Just as every other NASCAR race team is making preparations from the 2010 season that's just a little more than a month away, Furniture Row Racing is getting its crew in place for the upcoming season.
The Colorado-based team, with Regan Smith as its driver, recently promoted team member Ryan Coniam to the crew chief position. While he was already with the team, he hasn't been with Furniture Row for very long. Coniam joined the team in November, coming from a race engineer position at Michael Waltrip Racing.
"I am both excited and humbled to have been offered a position that I have dreamed about," Coniam said. "With the driving talent of Regan, plus the resources at Furniture Row Racing, I am full of confidence that we can achieve success in 2010."
Furntiture Row also added a couple of even newer faces to the team. Mark McArdle was brought on board to be the managing director of competition and Pete Rondeau was named car chief.
McArdle has worked in technical positions in both IndyCar and NASCAR. He became the managing director of competition at Evernham Motorsports at the end of the 2007 season. He has played a part in 18 Sprint Cup Series wins in his stock car career.
"I am full of enthusiasm and eagerly look forward to this new endeavor," he said. "What is appealing is the team's unyielding commitment to build on its already solid foundation.
Rondeau came to Furniture Row from Richard Petty Motorsports, where he served as the team's director of research and development. Previously, Rondeau spent time at DEI where he filled the crew chief role for both Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
"What's exciting about Ryan, Mark, and Pete spearheading three essential areas is that it brings a special synergy to Furniture Row Racing," team general manager Joe Garone said. "I worked with Mark back when we helped start PPI Motorsports in the Cup series. Ryan and Regan worked together at Ginn Racing, and Mark and Pete were teammates at Richard Petty Motorsports. We have good chemistry which most likely will shorten the all-important learning curve. The addition of these three individuals has generated a new wave of optimism to our team."
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