Team owner Jack Roush said:

We are excited about this change on both fronts. Pairing two highly successful veterans like Carl and Jimmy should be quite a matchup and it is our expectation based on what Jimmy has been able to accomplish with many high profile drivers, that it will provide the spark to get the #99 program and Carl back into championship form. However, we are particularly excited about teaming up Scott Graves and Ricky. Through his extensive research and development work, Scott has an excellent understanding of the new 2013 body style. In his short time as a crew chief he has demonstrated a cunning knack as a leader on the pit box and he is going to be a great match for Ricky as he makes his move upwards into the Sprint Cup ranks.

Fennig will replace Chad Norris, who took over the reigns when Bob Osborne stepped down due to health issues. Norris will move to the No. 60 Nationwide Series team.

Graves has been working as Carl Edwards’ team engineer.

Related Stories

• Osborne Steps Down As Edwards’ Crew Chief
• Fennig To Return As Crew Chief For RFR’s No. 17, Kenseth

Team owner Jack Roush said:

Our commitment to winning a championship with the No. 99 in 2012 has not waivered. I’m committed to providing the resources to Carl and to his team to do that, and this restructuring of Bob’s role and the introduction of Chad Norris as the crew chief for the No. 99 will put us in the best possible position for these final seven races before the Chase begins.

Osborne said:

At this time in my life…concerns with my health have necessitated that I change my role within the organization. This transition is not an easy one, but I’m thankful to have the full support of Jack, Carl and the entire organization. I also have every confidence in Chad Norris, and I look forward to working with him as we continue to pursue a championship in 2012. I also appreciate the privacy and respect that the community will give me and my family during this difficult time.

Edwards said:

I’m so thankful for what he’s done for me as a driver, and he is without a doubt one of the smartest guys in the sport. I’m also appreciative of the fact that he’ll continue to be a resource for me and our team as we focus on these final races. We’re very fortunate to have Chad Norris as part of our organization to take over for the No. 99. I’ve known Chad for a long time and he is a fierce competitor. We’ve got our work cut out for us over the next seven races, and I’ve got every confidence Chad can lead our team to where we need to be.

Edwards currently sits 11th in points, outside of the Chase. Kasey Kahne and Kyle Busch currently hold the Wild Card spots by virtue of their wins. Edwards has not won a race this season. His last win came in 2011 in the Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the third race of that season.

Stewart’s current crew chief, Darien Grubb, could become director of competition for SHR, a role that was recently opened when Bobby Hutchens and SHR parted ways.

This could mean that if Carl Edwards moved to Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 20 next season, which has been rumored, he may bring crew chief Bob Osborne with him. This, of course, is speculation, as no official announcements have been made.

Update: Tony Stewart denied rumors that Greg Zipadelli would be joining his organization next season. He called it untrue in a Sports Illustrated article.

Update 2: Greg Zipadelli has denied rumors about reuniting with Tony Stewart, according to the Associated Press. Zipadelli admitted that he is not happy with how his no. 20 joe Gibbs Racing Toyota is running, but he denied that he would be leaving the team, noting that he had two years left on his contract.

Zipadelli said:

I love Tony, he’s as close to me as my brother. But that doesn’t mean anything. I love the organization I work for, they’ve been very positive and very supportive for over 13 years. I learned a long time ago to never say never in this sport about anything.

Stewart did not speak about Zipadelli, but he said that the team was not ready to hire a competition director. The team recently released Bobby Hutchens from that position, and is looking at filling the role. Stewart said:

We haven’t got anywhere yet. We are still looking at our options. It would be nice to have a person in that position. We definitely want to get that role filled. At the same time, we want to make sure just like we did when we hired Bobby, we want to make sure we’re hiring the right person. So we’ll take our time on it.

