photographer: Sam Sharpe Photos, Paul Melhado Photo, Nigel Kinrade, Harold Hinson
Brian Whitesell is one of NASCAR Winston Cup's rising stars. After graduation from Virgina Tech in 1987, Whitesell served as an engineer for Mack Truck in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and Columbia, South Carolina. His career in motorsports began as a volunteer for Alan Kulwicki Racing in 1991. From there, Whitesell moved with Ray Evernham to Hendrick Motorsports, serving as chassis technician for the DuPont team.
Near the end of the '99 season, Whitesell was appointed to the post of crew chief of the DuPont team when Ray Evernham departed to form a Chrysler team.
After the end of the '99 season, Whitesell made the ascension to team manager and was teamed up with new Crew Chief Robbie Loomis.
When Ray Evernham, the only crew chief Jeff Gordon had known in a meteoric rise to NASCAR Winston Cup's summit over seven years, left Hendrick Motorsports last September, competitors and observers were sure that the sport's standard-bearing #24 team would struggle or fall apart.
But Brian Whitesell, apparently Hendrick Motorsports' best-kept secret, a virtual unknown outside the organization and Winston Cup garage, stepped out of the shadows and into his former mentor's position as the sport's most visible-perhaps enviable-crew chief.
Though Whitesell had no name and no experience as a crew chief, the 35-year-old small-town Virginian was the logical choice for the job, hand-picked by Evernham and Gordon and readily approved by owner Rick Hendrick and company President John Hendrick. Whitesell has been with the team since its inception in 1992, through 49 victories and three championships.
As protg of Evernham, Whitesell had learned all the aspects of how to make a stock car go fast, rising from hauler-driver to team engineer. He had been at Evernham's side, just out of camera and interview range, doing everything but sitting on the war wagon calling the shots. "I knew the basics of automotive engineering but not the basics of race cars," says Whitesell, a mechanical engineering graduate of Virginia Tech. "Working with Ray helped me understand the dynamics involved between driver, crew chief, and spotter on race days. Jeff and I have always communicated very well."
Still, Whitesell wasn't sure he'd get the job and wasn't convinced he wanted it. At least one candidate for crew chief turned down Hendrick's overture, creating a misconception. If Hendrick had hired an outsider to replace Evernham, Whitesell would have become the #24 team's general manager.
The Beat Went On
The Warriors didn't miss a beat, however. Whitesell promptly led Gordon to victory in his first race in command, at Martinsville, calmly making the decisive call. Team members hoisted the rookie on their shoulders, and Gordon sprayed him with champagne-not the usual Winston Cup baptism. Whitesell and the irrepressible team duplicated the feat in his second race, at Charlotte. Old-timers scratched their noggins trying to remember if a Winston Cup crew chief had won his first race, much less his first two. "I think I should retire now while I'm on top ... The only way I can go is down," Whitesell dryly joked after the Charlotte victory.
"I don't want to see Brian talking to anybody about a job," interjected Rick Hendrick."
More importantly, the victories, especially at Martinsville, were likely the most significant in the team's illustrious history, answering a lot of questions regarding the team's solidarity, "Refuse to Lose" attitude and chemistry, and Whitesell's acceptance and ability. Moreover, the wins proved quite conclusively that no one person-not even Evernham-holds the key to #24's success. It could not have gotten any better at the time.