NASCAR Crew Chief Scott Graves Leaves Joe Gibbs Racing
Dave Rogers will be Daniel Suarez’s crew chief in the NASCAR Cup Series for the remainder of 2018.
Scott Graves has left Joe Gibbs Racing, according to an announcement from the race team Tuesday. Graves was crew chief for the No. 19 JGR Toyota team of driver Daniel Suarez in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
Dave Rogers will be Suarez’s crew chief for the remainder of the 2018 season with six races left including the finale at Miami-Homestead. He has most recently held the position of Technical Director for Joe Gibbs Racing Xfinity Series operations.
Rogers was a full-time crew chief in the Cup Series for seven seasons between 2010 and 2016, all with Joe Gibbs Racing. During that time, he manned the helm for drivers Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, and Denny Hamlin as well as Suarez in the first five races of 2017. In all, he touts 18 Cup Series wins, 85 top-fives, and 134 top-10 finishes.
The outgoing Graves guided Suarez to five top-fives and 21 top-10 finishes in their 61 Cup Series races together. The driver/crew chief pairing won the Xfinity Series championship in 2016.
Prior to joining JGR, Graves was a crew chief at Roush Fenway Racing where he worked in both the Cup and Xfinity Series. During his time there in 2013, he was paired with driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. His Cup stats with Stenhouse include a top-five and three top-10 finishes.
Speculation, some citing unnamed sources, has put 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. in the No. 19, replacing Suarez next season. Those reports also have Truex Jr. bringing crew chief Cole Pearn with him. Truex Jr. and Pearn’s current racing home, Furniture Row Racing, is shuttering operations at the end of the 2018 season. FRR has had a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing since 2016. No official announcement has come from Joe Gibbs Racing, Truex Jr., or Pearn concerning that possible move.
