LANCE MCGREW - 12/15/1967
In 1999, McGrew joined Hendrick Motorsports as a crew member of the #24 Xfinity Series team with driver Jeff Gordon, and it wasn’t long before McGrew became a crew chief within the organization. McGrew was named the Xfinity Series crew chief for the #24 Chevrolet, shared by Jeff Gordon and Ricky Hendrick during a limited schedule. Gordon captured the season-finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2000, giving McGrew his first career win as a crew chief. McGrew and Ricky Hendrick developed a good relationship during the 2000 season, and the duo was paired up again – this time for a full season in the Craftsman Truck Series in 2001. In 2002, McGrew moved from the Truck Series to the Xfinity Series and became the crew chief for the #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, which was to be driven by Hendrick. After only three years of experience as a crew chief, McGrew led Brian Vickers and the #5 Hendrick Motorsports team to win the 2003 Xfinity Series championship. The title was the first-ever in the Xfinity Series for Hendrick Motorsports. The #5 team finished the season with three wins, one pole position. McGrew’s Xfinity Series success as crew chief continued in 2004 with Kyle Busch, who drove the #5 Chevy full-time for Hendrick Motorsports. The team ended the season with five wins and five poles but ended second in the points race. At the end of the 2004 season, McGrew was named crew chief of the #25 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, and
was once again paired up with Vickers in the NASCAR Cup Series. McGrew, then a rookie in the Cup scene, helped lead the #25 Hendrick Motorsports team to its best season since 2001. In 2006, McGrew and the #25 team improved on their previous Cup season by recording a 15th-place finish in the championship standings with one win, one pole, five top-five finishes and nine top-10s. In 2007, McGrew transitioned into a new role at Hendrick Motorsports. McGrew became the crew chief for Hendrick Motorsports research and development team, which played a major role in the organization’s development of its Impala SS. McGrew continued this role in 2008. Later in the 2008 season, McGrew once again played the crew chief role. This time it was for the young, up-and-coming driver Brad Keselowski, who made his first two career Cup Series starts in the #25 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy. On May 28, 2009, it was announced he would replace Tony Eury, Jr. as crew chief on an interim basis for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. beginning at the Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway. On October 30, 2009, McGrew was selected as Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s full-time crew chief for the 2010 season. In 2011 McGrew transitioned to the #5 car to be Mark Martins crew chief. The two posted two top five finishes. In 2012 McGrew moved to the K&N series to be crew chief for up and coming Chase Elliott (son of Sprint Cup Champion Bill Elliott). The duo won a race, and Elliott finished fourth in point. In 2013 Elliott raced part time in the Camping World Truck series with McGrew at the helm. They ran nine events, won one race, posted five top fives, and seven top ten finishes. Elliott went on to race full time in the Xfinity Series in 2014; while McGrew stepped down as crew chief and took over the Hendrick organization’s research and development department.
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