Mike Bumgarner

Mike Bumgarner is no stranger to JR Motorsports or Hendrick Motorsports, having been part of both companies’ success for more than a quarter-century. The 45-year-old North Carolina native returns to his roots as a NASCAR Xfinity Series crew chief in 2021 after spending the past several seasons as the Race Operations Director for JRM’s four-car team.

Biography
Bumgarner assumes command of the No. 1 team with driver Michael Annett for 2021, taking over for Travis Mack. Bumgarner has 64 starts in the NXS on his resume since 2013 and has been a NASCAR Cup Series crew chief in the past, for Terry Labonte at Hendrick Motorsports. He was on the pit box for Labonte’s final race with HMS in 2006 after serving as the two-time champion’s car chief for the previous 10 seasons.

Bumgarner most recently called the shots atop the No. 9 team’s pit box at Michigan in 2018, guiding eventual series champion Tyler Reddick to a seventh-place finish while subbing for Dave Elenz. Later that season, Bumgarner led team owner Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to a fourth-place finish at Richmond in Earnhardt’s first post-retirement race.

In 2016, Bumgarner called the inaugural winner-take-all championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway with driver Elliott Sadler. In that race, Sadler had a chance to earn the championship taken away when he was bogged down on a restart by Cole Whitt, who had stayed out in the lead with old tires. Sadler eventually finished third in the race and second in the championship.

Bumgarner comes to the No. 1 team a season after Annett set a career high in top-10 finishes with 22, three better than the previous mark of 19 set in 2019. The latter season also included the Iowa driver’s first career NXS victory at Daytona International Speedway in the season opener.

The 2020 season was one of steady consistency for the No. 1 team, as Annett challenged for victories at both Daytona and Talladega in the stretch run and had a second-place finish taken away in post-race inspection at Talladega. In the season finale at Phoenix, Annett earned a season-best fourth-place finish and ended the season ninth in series points.

In his duties as Race Operations Manager, Bumgarner oversaw the production and maintenance of the team’s inventory of Chevrolet Camaro racing cars, assuming that position in 2017 when the team expanded to four full-time cars. Bumgarner came to the team in 2013 after 17 years with Hendrick Motorsports in a variety of roles. He also worked for King Racing, owned by drag racing superstar Kenny Bernstein, in the NASCAR Cup Series.

He was a full-time crew chief in 2013 for JRM on the No. 5 car, working with drivers Brad Sweet and Kasey Kahne. His career totals in the NASCAR Xfinity Series are quite impressive, too. In 64 starts over parts of five seasons, Bumgarner’s cars won four times, notched 23 top-five and 37 top-10 finishes and earned three poles. His cars have led 1,272 laps and were running at the end of 59 of those 64 starts.

In early December, the decision was made, Mike Bumgarner, formerly race operations director of JRM, would be taking over the crew chief role of the No. 1 Chevrolet.

Hendrick Motorsports era
In the past, Bumgarner worked for nearly 20 years at Hendrick Motorsports, including being the car chief on the Nos. 5 and 24 Cup Series cars. But when joining JRM in 2013, he led the way for a ride split between Kasey Kahne and Brad Sweet.

Since 2013, Bumgarner has made one-off appearances as crew chief for Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Tyler Reddick and even the 2016 Xfinity championship race with Elliott Sadler.

Compared to last year, his role has changed quite a bit.

“Basically, [I was] the guy that handled a lot of the parts and components, buying used parts from Hendrick Motorsports, working with the chassis shop, working with the motor shop at different times,” Bumgarner said. “Just handling being the liaison between Hendrick and JR Motorsports.”

Prior to linking up as driver and crew chief, Annett and Bumgarner had no real relationship. Annett does recall Bumgarner being very respected on the shop floor, and in 2017, his first year with JRM, Bumgarner won an unsung hero award within the race shop at a Christmas party, getting a free trip out of the country.

“[Bumgarner] was somebody Travis had a lot of faith in, a lot of trust in,” Annett said. “When we were going through some names of potential crew chiefs, I brought his name up to Travis and he said, ‘Man, I was thinking that all along, so glad you said that.'”

JR Motorsports era
The Huntersville, North Carolina-native has 64 starts as a crew chief in the NASCAR Xfinity Series on his resume, including four victories with Kyle Busch in 2007. Most recently, Bumgarner led Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to a fourth-place finish at Richmond Raceway in 2018.

Bumgarner sat on top of the pit box twice in 2018, most recently leading Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to a fourth-place finish at Richmond Raceway, while also leading Tyler Reddick to a seventh-place finish while subbing for Dave Elenz.

“I’m very excited to be the leader of the No. 1 team here at JR Motorsports,” Bumgarner said. “What the team has established over the last few years with Michael and Travis Mack…they’ve made a lot of gains. Travis did a heck of a job with the team and they got better, and I am looking to add to that. Looking at where those guys ended the 2020 season, I want to continue on that path in 2021.”

“I don’t think it’s going to be a big change,” Bumgarner said of the transition. “If anything it’s going to help me be better. I haven’t been able to go to the race track and see what things are going on. You try to learn as much as you can from what the teams bring back to the shop and add that to our cars. Being more involved is a positive and I’m excited for that, being able to go to the track again. I’ll have to learn the stage-racing side of it, and I’m looking forward to that challenge.”

Bumgarner joins Michael Annett and the No. 1 team after a career-high season, with the team scoring 22 top-10 finishes throughout the season’s 33-race schedule.

After the one-race suspension of crew chief Kevin Meendering for a lug nut violation, Sadler will be working with Mike Bumgarner in the Xfinity Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Bumgarner, JR Motorsports’ race operations manager, will be crew chiefing his first race since 2014.

“I think having someone like Elliott Sadler alone speaks for itself,” Bumgarner said in teleconference Wednesday. “I’ll lean heavily on Elliott. He’s the leader of this team as well as Kevin, and these guys have worked really hard the last few days to set forth a plan to move forward to Homestead and have a shot to win this championship.”

Bumgarner steps into the role after Sadler joked at Phoenix International Raceway that team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. would be his crew chief.

“It would have definitely made it easier on me,” said Bumgarner with a laugh. “I would have much rather just went down there and sat back and watched.”

A 22-year NASCAR veteran, Bumgarner joined JR Motorsports in 2013 as a crew chief for Kasey Kahne and Brad Sweet on the No. 5 car. In 2014, he transitioned into the race operations manager position.

On Saturday he will try to finish the job Meendering started, giving Sadler, a 21-year veteran of NASCAR racing, his first championship. The No. 1 team entered Homestead with three wins, 13 top fives and 28 top 10s.

Substitute crew chief
Bumgarner, who is JR Motorsports’ race operations manager, who filled in for Kevin Meendering as Meendering served a one-race suspension after two lug nuts were found unsecured on Sadler’s car last weekend at Phoenix.

“We let Kevin ultimately make this decision because it’s his team,” said general manager Kelley Earnhardt Miller in a statement. “Kevin chose Mike to sit in the crew chief’s seat and for good reason – he is experienced atop the pit box and very dependable. We have a great deal of confidence in Mike to give Elliott his best opportunity to win on Saturday.”

Bumgarner has spent 22 years in the sport, including 18 at Hendrick Motorsports. In 2007, he was Kyle Busch‘s crew chief at Hendrick Motorsports. They won four races and three poles. Bumgarner has been at JR Motorsports since 2013. He served as crew chief for Kasey Kahne and Brad Sweet in 2013 and moved to overseeing race operations the following season.