JTG Daugherty Racing taps Mike Kelley as No. 47 crew chief for Stenhouse
JTG Daugherty Racing announced Wednesday that veteran Mike Kelley has been named crew chief for the No. 47 Chevrolet and driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in the NASCAR Cup Series next year.
Kelley served as competition director at JTG Daugherty last season, and he and Stenhouse have been with the organization since 2020. Kelley and Stenhouse combined for two Xfinity Series championships (2011, 2012) and scored eight victories together for car owner Jack Roush.
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“It‘s been a little bit, but those championships with Ricky mean the world to me,” Kelley said in a team release. “It proves that a team can dream, work hard, and execute to reach the top. When you believe, it‘s amazing what you can accomplish.”
Kelley replaces Brian Pattie, who was announced earlier Wednesday afternoon as crew chief for the No. 51 Chevrolet for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Craftsman Truck Series in 2023. Pattie and Stenhouse had been paired together for the last six Cup Series seasons — three with Roush and three with JTG Daugherty.
“Brian and I accomplished a lot together and won two Cup races and that‘s not easy in this sport,” said Stenhouse Jr. “I‘m grateful for our friendship and wish him well in his endeavors. Mike and I and the team will continue our preparations this offseason and be ready for the new year with our Kroger Racing partners.”
Kelley was last atop a Cup Series pit box in 2019, working 20 races as a crew chief with Front Row Motorsports for then-driver Matt Tifft. His Cup tenure includes a crew chief stint with Stenhouse in 2014, and also a car chief role earlier in his career.
Stenhouse finished 26th in Cup Series standings this season, with a best finish of second place in May at Dover Motor Speedway. That final rank was hampered by nine DNFs (did not finish).
