ML Motorsports changes crew chief

Crew Chief Change At ML Motorsports

WARSAW, Ind - In what is a mutual agreement by both parties, Brian Ross will step down as crew chief for ML Motorsports.

Ross, who drove for the Indiana-based team in the in ARCA RE/MAX Series team in 1999 and 2000, stepped in as crew chief in March of 2008. He has led the team to a top five-finish at Talladega and an average overall finish of 20.3. Brian has done a great job with the team, but he misses driving a race car," stated Ed Mullen, team president. Brian will still be in the shop full time, but stepping down as crew chief allows him to pursue his own racing career."

Chris Rice, who had previously been the crew chief for Kenny Wallace's NASCAR Nationwide Series team, will join the ML Motorsports team and work with 24-year-old driver Shelby Howard.

Howard and Rice are certainly not strangers to each other when it comes to racing. The two met in 2004, as Howard was driving for Bill Davis Racing and Rice was the crew chief for Howard's teammate.

In 2006, Howard and Rice worked together in the Hooters Pro Cup Series, winning multiple races and finishing second in the point standings. The duo worked together for half of the truck season in 2007 before the team closed down. In 2008, Howard and Rice teamed up for eight truck races.

Ross and Rice will work together this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway to ease the transition.

-credit: mlm