Carl Edwards led early, taking the lead from Jimmie Johnson on lap 20, and again on lap 45. Edwards ran at or near the front all day. He had minor issues with Johnson on pit road, as Edwards would pull forward in his pit box, while Johnson would pull in and leave his right rear wheel out of the box, which is legal. Edwards had to cut harder to get out and wouldn’t beat Johnson off the pits. Edwards’ crew cheif Bob Osborne was also not pleased with the team’s pit stops and he voiced his displeasure. On lap 289, Edwards made contact with Dale Earnhardt Jr on pit road, but he did not suffer damage. On a restart on lap 309, Denny Hamlin led Edwards to the green. Edwards was right on his back bumper. Hamlin spun his tires, and Edwards was able to get to the inside and make the pass for the lead. On the final restart on lap 317, Edwards checked out and won the race by 2.684 seconds.

Greg Biffle had a somewhat uneventful day. He ran in the top 10 early, but lost a lap and ran in the teens. On lap 210, he got the free pass. He drove to a quiet 10th place finish.

Jeff Burton started up near the front, but by lap 75 he had dropped to 18th place. On lap 113, he was penalized for speeding off pit road. By lap 160, he was up to 16th. On lap 259, Burton was running 17th one lap down. He had a tire rub. On lap 289, he go the free pass. On lap 302, Dave Blaney was slowing and Burton moved to the inside of Blaney. The two made contact, sending Blaney spinning. Burton and Reed Sorenson both got into Blaney’s spinning car and Juan Pablo Montoya got into the back of Sorenson. the contact sent Sorenson down into Burton, turning Burton into the outside wall. Then Burton slid down the track and made contact with Montoya. He finished 18th.

Kevin Harvick started in sixth, but quickly dropped to 12th in the first 17 laps. By lap 75, he was 17th. He managed to finish 13th.

Jeff Gordon ran in the top 5 for the early part of the race, and ran near the front for the rest of it. Gordon finished 9th.

Clint Bowyer started near the front but quickly dropped, much like teammate Kevin Harvick. By lap 60, he fell to 23rd position. He reported that the car was too loose. By lap 250, he was up to 19th position. On lap 298, while he was leaving pit road, he made contact with Juan Pablo Montoya, who was having a great run. Bowyer finished 20th.

After starting eigth, Tony Stewart fell to 21st position by lap 30. By lap 160, Stewart was running 18th, but by lap 270 he was down to 20th. He finished 17th.

Matt Kenseth had perhaps his best car in the Chase and took the lead on lap 89 when Carl Edwards pitted under green. The next lap, Kenseth pitted giving the lead to Dale Earnhardt Jr. He took the lead again on lap 112, and again on lap 133, and again on lap 221. He lost the lead on lap 254, when he lost the race off pit road. All told, Kenseth led 128 laps and finished fourth.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a strong car early and ran near the front all day. He took the lead on lap 90, when Matt Kenseth pitted. He gave up the lead on the next lap to pit. On lap 134, Jr pitted under caution. His crew did not get the windshield tear-off off when he stopped, but it blew off without issues when the field took the green. On lap 196, he made slight contact with the wall but was able to continue with no problems. On lap 289, as Jr was leaving pit road, he hit Kurt Busch on the right side, then bounced off Busch and hit Edwards on the left. On the final restart, Jr was running sixth. Over the next eight laps, Jr dropped to 11th where he finished. He said that the hit on pit road knocked the toe out.

Denny Hamlin had a very quiet early part of the race. He reported a vibration but managed to make it into pit road on lap 86. On lap 255, Hamlin used a quick pit stop to win the race of pit road, taking the lead. By lap 275, he had a nearly two second lead on Matt Kenseth. On the second to last restart, Hmlin led Carl Edwards to the green. Hamlin spun his tires twice, allowing Edwards to take the lead on the inside. In the closing laps, Edwards was pulling away from Hamlin, while Jimmie Johnson was coming to the front in a hurry. On the final lap, Hamlin got a little loose and Johnson took second place from him on the outside. Hamlin finished third.

Kyle Busch had a quiet day and stayed out of trouble. He ran near the front for most of the day. He complained of a loose racecar early, and the team made major changes to it. He quietly finished fifth. The team had its rear end housing confiscated by NASCAR. The housing will be taken to NASCAR’s Research & Development center to check its measurements.

