Grubb joins JGR

Joe Gibbs Racing announced on Friday that 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion crew chief Darian Grubb will be the crew chief on the No. 11 Cup team of driver Denny Hamlin in 2012. He will replace Mike Ford, who was fired earlier this week.

"I'm thrilled to join Joe Gibbs Racing, Grubb said. "The chance to work with Denny is something I'm excited about. When you sit down with Joe and J.D. Gibbs you can't help but be excited about this opportunity and the team aspects of JGR. There is no question about the level of support you get here, and I'm looking forward to working with everyone across the entire organization."

Grubb led 2011 champion driver Tony Stewart to five race wins in the most recent 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup. He worked as Stewart's crew chief at Stewart-Haas Racing for three years.

In the last three years, Grubb led the No. 14 team at SHR to 11 wins, 33 top-fives and 59 top-10 finishes.

Prior to joining Stewart-Haas Racing, Grubb worked at Hendrick Motorsports. In 2007 he was crew chief for Casey Mears, leading that driver to his first career win in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. While at HMS, he also filled in as an interim crew chief for the suspended Chad Knaus on the No. 48 team with driver Jimmie Johnson for four races in 2006. The Grubb-led No. 48 team won two races of the four, including the Daytona 500.

"Darian is a great addition to our organization and person to lead our No. 11 FedEx team," car owner Joe Gibbs said. "Obviously, he has proven the ability to guide a team to a championship, and we are excited to have him working with Denny toward achieving that goal here at Joe Gibbs Racing."

Hamlin came close to the Sprint Cup title in 2010, finishing second to Jimmie Johnson.

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Photo of Darian Grubb courtesy of NASCAR Media.