Jason Ratcliff
This poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libelous. )Find sources: "Jason Ratcliff" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (October 2023) |
Personal information | |
---|---|
Birth name | Jason Mederic Ratcliff |
Nationality | American |
Born | Sumter, South Carolina, U.S. | December 8, 1967
Sport | |
Country | United States |
Sport | NASCAR Xfinity Series |
Team | 19. Joe Gibbs Racing |
Jason Mederic Ratcliff (born December 8, 1967) is an American retired NASCAR crew chief, who previously was employed by Joe Gibbs Racing as the crew chief for their No. 19 Toyota Supra in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driven by multiple drivers. He has worked for JGR since 2005 and prior to that was a crew chief for Brewco Motorsports and a pit crew member with LAR Motorsports and Sadler Brothers Racing. He is the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series championship-winning crew chief, winning the championship with driver Kyle Busch.
Career
Early career
Crew member
He began his career in racing working on mini
1999–2004: Brewco Motorsports
In 1999, Ratcliff got his first crew chiefing job. He moved from LAR to
2005–present: Joe Gibbs Racing
In 2005, Ratcliff moved to
In 2008, he was the crew chief for Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin, which were both drivers of the No. 18. He was able to win five races total during the season, four with Busch and one with Hamlin. During 2009, Kyle Busch became the full-time driver of the 18. Ratcliff and Busch won the championship, with nine wins, 11 runner-up finishes, 25 top fives and 2,698 laps led. With their teamwork, Busch was able to lead in all the races except for three. They also led more than 50 percent of the laps in a race an twelve times. Busch led the series points standings after 30 of the 35 events, including the last 29 weeks of the season, leaving little room for doubt in the championship chase.[1]
After seven years being the crew chief for the No. 18 Nationwide Series car, Ratcliff was announced to replace Greg Zipadelli as the crew chief of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Sprint Cup Series car, driven by Joey Logano, on December 16, 2011.[2] In 2013, Ratcliff served as crew chief for Matt Kenseth, but was suspended for one race after the No. 20 engine failed postrace inspection following Kenseth's victory in the STP 400.[3]
On September 24, 2019, after two successful Xfinity Series seasons, Ratcliff and driver Christopher Bell were announced to move to the Leavine Family Racing No. 95 Toyota for the 2020 Cup season.[4][5] LFR closed down at the end of the 2020 season, so in 2021, Ratcliff returned to his former job as crew chief of the No. 20 Xfinity Series team for JGR, now driven by Harrison Burton.[6]
On October 27, 2023, Ratcliff announced in an interview on
Personal life
Ratcliff moved six times throughout his childhood, starting in
References
- ^ a b c d "Jason Ratcliff". Joe Gibbs Racing. Archived from the original on November 23, 2010. Retrieved December 9, 2010.
- ^ "JGR names Ratcliff crew chief of No. 20 Cup car". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. December 16, 2011. Retrieved December 17, 2011.
- ^ Ryan, Nate (May 11, 2013). "Matt Kenseth tames Darlington for third win of year". The Journal News. Retrieved May 11, 2013.
- ^ "Christopher Bell to compete in No. 95 with Leavine Family Racing in 2020". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. September 24, 2019. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
- ^ Page, Scott (September 24, 2019). "Christopher Bell joins Leavine Family Racing for 2020". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
- ^ "Joe Gibbs Racing announces crew chief changes". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 17, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ Srigley, Joseph (October 27, 2023). "Jason Ratcliff Retiring After 24 Seasons as NASCAR Crew Chief". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ "Crew Chief Jason Ratcliff Bio | Stock Car Racing Magazine Article at Automotive.com". Circletrack.automotive.com. 1967-12-08. Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2010-12-09.
External links
- Jason Ratcliff crew chief statistics at Racing-Reference