Kenseth with new crew chief for first time since 1999
Matt Kenseth has a new crew chief, although the 2003 NASCAR champion hardly seems worried.
Chip Bolin opened preseason testing at Daytona International Speedway leading the No. 17 team, which had been run by Robbie Reiser since its 1999 inception. Reiser stepped down at the end of last season to become general manager of Roush Fenway Racing.
"It's really not that weird," Kenseth said Tuesday. "Chip has been there. He was our original team engineer in '99 when we put this thing together and ran a five-race deal in '99 and started full time in 2000, so he's been there a long time, and we know each other well."
Bolin actually opened the season as crew chief last year when Reiser was suspended for the first four races because his Ford failed an inspection during Daytona 500 preparations.
"Chip actually did the 500 last year too, so he's kind of ... ready for it," Matt Kenseth said.
Bolin was also on top of the pit box for Kenseth's victory at California last February.
Kenseth said Reiser has been so busy overseeing Roush Fenway's organization that he's hardly seen him since the season ended.
"I haven't really got a chance to talk to Robbie a whole bunch the last month or so. I saw him over the holidays, and that's been about it," Kenseth said. "He's been pretty busy and pretty overwhelmed and pretty stressed out, to say the least.
"I think it's been a little bit more than what he was thinking at first when he decided to do it."
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PETTY MOVE COMPLETE: Petty Enterprises completed its move into its new facility in Mooresville, N.C. The team left its longtime home in Level Cross, where it spent more than 50 years, to be closer to the NASCAR hub of Charlotte.
"This is an exciting time to be a part of the Petty Enterprises' family," said Robbie Loomis, executive vice president of race operations. "NASCAR is going in a new direction with the new car, so we felt this was the right time to make our transition. The fact that the move was finished ahead of schedule shows our determination."
Kyle Petty's team left from the Level Cross shop to participate in this week's testing session. Bobby Labonte's team is already in the new shop.
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HELP WANTED: It's come to this for team owner Doug Yates: In search of sponsors, he placed an ad on the rear bumper of his cars.
The bumper sticker on his cars says SponsorYates.com. If there are no takers, Yates said he'll still field cars for David Gilliland and Travis Kvapil.
"We're committed to running this team," he said. "Obviously, you have to see how the year plays out. But right now our intention is to run two cars and be competitive and show people we can do a good job for them."
Yates lost its sponsors when UPS went with Dale Jarrett to Michael Waltrip Racing. M&M's remained, and its parent company sponsored both cars last season, but M&M's is now with Kyle Busch at Joe Gibbs Racing.
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GETTING CREATIVE: Jimmie Johnson signed with Creative Artists Agency, which will help the two-time NASCAR champion in marketing, licensing and endorsement deals.
His first venture is expected to be a featured spot in an upcoming Gatorade campaign.
"Jimmie's the total package," said Scott Paddock, Gatorade's director of sports marketing. "We view him as being in the same caliber as the other athletes we partner with. It's really a compliment to what he's been able to accomplish."
Johnson's ad will appear on sports broadcasts as well as prime-time programming leading up to the Daytona 500 next month.
CAA Sports represents more than 350 athletes, including LeBron James, Derek Jeter, Sidney Crosby, LaDainian Tomlinson, Adrian Peterson and David Beckham.
Johnson considered eight agencies before selecting CAA Sports and Wasserman Media Group as his finalists.
"We're confident that working with CAA will greatly enhance our ability to present the Jimmie Johnson brand to a variety of new and exciting marketing partners," Johnson said.
Johnson already has a nice portfolio of endorsements, including Tylenol, Gatorade, XM and Elizabeth Arden.
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