaining as the same driver-crew chief combination as last year.
“I felt the need to make change with a couple of the teams and have done so,” McArdle said. “It’s one of those where, hopefully, I’ve gotten it right, and with the additional catalyst of Robbie Loomis to be there as a mentoring and guiding light for that group, hopefully, we will be able to say we have turned a corner.
“Our inconsistency needs to go away. We show great speed; we just don’t show it often enough.”
Here’s the way the teams line up:
• Kahne’s No. 9 team has had the fewest changes. Francis remains as crew chief. Keith Rodden returns as the team engineer after a one-season absence from the road, replacing engineer Chad Johnson, who moved to Michael Waltrip Racing. Todd Devinich remains the car chief.
• On Sadler’s No. 19 car, Buskirk, most recently of Dale Earnhardt Inc., will be the crew chief in a reunion of sorts since he was the lead engineer for Sadler when he made the Chase at Robert Yates Racing in 2004. Kevin Kidd returns as the team engineer, while Wally Rogers, a former Kevin Harvick Inc. employee who joined GEM as its Nationwide Series crew chief in September 2008, will be the car chief.
Buskirk was on McArdle’s list of potential crew chiefs, and Sadler wanted to be reunited with him.
“Kevin has shown the ability to work with Elliott effectively,” McArdle said. “They have a mutually respectful and strong working relationship. He’s a person that Elliott wanted and asked for.
“Kevin [Buskirk] brings some fresh thinking and ideas, especially in the suspension and geometry area. I’ve known Kevin for a while and really think a lot of him. Robbie Loomis put it best. He said, ‘Kevin Buskirk is the best crew chief in the garage area who isn’t already a crew chief.’ ”
McArdle says most of that team has changed. He said he didn’t want to lose crew chief Rodney Childers, who opted to move to Michael Waltrip Racing and work with David Reutimann.
• On Sorenson’s car, Shiplett enters his second year as a crew chief after spending last season with the No. 10 team, mostly with drivers Patrick Carpentier and AJ Allmendinger. Phil Surgen will be the race engineer, and Tony Lunders will be the car chief. Surgen worked with Shiplett last year, while Lunders was with the No. 19 team last season.
Many members of the No. 19 team from last year are now working on the No. 43 car, McArdle said.
• Johns, who had been GEM’s executive director of operations for the shop, will work with the fourth team and likely with driver AJ Allmendinger. Although GEM hasn’t announced Allmendinger’s hiring, Johns and Allmendinger will be working together at a Goodyear test on Tuesday and Wednesday at Phoenix International Raceway.
Mike Wolf will be lead engineer and Brian Dantinne moves from research and development to the role of car chief.
“It’s always a good idea to pair experience with inexperience,” McArdle said. “Sam brings race-day savvy, a complete understanding of the way in which our organization operates under our direction because he set up the operations department. ... He has been mentored by some of the finest crew chiefs in the history of the sport.”
In other changes, McArdle will take over the supervision of the engine department, while Tommy Wheeler will delve more into research and development. He will focus on the building of the race cars.
As far as engines, McArdle said the team would not use the new Dodge engine until later in the season.
“We’ll be on the [old engine] in competition for the first third of the season, for sure,” McArdle said. “If we move to the [new engine], it will be in a rolling stage manner after that. Right now, it’s just down to resources and the correct expenditure of those resources.”
By Bob Pockrass - Associate Editor
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Robbie Loomis has been appointed executive director of the team that will emerge from the merger of Gillett Evernham Motorsports and Petty Holdings.
Robbie Loomis will serve as the executive director of racing operations for the team that will emerge from the merger of Gillett Evernham Motorsports and Petty Holdings, and Kevin Buskirk and Sammy Johns will join existing GEM crew chiefs Kenny Francis and Mike Shiplett atop the pit boxes.
All four crew chiefs will report to former Petty executive Loomis, according to GEM Director of Competition Mark McArdle.
McArdle believes the planned merger and the realigned staff will help his team. Just having Richard Petty and longtime wrenchman Dale Inman at the team’s test last Friday in Rockingham, N.C., at the old North Carolina Motor Speedway was a plus, McArdle said.
