Crew chief Kenny Francis will join Kasey Kahne at Hendrick Motorsports next season, the team announced. Francis, who has served as Kahne’s crew chief since 2005, followed Kahne from Richard Petty Motorsports to Red Bull Racing. The two have 10 victories together, 13 poles, 34 top 5s, and 71 top 10s.
Team owner Rick Hendrick said:
Our people have a lot of respect for Kenny and what he’s accomplished. We know the chemistry is already there with Kasey, and there’s no doubt Kenny will communicate very well with our folks. He’s a character guy who brings an awful lot to the table as a crew chief. When we look at “fit factor,” it’s a great situation.
Francis added:
Joining Hendrick Motorsports and continuing to work with Kasey next year is an opportunity I’m excited about. He’s a championship-caliber driver and good friend, and I’m looking forward to building on our relationship. Mr. Hendrick has built an impressive team and culture, and it’s going to be fun to be a part of that when the time comes. I’m very optimistic about the rest of this season and focused on getting to Victory Lane with the No. 4 team. I want to thank Jay Frye and everyone with the organization for the chance to be part of such a great group of people. We still have goals to achieve there, and those are foremost on my mind right now.
In April of 2010, Kahne signed a multi-year deal with HMS to drive the No. 5 Sprint Cup Chevy. At the time, Mark Martin was slated to drive the car in 2011. With the NASCAR-mandated maximum of four drivers under contract, Kahne was left to sign with a team for one year.
After much speculation that Martin would leave the team and sign with Red Bull Racing, Kahne ended up going to RBR.
A couple of months later, it was reported that Francis would move to RBR with Kahne. At that time, I speculated that Francis would move to HMS with Kahne for 2012, which would result in Alan Gustafson ending up as crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr in 2012.
With last off-season’s reshuffling of crew chiefs at HMS, I don’t think that Gustafson or Steve Letarte will switch teams.
Lance McGrew, current crew chief of the team that Francis will take over when Kahne joins HMS, will return to HMS’s research and development department, including working on special projects and working with the development of the 2013 Sprint Cup car.
[...] Kobalt Tools 500 Review: Cup Down To Edwards, Stewart By Shannon Baxter ⋅ November 15, 2011 ⋅ Email This Post ⋅ Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment Filed Under Brian Vickers, Carl Edwards, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Kobalt Tools 500, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Phoenix International Raceway, Red Bull Racing, Tony Stewart Kasey Kahne drove to victory lane on Sunday to end an 81-race winless streak. This is his first win with Red Bull Racing, and RBR’s second win in NASCAR. He has earned more points in the last eight races than any other driver not named Edwards or Stewart. Kahne and his current crew chief Kenny Francis will be moving to Hendrick Motorsports next season. [...]