Chad Johnston will serve as the crew chief for Ryan Preece this season, while the rest of Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cup driver-crew chief pairings will remain the same, the team announced Friday.
SHR also announced that engineer Jonathan Toney will be Cole Custer’s crew chief in the Xfinity Series.
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“In Chad Johnston and Jonathan Toney, we’ve got two guys who are hungry to win that also bring a lot of smarts and experience to each of their roles,” said Greg Zipadelli, SHR chief competition officer, in a statement from the team. “Both are very familiar with our program and our people.
“It’s great to have Chad back with our race team. A lot of the people he worked with when he was here before are still here today, and he already has a rapport with Ryan Preece. Chad fits in seamlessly and has a tremendous work ethic.”
Johnston served as a Tony Stewart’s crew chief in 2014-15. Johnston has has been a crew chief for Martin Truex Jr. (2011-13) and Kyle Larson (2016-20). Johnston has seven wins.
Crew chief Rodney Childers remains with Kevin Harvick. Crew chief Drew Blickensderfer returns with Aric Almirola. John Klausmeier is back as crew chief for Chase Briscoe.
In the Xfinity Series, Richard Boswell returns as crew chief for Riley Herbst.
Toney’s role as crew chief with Custer marks the first time he has had that role. Toney has been with the organization since 2003. He was an engineer on Stewart’s team from 2009-12, helping Stewart win the 2011 Cup championship.