Iowa native is Brennan Poole’s NASCAR Xfinity Series crew chief

Drivers are not the only competitive ones on a NASCAR racing team.

“I have a competitive nature and I love the competitiveness of the sport,” NASCAR Xfinity Series crew chief Chad Norris said. “Even as a crew chief, you are trying to prepare the driver, the cars and your team to be the best every day and be faster than the other guys out there.”

Norris grew up racing on the dirt tracks of Iowa. The 40-year-old Fremont native returns to Iowa Speedway this weekend for the seventh time as a crew chief of an Xfinity Series team.

He was tapped by Chip Ganassi Racing to lead the 2016 No. 48 DC Solar Chevrolet driven by Brennan Poole. CGR announced in February it would have two Xfinity Series entries in 2016 with Poole competing in his first full season at that level.

“I was excited for the opportunity to join Chip Ganassi Racing at the first part of this year. Not only is Brennan in his first full season racing in the Xfinity cars, we’re a brand new team for him,” Norris said. “Brennan ran at Iowa Speedway in both Xfinity Series races last year and we’re all pumped about racing there this weekend.”

Norris guides Poole into this weekend’s Xfinity Series stop at Iowa Speedway — the first of two Xfinity races this summer at the Newton track. Poole drives the CGR No. 48 in Sunday’s American Ethanol E15 250 presented by Enogen. There are practice laps Friday, qualifying rounds on Saturday and the 12:30 p.m. race Sunday.

Poole, who is from The Woodlands, Texas, sits eighth in the 2016 Xfinity drivers’ points standings. The No. 48 DC Solar team finished 11th at Michigan International Speedway a week ago. Poole’s best finish this season was third at Talladega in April 30.

“We work a couple weeks out from races. The Michigan stuff is gone and we have some down time today,” Norris told The Newton Daily News a week ago in a telephone interview. “We do everything in house on the car side. We decide how we want the car built for each different track.”

Norris said Iowa Speedway presents a challenge for him as a crew chief.

“The racing there is normally very good. The track has some character to it — the bumps in it. It is challenging from my side of it to get the set-up in the car correct so we can get through the bumps and try to be faster than the other guys out there,” Norris said.

Norris said he has always liked Iowa Speedway and has helped drivers navigate the track six other times. He said Poole was excited to get back to Iowa after running here twice last year in a different car with a different team.

Poole finished 38th in the Xfinity Series race in May 2015 then returned to Iowa in August to claim 14th.

Norris began his career in motorsports as a 15-year-old driver on local dirt tracks such as Oskaloosa. He said he kept up with his driving until he made the decision to move to North Carolina at the end of 1995 to pursue a job in the sport.

“Moving from inside the car to the outside was a natural progression for me. I enjoyed the challenge of being competitive week in and week out, leading a group of guys to be the best each week. Helping a driver achieve on the race track is a tremendous feeling as a crew chief,” Norris said.

Before moving to Chip Ganassi Racing this year, Norris spent 11-plus years with Roush Fenway Racing working with drivers at each level of NASCAR racing. In 2008, Norris worked as crew chief for four different drivers in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and in 2012 he served as crew chief for Carl Edwards in 17 Sprint Cup races.

From 2005 until 2015 with Roush Fenway, Norris served as crew chief in the Xfinity Series working with drivers such as Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin and Jamie McMurray. He guided 14 drivers during that time, including Travis Pastrana in 2013 and Trevor Bayne in 2014, through full seasons.

In 2015, he was the crew chief for Roush Fenway’s Ryan Reed for 13 races and Darrell Wallace Jr. for 20 races. He ran Roush Fenway’s research and development department from 2011 until 2015.

“The biggest difference in working with younger drivers from veteran drivers like Carl Edwards is helping them figure out where they need to be with their car from our practice sessions to the race. Where Carl was at in his career in 2012, he did a great job of knowing what he needed to do on the track, and the team and I just need to keep speed and balance in the car each week,” Norris said.

“Younger drivers need to learn where they need to be during a race. There’s a good difference between our practice sessions to races. We’re working on balance for the race car to give drivers the best opportunity to be fast on the track in races depending on the time of day of the race.”

Norris said there’s always something to be done and a team doesn’t have a lot of down time. With Poole, he is guiding a brand new team and as Poole grows as a driver, the team grows also. He said as a crew chief, he aligns the 10 guys who travel with the team on a weekly basis so they are working together.

“In the offseason, we were busy building equipment and the cars. Each race track requires specific set ups on the cars for balance and speed. Things are coming around well for us. Brennen has done a really nice job of getting his car where he needs to be for the race, and getting some sold results up to this point,” Norris said.

During a race, Norris said a lot of things are going on for him as a crew chief. He said he is constantly thinking strategy for his driver including when to take pit stops, fuel mileage and help the driver with anything he needs throughout the race.

“We’re always busy trying to find the edge to be more competitive. I’m mainly responsible for making sure the cars are built and prepped properly for the particular race track and the set ups in the cars are what we want to start the weekend. As we go through the weekend with practice, qualifying and the race, we’re trying to keep balance and speed in the car,” Norris said.

Norris and the CGR No. 48 DC Solar team are out to help Poole go after his first Xfinity Series win this weekend at Iowa Speedway.

“Iowa Speedway is a really great place to race and the fans are awesome. They are everywhere when you get there,” Norris said. “I know Brennan is ready to get to Iowa for some short track racing and see what we can come up with.”

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535
or jsheets@newtondailynews.com