JR Motorsports Shakes Up Crew Chief Lineup for 2023

Getty JR Motorsports will have a new crew chief lineup in 2023.

The 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series season will feature new partnerships at JR Motorsports. The organization will take on the schedule with a completely revamped crew chief lineup.

JRM announced the news on November 17. Justin Allgaier will now have James Pohlman as his crew chief while Jason Burdett will move over to work with Brandon Jones on the No. 9 team. Taylor Moyer, who worked with Sam Mayer in 2022, will join forces with Josh Berry. Finally, Mardy Lindley will join JR Motorsports and take over Mayer’s team.

The move takes place after all four JRM drivers reached the playoffs. Noah Gragson won eight races and finished second in the championship event while Allgaier won three times and finished third in the standings.

Berry also won three races before finishing fourth in the standings. Mayer was seventh in the standings after reaching the second round of the playoffs.

“As successful as 2022 was for JR Motorsports, we’re always asking ourselves ‘how can we be better?'” said Mike Bumgarner, JRM’s director of competition. “While we performed at a very high level this season, a tweak here or there can help push you even further.

“We were fortunate to bring in Jim and Mardy. Both have past success with their drivers and we expect that will aid in making a smooth transition.”

Allgaier Has Past Experience With Pohlman

GettyJustin Allgaier (front) has previous experience with Pohlman.

Burdett has spent his entire JRM tenure with Burdett atop the pit box. Together they have celebrated 16 wins while finishing top four in the championship standings five times since 2016.

Allgaier will now join forces with Pohlman, who makes his way to JRM after most recently working at Richard Childress Racing. This includes four Xfinity Series races with Sheldon Creed and one Cup Series race each with Austin Dillon and Austin Hill. Pohlman also worked with Juan Pablo Montoya during the 2011 season at Chip Ganassi Racing.

Allgaier and Pohlman have some experience working together, albeit in a different series. They celebrated an ARCA Menards Series championship together back in 2008 after Allgaier won six races, including the final three of the season.

A Multi-Series Winner Reunites With Mayer

GettySam Mayer reunites with his former crew chief.

The addition of Lindley will be significant for multiple reasons. First, he makes his way to the Xfinity Series for the first time. He also joins JRM after two seasons at Kyle Busch Motorsports and six wins split between Martin Truex Jr., Corey Heim, and Kyle Busch.

The main reason why this is a significant move is that it reunites Mayer with Lindley. They previously joined forces in both the K&N Pro Series East and ARCA Menards Series while celebrating numerous wins.

The 2019 K&N Pro Series East season featured Lindley and Mayer celebrating four wins in 12 races while posting 11 top-10 finishes. They won the championship for GMS Racing over Chase Cabre.

One year later, the duo took on the 2020 ARCA Menards Series season. Mayer was only behind the wheel for 13 of the 20 races, but he delivered five wins while starting from the pole once. They also won the ARCA Menards Series East championship after focusing on that series.

Mayer and Lindley will now reunite after a relatively successful Xfinity Series season. The driver of the No. 1 reached the playoffs in 2022 after posting 14 top-10 finishes in the regular season. He did not reach the championship four or Victory Lane, but he closed out the season seventh in the standings with 19 top-10s and 11 top-fives.