Travis Peterson, who has labored alongside McDowell as his crew chief for the final two seasons, will be part of him at Spire Motorsports when he takes over the No. 71 Chevrolet. The duo made the 2023 playoffs after successful on the Indianapolis Street Course.
This 12 months, they’ve earned three pole positions along with the No. 34 Entrance Row Motorsports Ford.
“It’s thrilling to have Travis Peterson be part of Spire Motorsports,” stated Spire Motorsports president Doug Duchardt. “The primary time Travis and I labored collectively was when Greg Ives and Travis got here to Hendrick Motorsports to be the crew chief and the engineer for the No. 88 automotive with Dale (Earnhardt) Jr. I obtained to spend time with Travis there as a younger engineer and it’s thrilling to see how he’s grown into a pacesetter and a crew chief. He’s going so as to add large depth to our crew chief lineup and be an important praise to Luke (Lambert) and Rodney (Childers). I’m actually excited to see what these three can do collectively.”
Spire Motorsports has made a number of bulletins in current weeks. Championship-winning crew chief Rodney Childers will be part of the group after Stewart-Haas Racing closes its doorways, and the staff has made the choice to let Corey LaJoie go on the conclusion of the 12 months.
It will not be Peterson’s first time working with a Chevrolet-powered staff. He was a part of Chase Elliott’s 2014 NASCAR Xfinity Collection title run with JR Motorsports, and later was a part of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports group from 2015 by means of 2018.
“It’s a very thrilling alternative,” stated Peterson. “Michael [McDowell] and I had the chance to fulfill with Doug [Duchardt] and [Jeff] Dickerson and so they actually offered us on the imaginative and prescient of the place Spire goes and the way we might be large position gamers in constructing the group. I believe having that pores and skin within the recreation was vital to each of us. The chance in entrance of us has all of the potential to be very rewarding. That was an enormous a part of it. I like the vitality proper now and the general tradition round Spire Motorsports. They’re investing in folks and staff possession is extremely engaged. The mindset is ‘We’re going to do what it takes to win and that is what we wish to construct. Right here’s the imaginative and prescient, the place we’re going, what we’re going to do to get there, and we would like you to be a part of it.’ That was the largest promoting level.”
Talking on his partnership with McDowell, Petersen added: “There are occasions whenever you meet folks and you might be instantly capable of naturally talk on an actual degree. I really feel like we had been that approach from the beginning. We didn’t should work at it. Our personalities, the best way we brazenly talk, and our trustworthy nature helped us click on from the beginning. Now we have no drawback speaking about exhausting stuff or straightforward stuff. We will be comfortable collectively after we win and be unhappy collectively after we lose. There isn’t any pink tape. We simply work. It’s exhausting to recreate that.”
