Hattori Racing Enterprises (HRE) announced today that industry veteran Matt Lucas will join the organization to assume the role of Team Manager effective immediately. Lucas will also serve as crew chief for Chase Purdy and the No. 61 team.
Lucas joins HRE from Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) where he grew into the organization’s NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) shop manager role after serving as a crew chief and race engineer. Since 2012, Lucas has accumulated over 100 NXS races worth of experience on top of the pit box, including two victories in 2013 with former NASCAR Cup Series champion Matt Kenseth.
In addition to his crew chief experience, Lucas brings a championship pedigree to HRE. Lucas has been part of five NXS championships in his career, including two as an engineer with Carl Edwards in 2007 and an owners’ title with JGR in 2010. He earned his third championship sharing crew chief duties in JGR’s 2012 owners’ point title, and most recently as the shop manager with Daniel Suarez in 2016 and Daniel Hemric last season.
“I’ve been impressed with Shige’s vision for this organization and look forward to being a part of it,” Lucas said. “Scott Zipadelli and all the people on the No. 16 team have accomplished so much in the last few years and we want to continue that success with expanding to a second program. HRE has been successful because of the people and team members here, and we’ll need more of that in 2022 and beyond. I’m excited to help guide the expansion of this team and continue to uphold the high standard that HRE has been accustomed to.”
Team owner Shige Hattori looks for Lucas’ arrival at HRE to positively impact all facets of the organization as the team embarks on its first season with two full-time entries in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
“Matt has a lot of experience that can help our team as we grow, and I’m excited to have him here,” Hattori said. “JGR has been a great example for all other teams in the Xfinity Series for a long time, and Matt had a lot to do with their success over the years. He’s been an engineer, manager, and crew chief, and can impact several of areas of our team. He’ll be able to help our organization and both Tyler (Ankrum) and especially Chase (Purdy) with his experience and knowledge.”
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