Hearing that #24-Jeff Gordon’s car chief [not crew chief], Jeff Meendering, will be Bobby Labonte’s new crew chief of the #43 Cheerios/Petty Enterprises Dodge in 2008, replacing current #43 crew chief, Doug Randolph, will leave after the season and head to the #15 DEI team of Paul Menard.(11-9-2007) UPDATE: The car chief for Jeff Gordon’s #24 Chevy says he will wait until after the season to decide whether he will leave Hendrick Motorsports to pursue opportunities as a crew chief. Jeff Meendering, who joined Hendrick in 1994 and has been part of the #24 team since 2000, said several teams are interested in acquiring his services, but he said he hasn’t decided whether he will accept one of those positions. One of those teams is Petty Enterprises and its #43 car, which has an opening after crew chief Doug Randolph was hired by Dale Earnhardt Inc. An Internet rumor said Meendering had already decided to join Petty as a crew chief next season. “I’ve talked to them,” Meendering said Friday at Phoenix International Raceway. “That’s one of the options that’s out there. I’m just trying to get through the season. I’m not committing to anything yet. I’m just looking at my options. I’m not saying I’m going to be doing anything different than [working at Hendrick] this year.”(SceneDaily.com)(11-9-2007)
