NASCAR rookie Hornish gets new crew chief
Published 6:57 pm Tuesday, August 19, 2008
MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Travis Geisler replaced Chris Carrier as crew chief for rookie Sam Hornish Jr. in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series on Tuesday.
Geisler, a 27-year-old mechanical engineering graduate from Vanderbilt, has been the race engineer for Ryan Newman’s No. 12 Dodge. He played a key part in that team’s Daytona 500 victory in February.
“We appreciate the effort Chris has put into this role. However, this is a performance-oriented business. When the results are not meeting the expectations, we have to make changes,” said Tim Cindric, president of Penske Racing. “Travis is another example of our willingness to promote from within. His depth of knowledge as a racer and engineer, as well as his proven ability to work with both drivers and crews, will be a great addition to the entire Mobil 1 team.”
Hornish, a three-time IndyCar Series champion and the 2006 Indianapolis 500 winner, is trying to make the transition to stock cars. Heading to Bristol this week, Hornish, driving the No. 77 Dodge, is 33rd in the season points and has a best finish of 13th in May at Charlotte.
Ben Atkins, previously with the Penske test team, will replace Geisler as the race engineer for Newman. Before joining the Penske team, he was a race engineer for Dale Earnhardt Inc.
