Getty John Hunter Nemechek drives at Phoenix Raceway.
Kyle Busch Motorsports has put the final piece in place for the 2023 Craftsman Truck Series. The team has named the crew chief for the No. 4 team.
KBM announced on December 7 that Jimmy Villeneuve will take over the No. 4 team during the 2023 season. He will replace Eric Phillips, who departed KBM after the season finale at Phoenix Raceway. Villeneuve will work with Chase Purdy, who will take over the No. 4 Chevrolet Silverado.
“I’m honored that Kyle has chosen to elevate me to the crew chief position and I’m going to do everything that I can to prove that it was the right decision,” Villeneuve said in a press release. “We’ve got a close-knit group of guys on the [No.] 4 team that are working hard to make sure that we come out of the gates strong to start the 2023 season.
“Chase has been at the shop pretty much every day, so we’re already getting acclimated to him as a person and making things comfortable for him inside the truck so that when the season starts we can unload with fast Silverados each week.”
Villeneuve Has Won Multiple Championships
Villeneuve has been a key figure at Kyle Busch Motorsports since he joined the organization in 2017. He has been a truck chief that has helped capture 18 wins with a variety of drivers.
The list of achievements includes the 2017 Truck Series season. Villeneuve was the truck chief as Christopher Bell won five races, as well as the driver’s championship. Two years later, Villeneuve was instrumental in KBM winning the owner’s championship with the No. 51 team.
Prior to joining KBM, Villeneuve served as both a crew chief and a truck chief with multiple teams. He guided Todd Bodine for one race of the 2013 season at Turner Scott Motorsports and then he joined Athenian Motorsports in 2015 to serve as truck chief.
Villeneuve’s time at Athenian Motorsports also included a stint atop the pit box. He was promoted to crew chief during the 2016 season, and he guided multiple drivers for 19 total races.
“Jimmy has been an instrumental part of the success we have had at KBM in recent years winning a lot of races and a couple of championships as a truck chief, so we feel like he’s well deserving of the opportunity to be promoted to crew chief,” Kyle Busch said.
“He’s learned the KBM way under Eric and Rudy [Fugle] and being able to promote someone from within the organization to lead Chase and the No. 4 team will allow them to come out of the gates strong to start the 2023 season. It also shows the quality of people we have working at KBM throughout the building in every position and that hard work and dedication within our company will be rewarded.”
Villeneuve Completes the Crew Chief Lineup
GettyJohn Hunter Nemechek (left) races at Texas Motor Speedway.
The move to promote Villeneuve from his role as truck chief completes the crew chief lineup. He will join a revamped group that includes a veteran of the Cup Series.
While Villeneuve will take over the No. 4 team, Brian Pattie will join KBM after spending several seasons working with such drivers as Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Clint Bowyer, and Juan Pablo Montoya among others. Pattie will lead the No. 51 team that will feature Jack Wood, Kyle Busch, and several guests from the Chevrolet family.
The third member of the group will actually work for Rev Racing. Danny Stockman Jr. will move from the No. 18 team at KBM to the No. 2 team as part of a technical alliance with Rev Racing. He will guide rookie Nick Sanchez, who will make his first Craftsman Truck Series starts.