Joe Gibbs Racing have announced their replacement for crew chief Adam Stevens after he underwent successful double knee surgery.
Stevens has been a well-established name in NASCAR since 2002, when he began his career as a designer with Petty Enterprises.
In 2005, the 46-year-old joined Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) and acted as the race engineer for legendary driver Tony Stewart for three seasons, which included 18 victories and the Sprint Cup title in their first season together.
Stevens would move to JGR’s Xfinity team in 2010, acting as team engineer for Joey Lugano before he was made crew chief the next year.
After three seasons with Lugano, he was paired up with Kyle Busch, where they enjoyed immediate success with 19 wins and 46 top-five finishes in 52 Xfinity starts between 2013 and 2014.
Stevens and Busch would pair up for the Cup Series in 2015, which they would win at the first attempt and again in 2019, before Busch left the team in 2020 and Stevens became crew chief of the No. 20 car, driver by Christopher Bell.
Chris Sherwood is to replace Adam Stevens as JGR crew chief following his injury
Ahead of the 23rd round of the championship for the Cook Out 400 at the Richmond Raceway, JGR announced that Stevens had sustained a double knee injury while on a family holiday.
The 46-year-old underwent successful surgery to repair both knees, but he will not be at the event in Richmond to carry out his role as Bell’s crew chief.
Chris Sherwood, the team’s car chief, will act as interim crew chief while Stevens will oversee the team’s operations remotely from their headquarters while he recovers.
Speaking in a team release, Stevens said: “I hate that I won’t be at the track for a few weeks, but I will be fully engaged remotely.
“I am very thankful for the depth and strength of this 20 team and don’t anticipate my physical absence having any effect on our performance. The surgery went well, and I will be back at the track in a few weeks.”
Stevens is expected to miss the next two NASCAR events
While Stevens does not anticipate his absence will affect the team’s performance, he is set to miss the next two races. Sherwood is registered as a crew chief on the NASCAR roster portal for the race at the Michigan International Speedway, as well.
Furthermore, Sherwood has never served as a crew chief in the NASCAR National Series ranks and will therefore have big shoes to fill, with Stevens being one of the most recognised and successful names in the sport.
This temporary change in management will be crucial for Bell, who currently sits eighth in the drivers’ standings and has guided his No. 20 to three wins so far this season at the Phoenix Raceway, the Coca-Cola 600 and the New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Bell has also registered seven top-five finishes and 12 top-10 finishes.