Loomis, who reports to McArdle, will oversee the race teams, pit crews, team management and team transport, and he ran the Rockingham test.
“Robbie, with his experience and background, has got the respect and the buy-in of all the crew chiefs, all the race engineers and the drivers,” McArdle said in a phone interview Monday night. “It puts us in a stronger position at the race track. … We positioned him in an area where he is just highly suited to take it and knock it out of the park where we need help, which is at the track.
“I think we do an outstanding job manufacturing and developing race cars, but when it comes to getting the best out of them at the race track, some days we stumble. I think that is an area where Robbie can be a major contributor.”
GEM just missed having a driver in the 2008 Chase For The Sprint Cup as Kasey Kahne finished 14th in points. Teammate Elliott Sadler was 24th. The No. 10 GEM entry with various drivers was 37th in points.
The merger and other departures have resulted in several changes at GEM with only Kahne and Kenny Francis remaining as the same driver-crew chief combination as last year.
“I felt the need to make change with a couple of the teams and have done so,” McArdle said. “It’s one of those where, hopefully, I’ve gotten it right, and with the additional catalyst of Robbie Loomis to be there as a mentoring and guiding light for that group, hopefully, we will be able to say we have turned a corner.
“Our inconsistency needs to go away. We show great speed; we just don’t show it often enough.”
Here’s the way the teams line up:
• Kahne’s No. 9 team has had the fewest changes. Francis remains as crew chief. Keith Rodden returns as the team engineer after a one-season absence from the road, replacing engineer Chad Johnson, who moved to Michael Waltrip Racing. Todd Devinich remains the car chief.
• On Sadler’s No. 19 car, Buskirk, most recently of Dale Earnhardt Inc., will be the crew chief in a reunion of sorts since he was the lead engineer for Sadler when he made the Chase at Robert Yates Racing in 2004. Kevin Kidd returns as the team engineer, while Wally Rogers, a former Kevin Harvick Inc. employee who joined GEM as its Nationwide Series crew chief in September 2008, will be the car chief.
Buskirk was on McArdle’s list of potential crew chiefs, and Sadler wanted to be reunited with him.
“Kevin has shown the ability to work with Elliott effectively,” McArdle said. “They have a mutually respectful and strong working relationship. He’s a person that Elliott wanted and asked for.
“Kevin [Buskirk] brings some fresh thinking and ideas, especially in the suspension and geometry area. I’ve known Kevin for a while and really think a lot of him. Robbie Loomis put it best. He said, ‘Kevin Buskirk is the best crew chief in the garage area who isn’t already a crew chief.’ ”
McArdle says most of that team has changed. He said he didn’t want to lose crew chief Rodney Childers, who opted to move to Michael Waltrip Racing and work with David Reutimann.
• On Sorenson’s car, Shiplett enters his second year as a crew chief after spending last season with the No. 10 team, mostly with drivers Patrick Carpentier and AJ Allmendinger. Phil Surgen will be the race engineer, and Tony Lunders will be the car chief. Surgen worked with Shiplett last year, while Lunders was with the No. 19 team last season.
Many members of the No. 19 team from last year are now working on the No. 43 car, McArdle said.
• Johns, who had been GEM’s executive director of operations for the shop, will work with the fourth team and likely with driver AJ Allmendinger. Although GEM hasn’t announced Allmendinger’s hiring, Johns and Allmendinger will be working together at a Goodyear test on Tuesday and Wednesday at Phoenix International Raceway.
Mike Wolf will be lead engineer and Brian Dantinne moves from research and development to the role of car chief.
“It’s always a good idea to pair experience with inexperience,” McArdle said. “Sam brings race-day savvy, a complete understanding of the way in which our organization operates under our direction because he set up the operations department. ... He has been mentored by some of the finest crew chiefs in the history of the sport.”
In other changes, McArdle will take over the supervision of the engine department, while Tommy Wheeler will delve more into research and development. He will focus on the building of the race cars.
As far as engines, McArdle said the team would not use the new Dodge engine until later in the season.
“We’ll be on the [old engine] in competition for the first third of the season, for sure,” McArdle said. “If we move to the [new engine], it will be in a rolling stage manner after that. Right now, it’s just down to resources and the correct expenditure of those resources.”
