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Shane Wilson joins JGL Racing as crew chief to Kaz Grala

Daytona 500 Practice

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 13: Shane Wilson, crew chief of the #33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet, stands in the garage during practice for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 13, 2010 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Getty Images for NASCAR

JGL Racing has paired Kaz Grala, its rookie driver in the Xfinity Series, with crew chief Shane Wilson for 2018, the team announced Thursday.

Grala, who competed for GMS Racing in the Camping World Truck Series in 2017, will drive JGL Racing’s No. 24 Ford.

Grala, 18 (turns 19 on Dec. 29), made the playoffs with his win in the season-opening race at Daytona.

Wilson arrives at JGL Racing after four seasons at Richard Childress Racing as crew chief for Brendan Gaughan, who will not race full-time in 2018.

Wilson served as Gaughan’s crew chief in multiple series off-and-on since his first year as a crew chief in 2000 on the K&N Pro Series West circuit. He has earned 17 Xfinity Series wins and two Cup wins.

“I am excited to join JGL Racing,” Wilson said in a press release. “They have been improving their performance each year since they started racing in the Xfinity Series. With the addition of the technical alliance with Roush Fenway Racing and Kaz as the driver - along with the internal support from James (Whitener) and Steven (Lane) - this should make for another positive step in performance and results in 2018.”

Steven Lane, who was crew chief on the No. 24 in 2017, will now be team manager and competition director.

JGL Racing will also field the No. 28 next season, but no announcement have been made regarding it.

“The addition of a talented and experienced crew chief such as Shane is great for our entire organization,” said team owner James Whitener in a press release. “We continue to build our program and it is crucial for us to add personnel such as Shane. This move also allows us to shift Steven Lane to a bigger leadership position which we feel only makes our program stronger.”

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