A familiar face for driver Bubba Wallace will be atop his pit box this season.
Richard Petty Motorsports announced Jerry Baxter will be the crew chief for Wallace in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Baxter served as the crew chief for Wallace during the 2013 and 2014 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series seasons. The duo won five races, collected 14 top fives and 25 top 10s.
In 2014, Baxter guided Wallace to a third-place finish in the championships standings.
“During our time together, he trusted what I did as a crew chief, and trusted himself more and more, and we got better and better as we went,” Baxter said in a team release. “This is an incredible opportunity, and change is good. Having the confidence of Bubba and everyone at Richard Petty Motorsports means a lot to me. I am excited about working with Bubba again, and the foundation Richard Petty Motorsports has in place with their group of guys.”
Last season, Baxter worked with Brett Moffitt in the Truck Series. Moffitt won three races en route to a Championship 4 berth, finishing third overall in the standings.
Wallace welcomes the reunion after he has finished 28th in the Cup standings in back-to-back seasons.
“He has been a great mentor, and even better friend, since we were able to work together in 2013 and 2014,” Wallace said. “I am excited to see him get this opportunity in the NASCAR Cup Series, and use our past success to take this team to new levels.”
In 76 Cup starts, Wallace has two top fives and four top-10 finishes.
Mark Kristl joined Frontstretch at the beginning of the 2019 NASCAR season. He is the site's ARCA Menards Series editor. Kristl is also an Eagle Scout and a proud University of Dayton alum.