RICHMOND, VA - SEPTEMBER 11: Michael McDowell, driver of the #95 Thrivent Financial Ford, practices for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway on September 11, 2015 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Rainier Ehrhardt/NASCAR via Getty Images)
Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing announced Thursday that Dave Winston has joined the team as crew chief of the No. 95 Chevrolet SS that will compete full time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this season with drivers Michael McDowell and Ty Dillon.
In addition, Jeremy Lange, who oversaw marketing for the Concord, North Carolina-based team the past two years, has been promoted to vice president of operations.
Winston, a 15-year veteran in NASCAR, started his career as an engineer at Roush Fenway Racing where he worked with drivers such as Greg Biffle, Brian Vickers, Kurt Busch and Jamie McMurray. Winston has been part of 18 wins, seven poles, 51 top fives and 118 top 10s in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
"Dave is a perfect fit for our team having worked at both large and small organizations," Bob Leavine, a partner in Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing, said in a team release. "He understands the budget constraints of a small team but knows what is required to make the team more competitive. I really like his engineering background as that is a key factor in our alliance with RCR.
"Understanding and being able to incorporate setup changes from simulation data is an important part of the crew chief's responsibility. Dave is very organized and has already gained the respect of our staff in a short period of time. I'm really proud to have him on our team."
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