Freedom Racing hoping change in crew chief spurs momentum shift
General view of some tires before the start of the NASCAR Xfinity Series DoorDash 250 at Sonoma Raceway.
Freedom Racing Enterprises hasn't had an ideal rookie season in the Truck Series, but they're hoping a personnel change will right the ship.
On Monday, it was announced that veteran crew chief Mike Hillman Jr. would take the reins as crew chief on the No. 76 truck, replacing interim crew chief Jeff Hammond.
Hammond, whose official position with FRE is that of general manager, has served as the interim crew chief since the fourth Truck Series race of the season at Bristol. Greg Ely was the crew chief for FRE and driver Spencer Boyd for the first three races of the year, but went over to the No. 33 truck and Lawless Alan at Bristol.
Freedom Racing Enterprises is a team in its rookie campaign as an organization owned by Boyd and co-owner Chris Miller. While expectations weren't super high for the new team in 2024, the team has done a solid job navigating the harsh waters of NASCAR, even finishing fifth in the season opener at Darlington.
Halfway through the season, however, Boyd and the No. 76 team sit just 26th in points, second-to-last among all full-time drivers. While the result at Daytona was a great start, good results have been hard to come by for the young team since, with their best non-superspeedway efforts being 19th at Darlington and 20th at Charlotte.
The team is hoping Hillman, a war wagon veteran of nearly two decades in the Truck Series, can help FRE finish out the season with a couple more flashy runs. The team's best chance at another top-10 — and possibly a win — will be at the Talladega Superspeedway in October, a track Boyd won at in 2019.
Hillman's first race on the pit box for Boyd will be Friday's Rackley Roofing 200 at Nashville Superspeedway.
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