MOORESVILLE, N.C.– Coming off a strong 19th-place run in Charlotte last weekend, Dale Earnhardt Inc. driver Regan Smith heads to Dover (Del. ) International Speedway for Sunday’s Best Buy 400 hoping to maintain his team’s momentum.
Adding to the excitement for Smith this weekend is the fact that he will have a new crew chief on the pit box. Dan Stillman will take the reins of the No. 01 DEI/Principal Financial Group Chevrolet team beginning this weekend at the Monster Mile.
Stillman was most recently the car chief of the No. 55 Toyota at Michael Waltrip Racing, but he does have experience at Dale Earnhardt Inc. The Wisconsin native was a shock and spring engineer at DEI before becoming the crew chief for Paul Menard in the Nationwide Series. He also worked at Kevin Harvick Inc. as crew chief for that organization’s Nationwide program.
“I’m really excited to have Dan join our team, ” Smith said. “He’s got a ton of experience and is a proven winner in this sport. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do as a team.
“I also have to thank Kevin (Buskirk) for helping us out last week. He stepped in at the last moment and did a great job as our crew chief at Charlotte. That just shows you the type of talent we have working at DEI. ”
Because this will be his first start in a Cup car at the 1.0-mile track, Smith plans to draw on the experience of his more seasoned teammates.
“It’s not like I’ll be flying blind, ” explained Smith. “I can always go to Mark (Martin) and Martin (Truex) and ask them for advice. Mark’s won there four times and Martin is the defending champion, plus he grew up racing there.
“Do you think those guys know how to get around that place? ” Smith asked, laughing. “I think I’ve got a couple of pretty good teachers.”
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