Jeremy Bullins

Last updated
Jeremy Bullins
Ryan blaney jeremy bullins (47162473981) (cropped).jpg
Bullins at Daytona International Speedway in 2019
Personal information
Birth nameJeremy D. Bullins
Nationality Flag of the United States.svg American
Born Walnut Cove, North Carolina
Sport
Country United States
Sport NASCAR Cup Series
Team21. Wood Brothers Racing

Jeremy D. Bullins is an American NASCAR crew chief who works for Wood Brothers Racing as the crew chief of their No. 21 Ford Mustang Dark Horse in the NASCAR Cup Series driven by Harrison Burton.

Contents

He previously worked for the Wood Brothers from 2015 to 2017, crew chiefing Ryan Blaney in the Cup Series part-time the first year and full-time the next two years before the two of them moved to Team Penske (which WBR has an alliance with) on their No. 12 car when the team expanded to three full-time Cup Series cars. He then moved to Penske's No. 2 car in 2020, crew chiefing Brad Keselowski that year (finishing 2nd in the final standings) and in 2021, and continued to crew chief the No. 2 car when Austin Cindric became the driver in 2022. In their first race together, they won the 2022 Daytona 500.

Prior to crew chiefing in the Cup Series, Bullins crew chiefed for Penske in what is now the NASCAR Xfinity Series from 2012 to 2014.

Racing career

1999–2011: Pre-Penske years

After graduating college, Bullins began his career in NASCAR with Wood Brothers Racing in October 1999, whose No. 21 car was driven at the time by Elliott Sadler. After his time with the Wood Brothers, he would work in the Busch Series (later Nationwide) for ST Motorsports, which is now JTG Daugherty Racing. He would later leave that team for Robert Yates Racing. Before the 2005 season, Bullins joined Richard Childress Racing. During his time there, he worked as the engineer for Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer, and with those two drivers, he racked up a total of nine wins. [1]

2012–2014: Penske NNS No. 22

Bullins was hired in December 2011 by Penske Racing to crew chief the No. 22 team in the Nationwide Series beginning in 2012. [2] He replaced Todd Gordon, who was promoted to crew chief Penske's No. 22 team in the Cup Series after Steve Addington left for Stewart-Haas Racing to be defending series champion Tony Stewart's crew chief that year.

In his first year as crew chief for that team, he worked with Brad Keselowski, Parker Kligerman and Jacques Villeneuve. Kligerman would be released and replaced by Ryan Blaney for the rest of his part-time schedule in the car during the season. He earned three wins that season with Keselowski and came close to winning with the other two drivers as well, as Blaney finished second at Texas in November and Villeneuve finished third at Montreal after running out of fuel on the last lap and losing the lead he had held for most of the race. The team finished the year sixth in owner points. [3]

For 2013, the team saw a notable uptick in performance. Bullins won at least one race with all four drivers of the No. 22 car that year. Keselowski scored six wins (up from three in 2012), and Blaney would earn his first win in the series at Kentucky in September. Also, Joey Logano, Penske's new full-time Cup Series driver, also ran 14 races in the No. 22 car (Keselowski and Blaney each reduced their schedules by a few races to make room for Logano to drive the car as well). Logano came to Penske from Joe Gibbs Racing at the start of the year, and he was instrumental in leading JGR's No. 18 car to the 2012 NNS owner's championship. A. J. Allmendinger replaced Villeneuve as the No. 22's driver for the standalone road course races of Road America and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (which replaced Montreal on the schedule), and would win both of them in dominating fashion. Logano would pick up three wins, which came at both Dover races plus Chicago in July. All of this success resulted in the team winning the 2013 owner's championship. [4]

2015–present: NASCAR Cup Series

2015–2019: Ryan Blaney

Bullins (left) and Ryan Blaney talking on pit road before the 2019 Daytona 500 Ryan blaney jeremy bullins (47162473981).jpg
Bullins (left) and Ryan Blaney talking on pit road before the 2019 Daytona 500

Bullins returned to the Wood Brothers team in 2015. Now only a part-time team, the No. 21 car was driven by Blaney starting that year, replacing Trevor Bayne, who moved to Roush Fenway Racing to replace the departing Carl Edwards as a full-time driver on that team. WBR also switched from a Roush alliance to a Penske alliance starting in 2015, which is why Bullins was able to work for the team as he was still part of the Penske family. He had previously made his Cup Series crew chiefing debut on Penske's part time No. 12 car when Blaney drove it in his first two Cup races at Kansas and Talladega.

