Drew Blickensderfer

Last updated
Drew Blickensderfer
DrewBlickensderfer (cropped).jpg
Blickensderfer at Darlington Raceway in 2019
Personal information
Full namePhilip Andrew Blickensderfer
NicknameBlick
NationalityAmerican
Born (1976-11-12) November 12, 1976 (age 47)
Mount Zion, Illinois, U.S.
Sport
Country United States
Sport NASCAR
Team10. Stewart-Haas Racing

Philip Andrew "Blick" Blickensderfer (born November 12, 1976) is an American NASCAR crew chief who is currently employed at Stewart-Haas Racing as the crew chief for the No. 10 Ford Mustang driven by Noah Gragson. He is a two-time Daytona 500-winning crew chief, having won it with Front Row Motorsports and Michael McDowell in 2021 as well as with Roush Fenway Racing and Matt Kenseth in 2009.

Contents

Racing career

Blickensderfer became interested in racing from his uncle and grandfather. [1] Blickensderfer began going to local drag strips to help drivers prepare their cars. [1] He purchased a modified to race, but soon quit racing the car. [1] "I really didn't want to be in the car," Blickensderfer said. "I think everybody has aspirations when they get in the sport of being a race car driver. I wanted to be a crew chief, make the calls, prepare the cars." [1]

After moving to North Carolina, Blickensderfer started as the rear tire change pit crew member and mechanic for Dale Earnhardt, Inc.'s No. 1 car. [1] He later joined Bill Davis Racing before joining Roush Racing in 2003 as crew member on the No. 60 car in the Busch Series and later Mark Martin's No. 6 Cup car. [1] In 2007 he became the crew chief for the No. 17 Busch Series car and the combination had three wins during their Busch Series days. [2] During the middle of the 2008 season, he became Carl Edwards' crew chief in the Nationwide Series, [1] the new name for the former Busch Series. Edwards gave Blickenderfer complete control of the car adjustments. [1] "He gave me free rein to do whatever I want,: Blickensderfer said. "When we started having some success, the ball of momentum kept getting bigger and bigger and everybody bought into the system." [1]

Blickensderfer took over crew chief duties for the No. 17 car in Sprint Cup, driven by Matt Kenseth, in December 2008 after Chip Bolin returned to be the team engineer. [1] [2] He won in his first race as a Sprint Cup crew chief in the 2009 Daytona 500 on February 15, 2009. [3] He followed up with his second win at California Speedway in the following week which earned him the nickname "Mr. Perfect". [1] The back to back wins to start the season made Kenseth the fifth driver to start a NASCAR season with two wins, the others being Marvin Panch (1957), Bob Welborn (1959), David Pearson (1976), and Jeff Gordon (1997). [4]

He started out the 2010 NASCAR season as Kenseth's crew chief for the Daytona 500, but was reassigned to Roush Fenway's research and development team after the race. [5] He was replaced by Todd Parrott, who had been Dale Jarrett's championship-winning crew chief in 1999. [2] He spent most of the 2010 season as crew chief for Carl Edward’s Nationwide Series No. 60 team. However he replaced Donnie Wingo as crew chief for the No. 6 Ford Fusion in September 2010 and into the 2011 season. [6] He almost won the Daytona 500 again as a crew chief with David Ragan and went on to win with Ragan at the 2011 Coke Zero 400, collecting his third win as a Sprint Cup Series crew chief.

Blickensderfer moved to Richard Childress Racing in 2012 to be the crew chief for Jeff Burton. However, after the organization struggled as a whole, he resigned from the position after the TUMS Fast Relief 500, heading to Richard Petty Motorsports to crew chief for Marcos Ambrose for the remainder of the season as well as 2013. Blickensderfer was replaced by Shane Wilson as Burton's crew chief. [7]

Blickensderfer was replaced by Kevin Manion as crew chief of the No. 9 on May 5, 2015. [8] He was a crew chief for Jeb Burton in the Xfinity Series before JGL Racing ceased operations in the middle of the 2016 season.

