NASCAR: Owens named Buescher's crew chief at JTG Daugherty

Above: Trent Owens, left, with Aric Amirola at Pocono.

Trent Owens will serve as Chris Buescher's crew chief this season at JTG Daugherty Racing.

The organization confirmed Monday afternoon that Owens would oversee Buescher's sophomore Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. It will be the first time Owens and Buescher have worked together in what will be Buescher's first season at JTG Daugherty. He was previously announced as the driver of the No. 37 Chevrolet as a teammate to AJ Allmendinger.

Owens, who is Richard Petty's nephew, moves to JTG from Richard Petty Motorsports. He served as crew chief for Aric Almirola from 2014 to 2016 and helped guide Almirola to his first career win at Daytona International Speedway in July 2014. The win also earned the team a Chase berth.
Almirola failed to make the Chase the last two seasons and Owens was replaced last fall by Drew Blickensderfer. RPM has since announced they are downsizing to one car for 2017.

Owens has also spent time as a crew chief in the Xfinity Series, earning five wins with five different drivers.

The 2017 season will be Owens' fourth as a full-time Cup crew chief. Buescher joins JTG Daugherty through an agreement with Roush Fenway Racing in a newly formed second car. The team is guaranteed into every race after leasing the Charter from Roush's now-defunct No. 16 car.