2020–present: Brad Keselowski, Austin Cindric and Harrison Burton

Despite even having a solid 2019 season, Penske announced a crew chief shakeup for the 2020 season in an effort to be more competitive and dominant [5] like the successes Joe Gibbs Racing was having. [6] During Bullins' time with the No. 12 of Ryan Blaney, the car was arguably the weakest in the Penske stable both years, [7] and he was reassigned to Brad Keselowski's No. 2 team, replacing Paul Wolfe, who moved to Joey Logano's No. 22. Todd Gordon, who had been Logano's crew chief and was very much successful in that role, replaced Bullins as Blaney's crew chief on the No. 12.

The duo started the year off on a good note, and Keselowski led 30 laps in the Daytona 500 and 82 at Phoenix three races later. After the first four races, the season was halted for two months due to the coronavirus pandemic. Keselowski and Bullins won 4 races that year, including the 2020 Coca-Cola 600 and finished second in the final standings behind Chase Elliott.

Bullins (in middle) and Austin Cindric (on left) talking on pit road after the 2022 Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Austin Cindric Post Race Sonoma 2022.jpg
Bullins (in middle) and Austin Cindric (on left) talking on pit road after the 2022 Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma

In 2021, Keselowski finished sixth in the final standings and only won the race at Talladega in April. It was his last season with Penske before leaving for Roush Fenway Racing to become the driver of their No. 6 car as well as a co-owner of the team, which was renamed RFK Racing. Bullins would remain the crew chief of the No. 2 car in 2022 when Austin Cindric moved up from Penske's Xfinity Series No. 22 car to replace Keselowski. Cindric and Bullins won the 2022 Daytona 500. [8] On July 20, Bullins was suspended for four races due to a tire and wheel loss during the 2022 Ambetter 301 at Loudon. Engineer Grant Hutchens would fill in for Bullins in these four races. He also previously filled in for Bullins in the Coca-Cola 600 when Bullins was sick. [9]

After Cindric had a sophomore slump in 2023 and failed to qualify for the playoffs, and Harrison Burton, the driver of the Wood Brothers No. 21 car that year, also failed to qualify for the playoffs, Penske decided to move Bullins back to the Wood Brothers to be Burton's crew chief, switching cars with Brian Wilson, who moved from the WBR No. 21 car back in-house to Penske to crew chief Cindric and the No. 2 car. (Wilson and Cindric also previously won the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship together for Penske.)

Personal life

Bullins is a 1995 graduate of South Stokes High School and then attended North Carolina State University, studying Mechanical Engineering. He is from Walnut Cove, North Carolina, and lives in China Grove, North Carolina today with his wife Tina. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Penske</span> American racing driver and businessman (born 1937)

Roger Searle Penske is a retired American professional auto racing driver and businessman. Penske is most known for his ownership of Team Penske, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IndyCar, and other auto racing-related businesses. Penske is the founder and chairman of the Penske Corporation, a holding company for his various businesses. Penske is also a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brad Keselowski</span> American racing driver

Bradley Aaron Keselowski is an American professional stock car racing driver, team owner, and entrepreneur. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 6 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for RFK Racing, a team he also co-owns. He was the owner of Brad Keselowski Racing, which fielded two full-time trucks in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joey Logano</span> American racing driver

Joseph Thomas Logano is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 22 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Team Penske and part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 66 Ford F-150 for ThorSport Racing. He previously competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series as well as what is now the ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East and ARCA Menards Series West.

Timothy J Cindric is the President of Team Penske. A native of Indianapolis, he is an alumnus of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, where he was a four-year basketball letterman in 1990. Cindric served as the Team Manager for Team Rahal from 1994 to 1999, before joining Penske in October 1999. He was promoted to the position of president at Penske Racing in January 2006. He also serves as strategist for the Penske-owned IndyCar teams of Will Power and Josef Newgarden. His teams won the IndyCar championship for the 2014, 2017 and 2019 seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brad Keselowski Racing</span> Defunct stock car racing team

Brad Keselowski Racing was an American professional stock car racing team that competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Started in 2007, it was owned and operated by NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series champion Brad Keselowski. The team most recently fielded the Nos. 19 and 29 Ford F-150s for Austin Cindric and Chase Briscoe. On August 17, 2017, BKR announced that they would suspend operations after the 2017 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series</span> 31st season of second-tier NASCAR Nationwide Series

The 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series was the 31st season of the NASCAR Nationwide Series, the second-tier professional stock car racing series sanctioned by NASCAR in the United States. The season included thirty-three races, down from thirty-four, and began with the DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway and ended with the Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Chevrolet won the Manufacturer's Championship. Joe Gibbs won the Owners' Championship with the No. 18 car, while Ricky Stenhouse Jr. of Roush Fenway Racing won the Drivers' championship with a sixth-place finish at the final race of the season.

