Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Four Winston Cup drivers get new crew chiefs

Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2001 | 10:15 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. Reach him at bh@lasvegassun.com or 259-4089.

There has been almost as much movement among NASCAR Winston Cup crew chiefs as there has been among drivers since the season ended nearly three weeks ago.

In the past few days, Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett, Terry Labonte and Jimmy Johnson all learned they would start the 2002 Winston Cup season with new crew chiefs.

Robin Pemberton stepped down last week as Wallace's crew chief after seven years, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family.

On the same day, Robert Yates announced that Todd Parrott was being promoted to team manager of Jarrett's No. 88 team and Jimmy Elledge would replace him as Jarrett's crew chief. Elledge had served as Bobby Hamilton's crew chief on the No. 55 car this season.

At Hendrick Motorsports, longtime NASCAR mechanic Jim Long was named to replace Gary DeHart as Labonte's crew chief on the No. 5 team. DeHart reportedly accepted another position within Hendrick's research and development department.

Johnson, who will run for Rookie of the Year honors next season in the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet, leaned that Chad Knaus would return to Hendrick Motorsports as his crew chief. Knaus served as Stacy Compton's crew chief on the No. 92 Melling Racing Dodge this season.

Knaus had worked on Jeff Gordon's No. 24 team from 1993 to 1997 and was a part of Gordon's Winston Cup championship runs in 1995 and 1997.

Johnson's car is co-owned by Rick Hendrick and Gordon.

Compton, who signed to drive the No. 59 Chevrolet for ST Motorsports in the NASCAR Busch Series next season, said he could run both the Busch and Winston Cup schedules if he were to get the job with Foyt.

The Daytona 500 paid $1.33 million to winner Michael Waltrip; the Harrah's 500 at Texas Motor Speedway paid $444,527 to Dale Jarrett; Jeff Gordon earned $428,452 for winning the Brickyard 400; and Gordon pocketed $369,602 (not including his $1 million Winston No-Bull Five bonus) for winning the Las Vegas race.

Newman and Rusty Wallace will run Fords for Penske South next season.