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Gordon's crew cheif Loomis joins Petty Enterprises
September 14, 2005

CONCORD, North Carolina (Ticker) - Jeff Gordon's championship hopes are gone. So is his crew chief.

Four days after Gordon was eliminated from NASCAR's "Chase for the Nextel Cup," Hendrick Motorsports on Wednesday announced his crew chief Robbie Loomis is leaving to become executive vice president of race operations at Petty Enterprises.

Steve Letarte, who has worked on Gordon's team since 1996, will assume duties as crew chief for the No. 24 Chevrolet Monte Carlo driven by Gordon beginning this weekend in New Hampshire.

Loomis, who was a crew chief with Petty Enterprises before leaving for Hendrick Motorsports in 2000, will be in charge of the day-to-day operations of the No. 43 Dodge Charger driven by Jeff Green and the No. 45 Dodge driven by Kyle Petty.

"Robbie Loomis will direct our entire race operation, and we expect his experience and his ability to mold a team to help us get to the next level," said Petty, who also is the company's CEO.

Before rejoining Petty Enterprises, Loomis will serve as a consultant to Hendrick Motorsports, as Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet, and crew chief Chad Knaus enter the "Chase" fourth in the standings.

"We still have a job to do," Loomis said. "Our goal is winning that championship with Jimmie, Chad and the No. 48 team. I'm here to support them in any way I possibly can."

While Johnson still has a 2005 championship in his sights, Gordon does not. Gordon ran 30th in Richmond on Saturday to remain 12th in the standings entering the 10-race championship run. Only the top 10 teams in the standings are eligible to compete in the "Chase."

The 41-year-old Loomis had been Gordon's crew chief since 2000, helping him win his fourth series title in 2001 and finish just 16 points away from a fifth last season. However, 2005 has been a disaster for the No. 24 team with as many finishes of 30th or worse (9) as top-10s.

Gordon joined Dale Earnhardt Jr. as NASCAR's biggest names not to make the "Chase," and both will have new crew chiefs this weekend. Earlier Wednesday, DEI announced Tony Eury Jr. as Earnhardt's new crew chief.

Now Gordon, whose 72 career wins are seventh in series history and third in the modern era (1972-2005), will move forward with the 26-year-old Letarte, who has served as car chief, tire specialist and mechanic during his 10-year tenure with Hendrick Motorsports.

I'm sad to see Robbie leave," Gordon said. "We made a great team and had more wins ahead of us, but the Pettys presented him with a fantastic opportunity. For him, it was time for a change and I'm happy he's found the right fit.

"I've worked with Steve for more than 10 years and we already communicate extremely well, both on and off the track. The team has a ton of confidence in his abilities, so we're looking forward to the last 10 races of 2005 and getting an early jump on next year."

Prior to helping Gordon win 23 races - three this season - in 204 starts, Loomis spent nine seasons as a crew chief at Petty Enterprises. He began as the legendary Richard Petty's crew chief in 1991 and served the same role for drivers Rick Wilson, Wally Dallenbach, Bobby Hamilton and John Andretti.

"We are excited that Robbie will be rejoining Petty Enterprises," Petty said. "Robbie won races as a crew chief here, and then won a lot of races and a championship with Jeff Gordon and Hendrick Motorsports. We have great respect for the entire Hendrick organization, and know that Robbie's experience with the Hendrick team has prepared him well for the role he will take on at Petty Enterprises.

"Robbie has been a part of our family for a long time, and we're happy to have him come home."