According to an earlier report, Johnny Klausmeier will serve as Crew Chief for Chase Briscoe and the No. 14 team in 2021. Klausmeier was the Crew Chief for the No. 14 team under Clint Bowyer in 2020 in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Just 39-years-old, Klausmeier made his Crew Chief debut in 2016, serving as an interim for Kurt Busch while the No. 41 car’s normal Crew Chief Tony Gibson served a suspension. Klausmeier made the most of the opportunity, picking up a win with a gutsy fuel call. He’d return as Crew Chief for one more race in 2017 before becoming a full-time Crew Chief in 2018.
Klausmeier was paired with new Stewart-Haas driver Aric Almirola and the No. 10 machine, and together they won at Talladega in the fall of 2018. The duo would go winless in 2019 before Klausmeier was sent to lead the Clint Bowyer machine. Under Almirola, Klausmeier and the No. 10 team picked up 29 top-10 finishes.
Bowyer and Klausmeier picked up a pair of top-5s and 11 top-10s in 2020 before Bowyer’s retirement. Now, Klausmeier is paired with a young rookie who has intentions to win right away.
Driving three seasons in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, Briscoe won 11 times and placed in the top-ten 53 times. He finished in the top-10 all but seven times and 10 times in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
Briscoe’s success in the XFINITY Series was obvious, but how will it translate to the Cup Series? He’s beat some of the best in the sport at NASCAR’s second-highest level, but it’s an entirely different ballgame once you reach the big leagues.
For Klausmeier, he’s looking to finally breakout as a Crew Chief. Winning just once in three full-time seasons, Klausmeier is looking to put together a multi-win season and make a run at a championship.
With a young driver at the wheel and a young Crew Chief calling the shots, will it be a recipe for success at Stewart-Haas Racing?