Getty Derek Kraus will have a new crew chief for the rest of the 2022 season.
Another big change is taking place in the Camping World Truck Series. McAnally-Hilgemann Racing has made a significant crew chief change for the remaining 2022 races.
The team issued a press release during the off-week to announce the news. McAnally-Hilgemann Racing announced that Charles Denike will take over as the crew chief for Derek Kraus and the No. 19 team. Denike makes his way to McAnally-Hilgemann Racing after 57 races with GMS Racing.
“We’re excited to have Charles join our team,” said MHR co-owner Bill McAnally in a statement. “We’re confident that he will strengthen our overall team as we move ahead and help us take full advantage of the opportunities we have available through our alliance with GMS Racing.”
Prior to joining GMS Racing, Denike spent nearly 10 years as an engineer in the U.S. Army. He then served as a crew chief for a variety of drivers in the K&N Pro Series East between 2012 and 2016. None of the drivers reached Victory Lane, but Gray Gaulding secured the only three top-five finishes.
ALL the latest NASCAR news straight to your inbox! Subscribe to the Heavy on NASCAR newsletter here!
Sign up for the Heavy on NASCAR Newsletter!
Denike Has Multiple Trips to Victory Lane
GettyChase Elliott (right) won a race with Charles Denike (left) in 2020.
Denike has 57 career races atop the pit box, all of which were with GMS Racing. Though he only spent one season (2021) as a full-time crew chief. He worked with several drivers from 2020 to 2022, and he guided two of them to wins during the 2020 season.
Denike’s first career win was with a Cup Series driver behind the wheel. He guided Chase Elliott to a win at Charlotte Motor Speedway during the 2020 season. Four months later, he joined forces with Sam Mayer at Bristol Motor Speedway and returned to Victory Lane.
Kraus, for comparison, has not won a race during his Camping World Truck Series career. He has come close with four top-five finishes, headlined by a runner-up behind Ben Rhodes at Darlington Raceway in 2020.
Kraus currently sits one spot below the playoff cutline with two races remaining in the Truck Series regular season. He is 29 points below ThorSport Racing’s Matt Crafton, who holds the final transfer spot. Kraus will have two final opportunities to secure a spot in the playoffs, first at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on July 9 and then at Pocono Raceway on July 23.
The Move Follows Another Significant Change
The Truck Series off-week has featured multiple crew chiefs moving between teams. Denike joining McAnally-Hilgemann Racing is only the latest, and it is a direct result of GMS Racing making a big change.
The championship-winning organization, which has an alliance with MHR, announced on June 29 that Jeff Hensley will return after several years with GMS Racing. He will reunite with Grant Enfinger and serve as the crew chief of the No. 23 team for the remainder of the season.
Hensley, who started the season with Crafton at ThorSport Racing, has previous success with Enfinger. The duo made five trips to Victory Lane together, including four times in the 2020 season when Enfinger finished a career-high fourth in points.
Hensley moving to GMS Racing meant that Denike was in need of a new role. He started the year with Enfinger but will now finish out his season with Kraus as the driver of the No. 19 battles with Enfinger for one of the final spots in the playoff field.
READ NEXT: Tyler Reddick Breaks 2 Historic Winless Streaks at Road America