NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
  • Peg It on GarageMonkey
CUP: RCR Releases Pit Crew Coach
Kevin Harvick was unhappy with his pit stops again Sunday at Michigan...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted August 22, 2011   Charlotte, NC
Kevin Harvick was not happy with the performance of his pit crew during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
Less than one day after Kevin Harvick had trouble on pit road at Michigan International Speedway, Richard Childress Racing released pit-crew coach Matt Clark, SPEED sources confirmed Monday.

Clark, who had the title of Director of Human Performance and Leadership Development at RCR, had been with the team since January 2008. In that position, he was charged with assembling and coaching RCR's Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series, Camping World Truck Series and ARCA Racing Series over-the-wall pit crews.

The 40-year-old Clark previously had worked with Hendrick Motorsports in a variety of capacities from 2001 to 2007. Prior to that, he was with Team Rensi and had worked in the athletic departments of both Albertus Magnus College and South Central College, both institutions in New Haven, Conn.

Under Clark’s tutelage at RCR, the No. 31 team for driver Jeff Burton won the 2009 Sprint Pit Crew Challenge over-the-wall competition and finished second in 2010.

But pit stops have been a problem this season. During Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway, Harvick was penalized on Lap 30 when a lug nut was missed on a pit stop. Harvick finished 22nd, the fifth time in the last six races he’s failed to crack the top 10.

Calls to RCR seeking comment were not immediately returned.

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEED.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100.
tom_jensen's avatar

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tom Jensen

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR
Advertising | Jobs | Feedback | FAQ | Terms of Use | NEW Privacy Policy | Ad Choices | Site Map
Fox Sports | FUEL TV | FX Network | National Geographic | IGN | AskMen
The Motor Sports Authority, SPEED and associated logos are registered trademarks of Speed Channel Inc.
All Rights Reserved © Speed Channel, Inc. 2013

All external links will open in a new browser window. SPEED.com does not endorse external sites.