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

Kenseth started the 2010 season with Drew Blickensderfer on the pit box, but one race into the season, he was replaced by Todd Parrott. Four months later, Parrott and Kenseth parted ways, with Fennig taking over crew chief duties.

Parrott said:

[Ambrose and I have] been talking, working on communication. He’s been coming over here, getting fitted for seats. He has some ideas of what he wants, what he’s looking for so the conversations between us have been very good. Once the dust settles and the smoke clears it will all be good. The cars continue to get better. The simulation programs are better. Just look at how the [RPM Nos.] 9 and 43 [of AJ Allmendinger] ran on Sunday at Homestead. I can’t wait to get started.

After the 2010 Daytona 500, Parrott replaced Drew Blickensderfer as crew chief for Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 17 Ford and driver Matt Kenseth. Kenseth and Parrott started out strong, posting four top 10s in their first four races together, three of which were top 5s. But, despite Kenseth being locked in a battle for a Chase berth, Parrott was replaced by Jimmy Fennig in four months later.

Parrott then moved to RPM as crew chief for Elloitt Sadler and the No. 19 team. Over the final 18 races of the season, Sadler and Parrott posted a 25.3 average finish.

Meanwhile, RPM has downsized, as has been expected for quite some time. RPM shrunk from a four-car team to a two-car operation, as Richard Petty continues to seek backing to acquire majority interest in the team.

Next season, the team will field Fords for AJ Allmendinger and Ambrose. RPM is currently working on a deal in which Best Buy would sponsor the No. 43 for the majority of next season’s races. Ambrose will be sponsored by Stanley Tools.

The contraction meant several crew members were let go. With Kenny Francis moving to Red Bull Racing with Kasey Kahne , and Richard “Slugger” Labbe following Paul Menard to Richard Childress Racing next season, many of their crew members will follow them.

In a statement RPM said:

Richard Petty Motorsports has completed its restructuring process and is now in the process of moving forward. RPM will shift from running four cars to two in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and that is never an easy process for the people involved. Currently, we are concentrating on building two solid programs with AJ Allmendinger behind the wheel of the No. 43 entry and Marcos Ambrose in the No. 9 Ford. We are very fortunate to have an extremely loyal family of partners and are looking forward to the future.

Sadler and Parrott worked together at Yates Racing back in 2004.

Reiser, who is currently general manager of RFR, served as Kenseth’s crew chief from the time he ran in what is now the Nationwide Series in 1997 until late 2007 when Reiser was promoted to GM.

During their time together, Kenseth and Reiser teamed up for 15 wins and a Sprint Cup championship.

When Reiser moved up, Chip Bolin, who already had one win with Kenseth during Reiser’s suspension at the start of the 2007 season,  took over as crew chief of the No. 17. The two would not find Victory Lane at all during the 2008 season. Bolin was replaced by Drew Blickensderfer before the start of the 2009 season.

In 2009, Kenseth and Blickensderfer started the season of strong, winning the first two races. But the two would not get another win that season, and they would miss the Chase.

After the 2010 Daytona 500, Blickensderfer was replaced by Todd Parrott as crew chief for Kenseth. And while they never won a race together, they did post four top 10s in their first four races together, three of which were top 5s. Over the next 10 races, they posted three top 10s. Kenseth was seventh in points when Parrott was replaced by Jimmy Fennig.

At that time, Roush said of the Kenseth-Fennig pairing:

I am very pleased that we have been able to place these two together on the No. 17. These guys were both instrumental in our back-to-back Sprint Cup Championships in 2003 and 2004, with Matt driving us to our first Cup Championship and Jimmy of course being instrumental in the 2004 championship as the team’s crew chief. We would expect this pairing to yield strong results as both of these guys are extremely talented and among the best in the business at what they do. 

In the media center before the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Roush and Kenseth both indicated that Reiser had been approached to return to his role as crew chief. Kenseth said that he wanted to remain in the front office, and he couldn’t be on the pit box and in the front office.

But now, according to an anonymous source, Reiser wants to go back to being a crew chief.

The source said:

Robbie wants to come back but he’s doing such a good job as GM that Jack can’t justify making a move right now. Next season, expect to see Reiser back on the pit box, with Robbie Loomis succeeding him as General Manager.

Loomis is currently serving as an executive of racing operations with Richard Petty Motorsports.