<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">2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series</span> 35th season of second-tier NASCAR Xfinity Series

The 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series was the 35th season of the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the second-tier professional stock car racing series sanctioned by NASCAR in the United States. The season started at Daytona International Speedway on February 20 and ended at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 19. Daniel Suárez of Joe Gibbs Racing won the championship, becoming the first non-American to win a title in NASCAR's top 3 divisions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austin Cindric</span> American racing driver

Austin Louis Cindric is an American professional auto racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 2 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Team Penske.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NASCAR operations of Team Penske</span> NASCAR team

The NASCAR operation of the racing team Team Penske is a unit based in Mooresville, North Carolina, US. The team fields Ford Mustangs in the NASCAR Cup Series and has won a total of four drivers' championships and over 170 races over both Cup and Xfinity series.

<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">Todd Gordon</span> NASCAR crew chief and broadcaster

Todd Bentley Gordon is an American professional NASCAR crew chief and radio sportscaster. As a crew chief, he works for Legacy Motor Club as the crew chief of their No. 84 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the NASCAR Cup Series driven by Jimmie Johnson. As a sportscaster, he works for Motor Racing Network commentating on NASCAR races and radio shows.

<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">2023 NASCAR Cup Series</span> 75th season of NASCAR Cup Series racing

The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series was the 75th season for NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 52nd season for the modern-era Cup Series. The season started with the Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on February 5. That race was followed by the Daytona Duel qualifying races and the 65th running of the Daytona 500 on February 19, both at Daytona International Speedway. The season ended with the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on November 5.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Daytona 500</span> 64th Running of the event, held in Daytona Beach, Florida

The 2022 Daytona 500 was the first stock car race of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series and the 64th running of the event. The race was held on Sunday, February 20, 2022, in Daytona Beach, Florida at Daytona International Speedway, a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) asphalt superspeedway. In a green-white-checker finish, rookie Austin Cindric, driving for Team Penske, led 21 of the final 45 laps and held off challenges from teammate Ryan Blaney, RFK Racing's Brad Keselowski and eventual second-place finisher Bubba Wallace of 23XI Racing to win his first career NASCAR Cup Series race. Chase Briscoe of Stewart-Haas Racing finished third. Team Penske dedicated their Daytona 500 win to legendary sportscaster Bob Jenkins after the race. Jenkins used to broadcast NASCAR Races on ESPN from 1981 to 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Daytona 500</span> 65th Running of the event, held in Daytona Beach, Florida

The 2023 Daytona 500 was a NASCAR Cup Series race and the 65th running of the event. It was held on Sunday, February 19, 2023, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It was the first race of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series. Jimmie Johnson returned to the Cup Series for Legacy Motor Club in this race. This was the longest Daytona 500 in history going 530 miles.

References

  1. 1 2 "Jeremy Bullins, Crew Chief". Team Penske . Digital Momentum. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Bullins To Lead Penske NW Team". Speed Sport. December 22, 2011. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Owner Points Following Race #33: Homestead-Miami Speedway" (PDF). Jayski's Silly Season Site . ESPN. November 17, 2012. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  4. ↑ James, Brent (September 23, 2013). "NASCAR - Jeremy Bullins guiding No. 22 car to epic tear". ESPN . Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Penske announces team and crew chief changes for 2020". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. January 6, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  6. ↑ Waack, Terrin (February 14, 2020). "Ryan Blaney hoping to break through this season with Todd Gordon". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  7. ↑ McFadin, Daniel (January 28, 2020). "Blaney tired of being 'bottom of the totem pole' at Team Penske". NBC Sports . Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  8. ↑ Spencer, Reid (February 20, 2022). "Rookie Austin Cindric gets first NASCAR Cup Series win in thrilling 2022 Daytona 500". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  9. ↑ "New Hampshire Penalties Announced". Jayski's Silly Season Site . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. July 20, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
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.