Blickensderfer recently served as the crew chief for Michael McDowell in the Cup Series. On February 14, 2021, Blickensderfer won his second Daytona 500 as crew chief for Michael McDowell.

On December 17, 2021, FRM announced that Blickensderfer had left the team. [9]

On January 4, 2022, Blickensderfer was introduced as the crew chief for the Stewart–Haas Racing No. 10 Ford driven by Aric Almirola. [10] On December 13, it was announced that Blickensderfer will continue serving as the crew chief of the No. 10 in 2024, with Noah Gragson replacing Almirola, who departed for a part-time ride driving the No. 20 for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Xfinity Series. [11]

Personal life

Blickensderfer was born in Mount Zion, Illinois, the son of a high school basketball coach and neighbor of former Mt. Zion Classmate Justin Denton. [1] He was a wrestler in high school and attended the University of Indiana as a walk on. [1] He had two surgeries during his first year of college and decided to change to Division III college Millikin University, where he became a highly ranked wrestler in the lowest division of college sports. [1] On December 31, 2018, he married Lori Michaels, the former Chief Digital Officer of The Economist Group. He is nicknamed "Blick", because he says, "people just call me Blick, it's just a lot easier." [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Kenseth</span> American racing driver

Matthew Roy Kenseth is an American former professional stock car racing driver who currently serves as the competition advisor for Legacy Motor Club in the NASCAR Cup Series. He competes part-time in the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX), driving the No. 8 car. He also currently competes often in Slinger Speedway, where he holds the record for most Slinger Nationals wins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RFK Racing</span> NASCAR racing team

Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, doing business as RFK Racing, is an American professional stock car organization that currently competes in the NASCAR Cup Series. One of NASCAR's largest racing teams in the 2000s and early 2010s, Roush formerly ran teams in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, ARCA Menards Series, Trans-Am Series and IMSA Camel GT. The team currently fields the No. 6 Ford Mustang GT full-time for driver/co-owner Brad Keselowski and the No. 17 Mustang full-time for Chris Buescher as well as the No. 60 part-time for David Ragan in the NASCAR Cup Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stewart–Haas Racing</span> American professional stock car racing team

Stewart–Haas Racing is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The team is co-owned by three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Haas Automation founder Gene Haas. It was founded in 2002 as Haas CNC Racing after Haas, whose company was a sponsor of Hendrick Motorsports, elected to form his own team. In 2009, Stewart, who had been driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, made a deal with Haas to drive for the team and in return receive a 50% stake in it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Todd Parrott</span> American stock car racing crew chief

Todd T. Parrott is an American stock car racing crew chief who works for Fast Track Racing as the crew chief of their No. 11 car driven by Zachary Tinkle full-time in the ARCA Menards Series East and part-time in the ARCA Menards Series. He is most well-known for his long tenure as a NASCAR Cup Series crew chief at Robert Yates Racing crew chiefing Dale Jarrett's No. 88 Ford. The duo won 27 races together as well as the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ricky Stenhouse Jr.</span> American racing driver

Richard Lynn Stenhouse Jr. is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 47 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for JTG Daugherty Racing. Stenhouse was the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year, and won back-to-back Nationwide Series championships in 2011 and 2012. Stenhouse was the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year. He is the 2023 Daytona 500 winner.

David B. Rogers is an American NASCAR crew chief who works as the performance director for 23XI Racing. He previously worked as a crew chief for Joe Gibbs Racing in both the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series as well as the technical director for JGR's Xfinity operations. He has over a decade of experience as a crew chief, all with JGR. Over the course of his career, he has worked in the NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series with drivers Jason Leffler, Denny Hamlin, Aric Almirola, Tony Stewart, Travis Kittleson, J. J. Yeley, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Brad Coleman, Matt DiBenedetto, Michael McDowell, Carl Edwards, Daniel Suárez, Matt Tifft, Kyle Benjamin, Riley Herbst, and Daniel Hemric. Hemric and Rogers won the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series</span> 64th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was the 64th season of NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 41st modern-era Cup season. The season started on February 18, 2012, at Daytona International Speedway, with the Budweiser Shootout, followed by the Daytona 500 on February 27. The season continued with the Chase for the Sprint Cup beginning on September 16 at Chicagoland Speedway and concluded with the Ford EcoBoost 400 on November 18 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Daytona 500</span> Auto race held at Daytona, United States in 2012

