The trend is continuing at JR Motorsports for promoting Hendrick Motorsports’ engineers as crew chiefs. Dave Elenz will be the new crew chief for the #5 JRM Chevy in 2015. He is replacing Ernie Cope, who is taking the place of Greg Ives on the #9 crew with driver Chase Elliott. Ives, the former team engineer for Jimmie Johnson at HMS, was named Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s crew chief for next season. Elenz, a Gaylord Mich.-native who attended Clemson University, moved from the #88 team with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and replaced Ives on the #48 Hendrick team after the 2013 season. Ives spent one year with Regan Smith at JRM before guiding Elliott to the top of the standings this season. Elenz started at Jasper Racing, where he first met JRM competition director Ryan Pemberton. The pair worked together at Ginn Racing and Red Bull Racing prior to Elenz joining the Hendrick Motorsports stable. The #5 team campaigned with Earnhardt, Kevin Harvick and Kasey Kahne this season.(Motorsport), the team is expected to change from the #5 to #88 next season.
