Chad Johnston, who previously worked at SHR as crew chief for team co-owner Tony Stewart in 2014 and 2015, returns this season as the crew chief for new SHR Cup driver Ryan Preece and the No. 41 Ford team.
In 2016, Johnston moved to the former Chip Ganassi Racing and served as crew chief to driver Kyle Larson and the duo won five races together in five seasons. Johnston returned to the Truck Series in 2021 with David Gilliland Racing, where he won a race at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway in 2021 with Preece as the driver.
Jonathan Toney, a longtime engineer at SHR, has been promoted to crew chief of SHR’s new No. 00 Xfinity Series team with driver Cole Custer.
Toney, who first joined the original Haas CNC Racing in 2003, was the lead engineer for Stewart and the No. 14 team from 2009 through 2012, including Stewart’s third Cup Series championship in 2011 and the first for SHR. He has remained an engineer at SHR assisting the organization’s Cup and Xfinity programs.
“In Chad Johnston and Jonathan Toney, we’ve got two guys who are hungry to win that also bring a lot of smarts and experience to each of their roles,” said Greg Zipadelli, SHR’s chief competition officer “Both are very familiar with our program and our people.
“It’s great to have Chad back with our race team. A lot of the people he worked with when he was here before are still here today, and he already has a rapport with Ryan Preece. Chad fits in seamlessly and has a tremendous work ethic.
“Jonathan has been a workhorse and his fingerprints are on a lot of the success this team has enjoyed. He’s been here since the very beginning and knows this place inside and out. Jonathan has definitely earned this opportunity and all of us are proud to see him take on this new role.”
The rest of SHR’s crew chief lineup remains unchanged across its Cup and Xfinity teams.
- Rodney Childers remains crew chief for the No. 4 Cup team with driver Kevin Harvick.
- John Klausmeier remains the crew chief for the No. Cup 14 team and driver Chase Briscoe.
- Drew Blickensderfer took over as crew chief for Aric Almirola and the No. 10 team in 2022 and returns in 2023.
- Richard Boswell will again serve as crew chief for driver Riley Herbst and the No. 98 team in the Xfinity Series.
