Keith Rodden, well-respected lead engineer for the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet driven by Kasey Kahne, has joined Earnhardt Ganassi Racing as crew chief for the No. 1 Chevrolet driven by Jamie McMurray in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, EGR announced Monday.
Rodden replaces Kevin “Bono” Manion who has been with McMurray since the driver moved from Roush Fenway Racing to EGR in 2010.
“I’m excited and appreciative for this opportunity and can’t wait to be just a small piece of an excellent team that Earnhardt Ganassi Racing is building,” Rodden said via a team release announcing his hiring. “(Team owner) Chip (Ganassi) has quality people and is also building great race cars.
“This team has shown that they can win races and compete at the highest level of this sport, and I look forward to working with Jamie and everyone on the team as we work to prepare for the 2014 season.”
McMurray won the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 and the fall Charlotte race in 2010 but has only one victory since then, in this year’s Chase race at Talladega. All told, McMurray has seven career NASCAR Sprint Cup wins.
