Jimmy Elledge Hired as No. 84 Crew Chief
Elledge’s most recent NASCAR Sprint Cup Series crew chief duties were with former open-wheel star Juan Pablo Montoya, so he’s quite familiar with translating open-wheel lingo. He’ll know that when AJ screams “oversteer" he actually means “loose" or when AJ says “stint" he really means “run."
“Jimmy is a successful and very well-known crew chief in the NASCAR garage," said Jay Frye, the team’s vice president and general manager. “He’ll be able to provide the experience and leadership for AJ and the No. 84 team to be competitive on a weekly basis."
Elledge’s resume includes stints with drivers Casey Mears, Reed Sorenson, Kenny Wallace, Bobby Hamilton and Dale Jarrett. Elledge, in his first race as crew chief with Montoya, was named WYPALL Wipers “Crew Chief of the Race" in April at Talladega Superspeedway. He has one Cup win, leading Hamilton to victory lane at Talladega in 2001.
AJ Allmendinger on the addition of Jimmy Elledge: “Of all the crew chiefs in the Cup garage, Jimmy is one of the only ones I’ve spoken to and had a chance to get to know. When I drove a few Nationwide races at Ganassi last year, Jimmy was always helpful. He’s a guy with a lot of crew chief experience and has a good knowledge of these race cars, so I’m looking forward to turning this season around together."