We know that Carl Edwards will be running the No. 19 machine for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2015 but that seems to be all that we know at the moment. There are still some sponsorship questions left to be answered as well as who will be atop of the pit box and on the pit crew. While the pit crew question remains unanswered, a new rumor seems to suggest that JGR is looking to assemble a crew with a lot of experience from HMS to pit Edwards next season.
According to a recent report from PitTalks.com, JGR is forming the No. 19 team primarily out of former HMS crew members. Furthermore, the majority of those potential members were with HMS in 2014.
We’ve heard that Front Changer Clay Robinson and Front Carrier Kevin Harris will be coming over to JGR from HMS. Both guys were on the front of Dale Jr.’s No. 88 last year and will be sticking together at Gibbs next year. We also heard that Jackman Trey Burklin will be coming back to JGR after leaving a year ago to go jack the No. 5 at Hendrick. Trey was the back up at JGR a few years back and jacked the NNS cars for Gibss before heading over the HMS to jack the No. 5 this year.
On the rear will be Changer Kip Wolfmier and Matt Ver Meer. Wolfmier was the old rear changer for the No. 5 car of HMS this year before being replaced by Jeremy fuller. Matt Ver Meer was on the #88 of Dale Jr. and had been for the last few years. The gas man will be Kenneth Purcell. Kenneth has been at JGR for years now as a NNS jackman and back up Cup guy. Kenneth won four championships as a jack man on the No. 48 and has been with JGR for the last four or so years.
The surplus of drivers coming potentially coming to JGR from HMS for Edwards actually does make sense. The No. 88 team of Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 5 team of Kahne both will have a new crew chief in 2015. As a result of the change at the top of the box it makes sense for their to be some changes on the rest of the teams as well. The important thing to remember here is that none of this information is confirmed as of yet, although Pit Talks seems to feel pretty confident with their sources.
More information will follow as it becomes available.
