Huntersville, NC (Sports Network) - Darian Grubb has joined Joe Gibbs Racing
to serve as crew chief for Denny Hamlin's No.11 Toyota team in the Sprint Cup
Series, the team announced Friday.
JGR's announcement of Grubb comes three days after Mike Ford was released from
his crew chief duties with the team. Ford had served as Hamlin's crew chief
since his rookie season in 2006. They made the Chase for the Sprint Cup
championship in each of the past six seasons.
Hamlin finished the 2010 season second in points and scored a series-high
eight wins. He had only one victory this year, placing ninth in the Chase.
Grubb guided Tony Stewart to his third championship in NASCAR's premier series
this season. Stewart won five of the 10 Chase races to capture the title.
Halfway through the Chase, Grubb was informed that he would not be back with
Stewart-Haas Racing in 2012.
"I'm thrilled to join Joe Gibbs Racing," Grubb said in a team statement. "The
chance to work with Denny is something I'm excited about. When you sit down
with Joe and J.D. Gibbs, you can't help but be excited about this opportunity
and the team aspects of JGR. There is no question about the level of support
you get here, and I'm looking forward to working with everyone across the
entire organization."
Grubb, who became a first-time championship-winning crew chief, had been with
Stewart's No.14 Chevrolet team since the inception of SHR in 2009. He helped
the team to 11 wins and 59 top-10 finishes over that time.
Prior to his role with Stewart's team, Grubb worked for Hendrick Motorsports
from 2001-08. He served as interim crew chief for Jimmie Johnson during the
first four races of the 2006 season, winning two of those races -- including
the Daytona 500.
"Darian is a great addition to our organization and person to lead our No.11
FedEx team," team owner Joe Gibbs said. "Obviously, he has proven the ability
to guide a team to a championship, and we are excited to have him working with
Denny toward achieving that goal here at Joe Gibbs Racing."
The Sports Network