McSwain to the #18? Baldwin to RYR #38? UPDATEs: hearing that current #28 Robert Yates Racing crew chief Michael “Fatback” McSwain will go to the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing team (to take over for Jimmy Makar who is assuming team manager of the Gibbs operation).and that former #22 crew chief, Tommy Baldwin will replace him at the #28 (will be #38 with Elliott Sadler in 2003).(10-25-2002 – 8:00am/et) UPDATE: Michael “Fatback” McSwain has emerged as a top candidate for the crew chief job with Joe Gibbs Racing’s #18 team and driver Bobby Labonte. Labonte’s current crew chief, Jimmy Makar, who will move into a team manager role next season and is leading the search for his replacement, acknowledged Friday that McSwain was among “four or five” candidates with crew chief experience who have expressed interest in the job. McSwain, 35, has worked with driver Ricky Rudd at Robert Yates Racing since December 1999 and was expected to remain with the team next season with the team’s new driver, Elliott Sadler. Among the other candidates the #18 team is considering are Todd Berrier, crew chief for #30-Jeff Green, and Gil Martin, crew chief for #29-Kevin Harvick, sources said. Both Berrier and Martin work for Richard Childress Racing. McSwain declined to comment on his future Friday. “I can’t talk about it right now,” he said. Makar said the search has narrowed to those with crew chief experience and the team is no longer looking at “in-house” candidates.(ThatsRacin.com)(10-25-2002) UPDATE 2: McSwain wasn’t saying much, and team owner Robert Yates wasn’t around to take questions, but team sources said that the veteran crew chief has told Yates he’d like to move on at the end of the season. Other sources indicate that he’s applied for the same role with Bobby Labonte at Joe Gibbs Racing. Other Yates team sources say that Baldwin has interviewed for the job with Yates, who has also been interested in trying to hire crew chief Robbie Reiser. When pressed on the McSwain option, Jimmy Makar, Gibbs’ team manager, played it all with a very good poker face. Makar was also asked about reports that he might be taking a TV role of some sort next season while continuing as boss of Gibbs’ two teams. Makar wasn’t offering many hints or and confirmation on any of it. However, Makar says he may have a new crew chief signed sooner rather than later. Todd Berrier is also on Makar’s list, according to team sources.(Winston Salem Journal) AND Michael McSwain, crew chief for #28-Ricky Rudd and Robert Yates Racing, interviewed with Joe Gibbs Racing and could be in line to become Bobby Labonte’s new crew chief. Current crew chief Jimmy Makar will move into a management role with the team next season. “I can’t deny that he’s one of the guys we talked to,” Maker said. “There’s five guys we’ve talked to, all qualified and all potentially good candidates. We’re excited there’s that many people with an interest in our team.” Makar wouldn’t identify the others he had interviewed. He said a couple of them, including McSwain, were under contract for next season with their current team. All the final candidates would come from outside of Joe Gibbs Racing, Makar said. McSwain declined comment, but Yates said he expects him to stay. “That’s what we’re signed up to do,” Yates said. “It’s nice to have people after you, it means you’re doing something right. But I think we can put that (rumor) to bed.”(Daytona Beach News Journal/AP)(10-26-2002) UPDATE 3: Sources close to Robert Yates Racing say crew chief Michael McSwain’s decision to begin a job search came after he tested with 2003 driver Elliott Sadler recently at Kentucky Speedway. Sadler, who was endorsed by McSwain to replace Ricky Rudd, ran four-tenths of a second slower than Rudd ran in a similar test earlier at the track. Sadler says McSwain told him things weren’t going to work out. “I was surprised more than anything, but if his heart isn’t in it, then he needs to go somewhere else,” Sadler says. Rumors are that somewhere else for McSwain might be as crew chief for Bobby Labonte because Jimmy Makar is moving into a different role after the season. The question is whether McSwain would be a good fit with Labonte, who is generally more reserved.(Sporting News)(10-28-2002)
