Front Row Racing hires Seals as Gilliland's crew chief

Randy Seals will crew chief the No. 38 Front Row Racing Ford for David Gilliland.

The 42-year-old McMinnville, Tenn., native returns to Front Row after a short stint as crew chief on the No. 61 car with Chad Chaffin in 2006. Seals worked as a crew chief for Bobby Hamilton Racing for five years prior to moving to the Sprint Cup Series. For the last two seasons, he worked in the research and development as validation manager at Richard Petty Motorsports.

"I think it's a really good opportunity," Seals said. "When Ray hired me in 2007, he wanted me to start a second group for Pete Rondeau in the R&D department. We shifted and became a separate component but the leadership skills that Pete taught me will make me better prepared for the crew chief's role this time around.

"I'm really happy to be a crew chief again and have an opportunity to work with David Gilliland. It's a great opportunity to get back up on the pit box."

Seals also credits the late Hamilton with teaching him to be a minimalist. In this economy, Sills has learned it's a valuable skill.

"I think my strength is always making the most out of the least," Seals said. "I've always worked best with the unfunded teams and make the best out of the existing team. I think that's a skill I learned from Bobby Hamilton."

GIlliland, who just returned from Costa Rica, met Seals for the first time Monday morning.

"He's eager to get back in there," Gilliland said. "He's had a couple of years of being home on the weekends, and I think he's ready to go again. He feels he's recharged his batteries. We both know it's going to take a little bit of time to get up to speed with having three teams, but I think we can get where we need to be."