The 2012 Daytona 500 was the first stock car race of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. The 54th iteration of the event, it was held between February 27 and 28, 2012 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, before a crowd of 140,000. Matt Kenseth driving for Roush Fenway Racing took the 202-lap race for his first win of the season and his second Daytona 500 victory. Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished second and Greg Biffle was third.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Coke Zero 400</span> Motor car race

The 2012 Coke Zero 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on July 7, 2012 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Contested over 160 laps, it was the eighteenth race of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Tony Stewart of Stewart-Haas Racing took his third win of the season, while Jeff Burton finished second and Matt Kenseth finished third.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Pattie</span> NASCAR crew chief

Paul Brian Pattie is an American auto racing crew chief who works for Spire Motorsports as the crew chief for their No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driven by various drivers. He has achieved six wins in the NASCAR Cup Series, one with Montoya, three with Bowyer, and two with Stenhouse. He has 21 wins overall as a crew chief.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Coke Zero 400</span> Motor car race

The 2013 Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on July 6, 2013, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Contested over 161 laps, it was the eighteenth race of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports won the race, his fourth win of the season and his first Coke Zero 400 win, rendering him the first driver since Bobby Allison in 1982 to sweep the Daytona 500 and Coke Zero 400 in the same year. Tony Stewart finished second while Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, and Michael Waltrip rounded out the top five.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series</span> 67th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was the 67th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 44th modern-era Cup season. The season began at Daytona International Speedway with the Sprint Unlimited exhibition race, the Budweiser Duels, and the Daytona 500. The season ended with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Kyle Busch won the championship, despite missing the first third of the season due to severe leg injuries suffered in an Xfinity Series race at Daytona. Busch also became the first Toyota driver to win a Cup championship. Despite not running the full season, Brett Moffitt was named Rookie of the Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series</span> 69th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series was the 69th season of professional stock car racing in the United States, and the 46th modern-era Cup series season. The season began at Daytona International Speedway with the Advance Auto Parts Clash, the Can-Am Duel qualifying races and the 59th running of the Daytona 500. The season ended with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Jimmie Johnson entered the season as the defending champion, having won his record-tying seventh Cup championship that he shares with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. Martin Truex Jr. of Furniture Row Racing won the championship, his first in the series. Toyota won the Manufacturers' Championship for the second year in a row.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series</span> 70th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series was the 70th season of NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States, and the 47th modern-era Cup series season. The season began at Daytona International Speedway with the Advance Auto Parts Clash, the Can-Am Duel qualifying races and the 60th running of the Daytona 500. The regular season ended with the Brickyard 400 on September 9, 2018. The playoffs ended with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18, 2018. Martin Truex Jr. was the defending champion, having won his first in the series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 NASCAR Cup Series</span> 72nd season of NASCAR Cup Series racing

The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series was the 72nd season for NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 49th season for the modern era Cup Series. The season began at Daytona International Speedway with the Busch Clash, the Bluegreen Vacations Duel qualifying races, and the 62nd running of the Daytona 500. The regular season ended with the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona on August 29. The NASCAR playoffs ended with the Season Finale 500, the first finale at Phoenix Raceway on November 8.

Founded in 1988, the NASCAR program is built around having multiple cars and providing engine, engineering and race car build services to other NASCAR teams fielding Ford branded vehicles. The multi-team aspect of the company allows for information and resources to be shared across the enterprise, improving the performance of all of the teams. Since the 2004 season, engines for the cars have been provided by Roush-Yates Engines, a partnership between Roush Fenway Racing and now-closed rival Yates Racing, with Doug Yates as head engine builder. Roush-Yates also provides engines, cars and parts to other Cup teams, including Wood Brothers Racing, Team Penske, Stewart-Haas Racing, and Front Row Motorsports.

