02/14/2015

Who Is The New No. 17 Crew Chief Nick Sandler?

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 14, 2015) – With the new no-testing policy in 2015, the Sprint Unlimited will be the first race of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup season that Nick Sandler and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will get to work together.

“I’m really looking forward to this upcoming season,” Sandler said. “The Sprint Unlimited will be very beneficial for us as this will be the first time that Ricky and I have worked together at the race track. Our organization has worked extremely hard this off-season on improving our cars and I think we are heading the right direction. I definitely believe in our No. 17 team and know we are capable of getting this No. 17 Ford into victory lane this season.”

Sandler takes over the reins of the No. 17 team in 2015, looking to lead two-time NASCAR XFINITY Series Champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) victory in the upcoming season.

Serving as team engineer under veteran crew chief Jimmy Fennig for the past four NSCS seasons, Sandler contributed to 10 wins including the 2012 Daytona 500 as well as 41 top-five and 60 top-10 finishes with past champions Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards.

The Asheville, N.C native joined Roush Fenway Racing in 2006 as a shock specialist working with Boris Said, Todd Kluever and David Ragan. Sandler spent the last six years working with drivers Travis Kvapil (2009), Paul Menard (2009), Matt Kenseth (2011-12) and Carl Edwards (2013-14), as well as working in the Research and Development department (2010).

While earning a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Duke University, Sandler became involved in the University’s Formula SAE program where he enjoyed the daily challenges and hands-on work, which led him to his career choice.