Trent Owens will call the shots for the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) Team in the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup season where Aric Almirola is the driver.
He was most recently the crew chief for Kyle Larson’s No. 32 Turner Scott Motorsports team in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Owens led Larson to 17 top-10 and nine top-five finishes in the 2013 season. Larson finished ninth overall in the standings.
In just under 250 races, Owens gathered 129 top-ten and 57 top-five finishes.
Owens was also a crew chief with Braun Racing.
“I have known Trent for a while,” said Almirola. “When I competed in the Nationwide Series, we raced against him every week. He’s a very talented crew chief who has accomplished a lot, but he’s still very hungry to do a lot more. Our team is the same. We’re getting better, but we need more top -10’s, top-fives and wins. I believe Trent can help us do that and he’s a positive addition to the team.”
Owens stated that he hopes to put the No. 43 team in contention for a spot in the Chase in 2014.
“This is a great opportunity to join a Sprint Cup organization and a race team that can win,” said Owens. “The No. 43 team has proven they can race up front. We just need to find a little more consistency to make the Chase. I believe we can put ourselves in contention for a Chase spot in 2014.”
Almirola is preparing to begin this third season with RPM. Almirola’s former crew chief, Todd Parrott, was let go from RPM earlier this season after he reportedly violated NASCAR’s substance abuse policy and was placed on indefinite suspension. Greg Ebert had filled in as interim crew chief after Parrott’s release.