Roush Fenway Racing's Xfinity Series operation began in 1992 with the No. 60 driven by Mark Martin. The No. 60 team has been dominant throughout its history, amassing many wins with Martin; three driver's championships with Greg Biffle in 2002, Carl Edwards in 2007, and Chris Buescher in 2015; and an owner's championship with Edwards in 2011. The No. 6 team won back-to-back driver's championships in 2011 & 2012 with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Following the departures of Ryan Reed, Chase Briscoe, and Austin Cindric, Roush's Xfinity program was closed following the 2018 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 NASCAR Cup Series</span> 73rd season of NASCAR Cup Series racing

The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series was the 73rd season for NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 50th season for the modern era Cup Series. The season started at Daytona International Speedway with the Busch Clash, where it was the first year that the non-points event was run on the track's road course layout instead of the oval. That race was followed by the Bluegreen Vacations Duel qualifying races, and the 63rd running of the Daytona 500, the first points race of the season. The regular season also ended at Daytona with the 2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400 on August 28, where Kyle Larson won the Regular Season Championship. Following the 2021 Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 31, Chevrolet claimed its 40th Manufacturer's Championship and its first since 2015. The NASCAR playoffs ended with the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on November 7 with Larson earning his first Cup Series championship after a 10-win season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 NASCAR Cup Series</span> 74th season of NASCAR Cup Series racing

The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series was the 74th season for NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 51st season for the modern Cup Series. The 2022 season marked the debut of the Next Gen Car, which was originally supposed to debut in 2021, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, this was the first season to have races covered by USA Network, which took over for the now-defunct NBCSN.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 NASCAR Cup Series</span> 76th season of NASCAR Cup Series racing

The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series is the 76th season for NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 53rd season for the modern-era Cup Series. The pre-season started with the Busch Light Clash on February 3 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Clash would then be followed by the Bluegreen Vacations Duel qualifying races on February 15. The season would then officially kick off with the 66th running of the Daytona 500 on February 19, both at Daytona International Speedway. The season will end with the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on November 10.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 "Energetic Blickensderfer keying Kenseth's rebirth". Sports Illustrated. March 18, 2009. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved 2009-03-21.
  2. 1 2 3 "After winless season, Kenseth gets new crew chief for '09". USA Today. December 17, 2008. Retrieved 2009-03-21.
  3. ↑ Drew Blickensderfer enters the winner's circle at Daytona with win by Matt Kenseth [ permanent dead link ], Herald & Review, February 17, 2009
  4. ↑ Pedley, Jim (February 25, 2009). "Kenseth goes for record three in a row at Las Vegas". Kansas City Star . Retrieved 2009-03-21.[ dead link ]
  5. ↑ "Kenseth gets new crew chief starting this weekend". USA Today. February 17, 2010. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  6. ↑ Pockrass, Bob. "David Ragan gets new crew chief as Drew Blickensderfer replaces Donnie Wingo at Roush Fenway Racing". Scene Daily. Archived from the original on 1 July 2011. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
  7. ↑ "Wilson to oversee No. 31 car for rest of 2012". NASCAR . 2012-10-29. Retrieved 2012-10-30.
  8. ↑ Ryan, Nate (May 5, 2015). "Kevin Manion named Sam Hornish Jr.'s crew chief, replacing Drew Blickensderfer". NBC Sports . Retrieved May 5, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Drew Blickensderfer Leaving Crew Chief Role at Front Row Motorsports". Jayski's Silly Season Site . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. December 17, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Drew Blickensderfer Named Crew Chief for Aric Almirola". Jayski's Silly Season Site . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. January 4, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Stewart-Haas Racing signs Noah Gragson". Jayski’s Silly Season Site . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. December 13, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.