have a new crew chief in 2002 after a shake-up in the Roush
Racing organization that was announced late Tuesday.Ben Leslie, who took over as crew chief for rookie driver Kurt Busch on the No. 97 Fords in March, will swap places with Jimmy Fennig, who has been Mark's crew chief for the past five seasons.
Fennig has been crew chief of the No. 6 ViagraŽ (sildenafil citrate) Taurus driven by veteran Mark Mark since 1998. Leslie recently finished his first year as crew chief for the No. 97 Sharpie/Rubbermaid Taurus driven by rookie Kurt Busch and has worked for Roush Racing since 1994. Shawn Parker, car chief of the No. 6 team, will also move with Fennig. Leslie is searching to hire a car chief for the Mark Mark program.
"I'm excited about the new opportunity with Kurt," Fennig said. "Mark and I spent many years working together and winning races, so I'm hopeful that I can add the experience to the No. 97 team that will help get Kurt to many victories. I'm looking forward to moving into a new role within Roush Racing and hopefully getting Kurt his first Winston Cup win."
"We made the decision to change crew chiefs for two of our Winston Cup programs after lengthy evaluation of the past season," team owner Jack Roush said. "We feel it's always important to integrate our teams, and this is another example of how each of our drivers and crew chiefs work together. We all have the same goal, and that is to win races and building championship-caliber teams. Our employees were able to see that and realize what we needed to help accomplish that goal. We feel the changes we made today will only better our race programs in the future. We're extremely happy with what our crew chiefs have been able to do with the programs, so we are fortunate that we were able to move them around to achieve that goal."
Mark, who has 32 career Winston Cup victories, finished
12th in the final standings this year, the first time since
1988 - his first year with Roush Racing - that Mark has
failed to make the top 10.His best finishes this year were fourths in the Talladega 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte. He did win poles at Bristol and Richmond in the season's first half.
"Jimmy Fennig and Shawn Parker have done a great job for me," Mark said. "I'm sure their experience will be a great asset for Kurt and the No. 97 program, while I will benefit from the chemistry change introduced by Ben Leslie."
Leslie worked with Mark's team when it was based in a shop in Liberty, N.C., before Roush moved him in with Jeff Burton's team in a Mooresville facility. Roush has since consolidated his four Winston Cup teams at a complex near the Concord Regional Airport.
Leslie is likewise excited: "I've worked with Mark in the past, so I'm anticipating a smooth transition on the No. 6 team. I spent a couple years with him when our shop was in Liberty, N.C., so I have a good feel of how he likes to run things. Because last year was my first full season as a crew chief with a rookie driver, I have more things to learn, and I can't think of a better person and driver to learn from."
Busch finished second to Kevin Harvick in the race for rookie of the year honors in 2001. He had three top-five finishes and six top 10s and won the the Southern 500 pole at Darlington.
"Having the leadership and experience of Jimmy Fennig will definitely help our team, and be a step in the right direction," Busch said. "I think that it's going to make a real impact in terms of a plan and guidance with a rookie such as myself. Jimmy has delivered some great results in the past and it's going to be an honor to work with a crew chief of his stature. I look forward to the opportunity of learning from his knowledge and experience."