Jeff Burton ran in the top 10 in the early stages of the race, making his way up to third by lap 48. He took the lead for the first time on lap 255 when Greg Biffle made a scheduled pit stop. On lap 264 Robby Gordon crashed. On the restart, Burton was running second to teammate Greg Biffle. On lap 277, he took the lead on the outside. On the next restart, he battled Jimmie Johnson side-by-side for two laps. He built up a half-second lead in the next eight laps. Eleven laps later, his lead was over a second. He won the race by a comfortable margin of 0.700 seconds over Kasey Kahne.

Greg Biffle spent much of the race in the top 5, taking over the top spot for the first time on lap 250. He lost the lead when he made a scheduled pit stop on lap 255, but he regained the lead on lap 267. Burton passed him for the lead after a restart in lap 277. On the final restart on lap 301, Biffle ran fifth. In the closing laps, he was passed by Kyle Busch and Jamie McMurray. He finished seventh.

Carl Edwards started the day second. He ran the early part of the race in the top 5. On lap 51, however, he reported a vibration. One lap later, he dove onto  pit road because he had a loose wheel. While he was on pit road, a caution came out after AJ Allmendinger spun. He did not beat leader Jimmie Johnson, who was coming to the line, off pit road, so he lost a lap. his crew chief, Bob Osborne, argued that he should get the free pass, but it was awarded to Jeff Gordon instead. On lap 67, things went from bad to worse for Edwards, who had an ignition problem and had to be pushed to pit road because the car would not fire. By lap 84, he returned to the track 16 laps down in 39th. He wound up finishing 33rd.

Clint Bowyer had a relatively quiet day. He ran around the top 5 for the first half of the race, and managed to stay out of trouble. He did, however, get into Denny Hamlin on lap 232 and sent Hamlin up the track. Other than that, Bowyer had a decent race, but ended up finishing 12th.

Kevin Harvick, who was the center of a lot of media attention this week due to his high-profile incident with Carl Edwards, had major issues with the setup of his car. On lap 64, the team gave Harvick eight rounds of wedge. He went virtually unnoticed for the rest of the race, running in the top 10 and teens. He finished 13th.

Tony Stewart made some noise early, taking the lead on lap 32 and again on lap 76. At one point during the race, Stewart had built up a seven second lead. But, his car did not handle that well in traffic. On lap 166, he complained that something might be wrong with the nose of his car, but pit stops were coming up so he was not too worried. On lap 260, Stewart was caught speeding on pit road. He recovered to finish 11th.

Jeff Gordon had trouble early on brushing the wall on lap 1 and hitting it hard on lap 5. On lap 9, he pitted because he has a tire rub. On lap 54, he got the free pass and was back on the lead lap. On lap 203, Gordon recovered, taking the lead from Martin Truex Jr. Both Gordon and Truex stayed out after a crash involving Matt Kenseth, Travis Kvapil, Tony Raines, and Chad McCumbee. Gordon lost the lead on lap 250 when he made a scheduled pit stop. He ran the rest of the race in or near the top 10, finishing eighth.

Kyle Busch had, by far, his best race of the Chase, running up near the front all day. He led lap 104 under caution, due to his pit stall location. He led again at lap 110, taking the top spot from teammate Tony stewart.He lost the lead when he pitted under caution. On lap 260, Busch was caught speeding, like his teammate Tony Stewart. He recovered to finish fourth.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a strong car early, making his way to third around lap 36. He spent most of the early part of the race in the top 10. But, on lap 103, he blew a tire and sustained heavy damage, effectively ending his day. He finished 36th, 45 laps down.

Matt Kenseth had an uneventfuly day until lap 194 when Paul Menard got into Bill Elliott, pushing him into Tony Raines, who hit the wall. As that happened, Travis Kvapil turned down the race track into Kenseth’s right rear quarter panel, sending him into the outside wall. He finished 41st.

Denny Hamlin had a realtively quiet day following his hard crash at Talladega Superspeedway last weekend that put him in the hospital for one night. On lap 232, Clint Bowyer got into the back of him sending him up the track and into the wall. He suffered some right-rear damage. He finished 16th.