Martins Motorsports announced today that Danny Johnson will serve as the crew chief of the No. 44 MMS Chevrolet for the 2020 season. Johnson served as the crew chief for Josh Williams’ ARCA Menards Series team part time in the 2016 season, tallying up a pair of wins in Nashville and Madison as well as a handful of top-tens throughout his time with the team. Johnson was also atop the pit box for various races in the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series season for MBM Motorsports; most notably with Martins himself for his best finish of the season at Phoenix last fall.
This announcement comes off the heels of Martins Motorsports and Tommy Joe Martins announcing a full-time campaign together in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for the 2020 season.
“I am excited to have the opportunity to join Martins Motorsports and to work with Tommy Joe on a full-time basis in 2020.” Said Danny Johnson. “We worked together a few times during the 2019 season and experienced some success, so I look forward to building on that this year. The move over to Martins Motorsports was a no-brainer for me. This will allow me to help develop a solid and competitive program. Tommy is a wheel man and does a great job of getting everything out of the race car. As a driver, he is diligent about taking care of our equipment and he knows what he wants out of the car. His ability to communicate this information definitely makes my job as a crew chief a lot easier!”
Johnson’s experience, work ethic, and drive in the sport are a spectacular match-up for a team that is prepared to leave it all out on the race track on a weekly basis and brings some familiarity to the table between driver and crew chief right out of the gate.
“Craig and Rodney have really worked hard to put this team together in a short amount of time,
and in doing so have given us all the resources we need to thrive in 20 (2020).” Said Johnson. “As team owners, they are committed to giving us the equipment we need to be competitive week in and out. Their hard work has definitely laid a solid foundation for our team to have a productive season moving forward.”
With the team being a new entry coming into the 2020 season there is added emphasis on finding a solid qualifying pace for the first few races of the season. NASCAR’s second division brings with it a hard-set group of competition every week, ending in some teams being sent home when qualifications are complete.
“My first goal for this year is for us to make the race at Daytona.” Said Danny Johnson. Without having any points to rely on, this will be the biggest feat we need to accomplish when starting off the season. With the cars and motor program we have put in place, it is realistic to expect that we can be a 15th to 18th place car week in and week out. One of my main focuses for this year is to be competitive and maximize our weekends. This will allow us to continue to build our program and achieve our long-term goals moving forward.”
Together, with a hard-working crew behind them, the pair look to match the success they found last season and are ready to set and achieve their goals for the 2020 season.
— Martins Motorsports —