Steve Hmiel was introduced Friday as manager of competition for Chip Ganassi Racing—and made no bones about why he made the move from Dale Earnhardt Inc.
A 30-year veteran in the sport who has been a part of multiple championship teams, Hmiel said he grew tired of NASCAR’s new-school mentality where multi-car operations prevail and corporate bigwigs make decisions from corner offices in major metropolitan cities instead of tracks. Today, Hmiel said, it’s difficult to “locate the guy who actually owns the place. “
“At Chip Ganassi, you can make a phone call to Chip and say, ‘Hey… ’ It’s the comfort of being able to contact the owner at any time, ” Hmiel said.
Hmiel will oversee the day-to-day operations—building the cars—whereas director John Fernandez will focus on long-term strategic planning. Both Hmiel and Fernandez will report directly to Chip Ganassi. Raygan Swan, NASCAR.COM
NASCAR team owner Chip Ganassi continues to aggressively pursue some of the sport’s top free agents.
Friday Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates signed Steve Hmiel, former director of technical operations at Dale Earnhardt, Inc., to serve as manager of competition of its Concord racing operation.
“I have said many times in reference to drivers that when good ones become available you owe it to your organization to make a run at them, well the same is true for leaders, ” said Ganassi. “Steve became available and I got him. I couldn’t be happier. He brings over 30 years of hands-on NASCAR experience with him and a skill set that perfectly complements those of John Fernandez. ” Buddy Shacklette - AHN Motor Sports
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