In an offseason beset with change, add Matt Kenseth and the No. 17 team inthe Sprint Cup Series to the list. Drew Blickensderfer is replacing Chip Bolin as crew chief after one season, a move which allows Bolin to return to a position of strength as an engineer at Roush Fenway Racing.
Kenseth will have his third crew chief in as many years -- Robbie Reiser held the position from Kenseth's debut in 1998 through 2007 -- followed by Bolin and now Blickensderfer.
Blickensderfer's first NASCAR job came with Dale Earnhardt Inc. in 2002 as a mechanic and rear-tire changer on the No. 1 Cup car. He moved to Bill Davis Racing to work on the set-up of the No. 22 Cup car and changing rear tires on raceday. After three years between the two teams, Blickensderfer moved to Roush with Mark Martin's No. 6 car.
Blickensderfer's first crew chief position came in 2006 when he led driver Danny O'Quinn Jr. to rookie of the year honors in the Nationwide Series. In 2007 Blickensderfer took over as crew chief of the No. 17 in the Nationwide Series.
Blickensderfer began the 2008 season as the crew chief for Kenseth's No. 17 car in the Nationwide Series then moved over to lead Edwards' No. 60 team. Edwards rallied to win seven of the final 19 races -- including three of the last four -- and finished second in points to Clint Bowyer.
Reiser and Kenseth won the 2003 Cup Series championship. Kenseth, who along with Jimmie Johnson are the only two drivers to make the Chase since its inception in 2004, finished 11th in the 2008 Chase. It was Kenseth's first finish outside the top 10 since 2001 (13th). He finished with nine top-five finishes and 20 top-10s but failed to win a race for the first time since 2001.
Bolin graduated from Clemson with a degree in mechanical engineering, and was hired in December 1998 by Roush Racing. He and Bob Osborne, now the crew chief for Carl Edwards' No. 99 team in the Cup Series, started Roush Racing's engineering department.
