Newman Set For Crew Swap at Martinsville

Matt Borland returns next week

Ryan Newman will have a new (old) crew chief next weekend at Martinsville Speedway, and multiple sources say the return of Matt Borland is just one of a series of changes planned for the No. 39 Chevrolet team.

SHR vice president of competition Matt Borland, who guided Newman to 12 career Sprint Cup victories at Penske Racing between 2002 and 2006, has agreed to climb back atop the pit box beginning next weekend as part of a restructuring of the No. 39 team. In addition, GodfatherMotorsports.com has learned that virtually all of Newman’s garage-area crew will also be new next week, with the crewmen who worked on Danica Patrick’s part-time Sprint Cup operation moving to Newman’s car.



A team member speaking on the condition of anonymity said that while no decision has been made concerning Newman’s over-the-wall team for Martinsville, “only the truck driver and the spotter” will remain from the garage team.

"Matt Borland has had great success as a crew chief, and much of it came when he and Ryan Newman worked together," said competition director Greg Zipadelli earlier this week. "Matt and Ryan both have engineering backgrounds and they have similar mindsets. It's a pairing that produced some very good results and there's no reason why it can't produce similar results now that they're back together. Their four races together this year will position them very well for 2013."