Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Tyler Allen will be the crew chief for Ty Gibbs and the No. 54 team in the NASCAR Cup Series beginning in 2025. This year, Allen served as the crew chief of JGR’s No. 20 NASCAR Xfinity Series team for eight of the team’s nine wins on the way to a runner-up finish in the owner’s championship.
Prior to his rookie season as a crew chief in 2024, Allen spent seven years as a race engineer working under Adam Stevens. During their time together, the Bellevue, Washington native was a part of Kyle Busch’s 2019 Cup Series championship team and five Championship 4 appearances (2017-2019 with Busch and 2022-2023 with Christopher Bell). Allen’s 2024 season included eight victories working with multiple drivers, 17 top-five finishes and 22 top-10s. In one Xfinity Series race working with Ty Gibbs, the duo won the pole award at Charlotte Motor Speedway before leading 27 laps on the way to a ninth-place finish.
“It’s an honor to be named crew chief for Ty Gibbs and the 54 Team as we head into the 2025 season,” said Allen. “This opportunity has been a dream of mine since starting here at JGR 10 years ago, and I’m thankful for the support and guidance I’ve received from my mentors, teammates, and everyone along the way. Ty has shown a lot of speed and potential the last two years, and I look forward to building on that experience to get the 54 car in victory lane.”
Allen will oversee the No. 54 team for Gibbs’ third season in the Cup Series. Gibbs showed marked improvement from year one to year two as he claimed eight top-five finishes, 12 top-10s, two pole awards, 417 laps led and a playoff berth in his sophomore campaign.
On November 22, JGR announced that Chris Gabehart has been promoted to competition director while Chris Gayle will transition to the crew chief role for Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 team.
Allen was previously announced as the crew chief for Taylor Gray and JGR’s No. 54 Xfinity Series team in 2025. With Allen’s move to the Cup Series, veteran crew chief Jason Ratcliff will return to the top of the pit box to work with the young driver. Ratcliff stepped down from the box following the 2023 season and spent 2024 in a new position as JGR’s Team/Driver Coordinator for the organization’s Xfinity and ARCA Menard Series program.
“I’m thrilled to join Taylor and the 54 team for the 2025 season,” said Ratcliff. “After a year away from the track, I’m eager to return to the pit box every weekend. Taylor has the talent and determination to excel in NASCAR, and it’s our mission to help him achieve that success.”
Over the course of his 24-year crew chief career, Ratcliff has worked with 28 different drivers, tallied 72 total wins across the sport’s top two series, and won the 2009 Xfinity Series Championship. Ratcliff has served as crew chief for 253 Cup Series starts and 548 Xfinity Series starts, earning 15 Cup Series wins and the most wins for a crew chief in Xfinity Series history at 57. Throughout his 801 starts, Ratcliff boasts 239 top-five finishes, 406 top-10s, and 49 poles.
“We take a lot of pride in our Xfinity Series program and the depth of talent that we have been able to maintain,” said Joe Gibbs, owner and founder of Joe Gibbs Racing. “Tyler Allen was successful at the Cup level with us while working under Adam Stevens and was impressive last season in the Xfinity Series leading that 20 team to eight wins while working with a number of different drivers. We have an exciting young and talented team on the 54 car.
“It is also exciting to have Jason Ratcliff back on the pit box in the Xfinity Series to work with Taylor Gray next season,” added Gibbs. “He has contributed so much to our organization over his career.”
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