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) UPDATE 2: Petty Enterprises announced Jeff Meendering as the new crew chief of the #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge Charger driven by Bobby Labonte. Meendering, 30, will take over crew chief duties of the #43 team immediately and will see his first on track action with Labonte during a Goodyear tire test at Atlanta Motor Speedway, December 11-12. He joins Petty Enterprises after a 13-year stint with Hendrick Motorsports where for the past 2 ½ seasons he held the position of car chief on the #24 team of Jeff Gordon. In addition, Meendering assumed the role of interim crew chief of the #24 car for six races during the 2007 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Under his guidance the team scored top-10 finishes in each of the six races, with a high finish of second at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July. Meendering will step into an organization that is showing a commitment to winning. Petty Enterprises recently announced that they will move into the Mooresville, N.C. shop the previously housed Robert Yates Racing. The hiring of Meendering will provide a talented leader to ease in the transition period.(MCG Sports/Petty Racing PR)(11-26-2007)
