Dale Earnhardt Inc. officials announced the signing of crew chief Kevin "Bono" Manion to a three-year deal that will continue his tenure with the team's No. 1 Chevrolet with driver Martin Truex Jr.

"Chemistry is a very important part of any race team, and I'm excited that we'll be able to continue to build on what we have accomplished over the past several years," Manion said. "We are looking forward to getting back out there on the track in January and hopefully starting to build on what can be a championship season."

Manion, who joined DEI in 1997, helped lead Truex and his No. 8 Busch Series team to 12 victories and two Busch championships in 2004 and 2005, before moving to the Cup series with the No. 1 team in 2006. The team earned its first Cup win this season.

DEI is based in Mooresville, N.C., and employs more 450 people on its two campuses. DEI fields four Sprint Cup teams with drivers Truex, Paul Menard, Regan Smith, Mark Martin and Aric Almirola. - scenedaily.com