Mack joins Leavine as Kahne's crew chief

Tuesday, 24 October 2017


By Kelly Crandall / Image by Nigel Kinrade/LAT


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Leavine Family Racing has finalized its driver and crew chief lineup for the 2018 season.

Announced Tuesday morning, Travis Mack, who is the current car chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Hendrick Motorsports, will join the organization as the crew chief for incoming driver Kasey Kahne.
Kahne was announced as the next driver of the No. 95 Chevrolet last month.

Mack, who has been the car chief of the No. 88 since 2015, has been a member of the Hendrick family since 2004 and got a taste of being a crew chief when he served as Earnhardt's interim leader at Richmond Raceway seven weeks ago.

"As crew chief, Travis brings leadership and a solid experience to Leavine Family Racing," said Jeremy Lange, vice president and general manager of LFR. "His passion for racing and desire to win will fit well in our organization and, collectively, we are all looking forward to 2018 and beyond."
A former shock specialist and mechanic, Mack is the latest in a long line of Hendrick Motorsports employees who have worked themselves into a crew chief position.
Greg Ives was a race engineer for Jimmie Johnson before being tasked with leading Earnhardt's team after the departure of Steve Letarte. And Letarte held down many roles at HMS before becoming a crew chief, such as mechanic, car chief and tire specialist.

Kahne's former crew chief, Keith Rodden, was a Hendrick mechanic. There's also Kevin Meendering, who moved to the Xfinity Series as a crew chief for JR Motorsports after being the lead engineer for Earnhardt's Cup team.
The 34-year-old Mack is a native of Louisville, Kentucky.