Jeremy Bullins to serve as crew chief for Ryan Blaney in 2015
After three years of success at Team Penske, Jeremy Bullins is returning to Wood Brothers Racing to serve as Ryan Blaney's crew chief on the famous No. 21 Ford in 2015.
The Walnut Cove, N.C., native began his tenure with the Wood Brothers in 1999, working on Pro Cup and Late Model cars driven by Jon Wood. From 2000 to 2002, he served as the race engineer on the No. 21 Ford before moving on.
Bullins found his best success serving as crew chief on Team Penske's No. 22 Nationwide Series (now Xfinity Series) car. In 2013 alone, Bullins led four different drivers to 12 wins, and the organization's first owner's championship. The team, under the leadership of Bullins, was able to score six victories this season and repeat as owner's champions.
In returning to Wood Brothers Racing, Bullins brings success and a solid working relationship with Team Penske. Starting with the 2015 season, Wood Brothers Racing has shifted its technical alliance from Roush Fenway Racing to Team Penske.
Blaney was brought on from Team Penske to serve as the team's driver for 2015, while Bullins has now been tapped as the team's crew chief. The team will run a partial Sprint Cup Series schedule.
"This is a great opportunity for me at this point in my career to move to a great organization with a solid driver, while still getting the chance to work with the people that I've come to know and respect at Team Penske," said Bullins. "Everyone in the sport knows about the Wood Brothers and recognizes that No. 21. To get a chance to work for Eddie and Len and the entire organization and to have Ryan behind the wheel, is pretty much everything I could have asked for."
For team co-owner Eddie Wood, bringing Bullins back to the organization is more than just an opportunity to compete for race wins, that's an added bonus.
"I feel like he's coming home," he said. "He worked with us when we were still at our shop in Virginia and he was just getting started in NASCAR. Now he's a proven winner. It's an honor to have him back with us. We're anxious for him to get his first Sprint Cup victory, as a crew chief, which will be No. 99 for us."
For Len Wood, Eddie's brother and co-owner, he believes win number 99 might be right around the corner now that Bullins is calling the shots with Blaney behind the wheel.
"Jeremy coming over from Team Penske to help us out will help in the transition from our past alliance to our new alliance with Team Penske," said Len Wood. "Because he's worked with Ryan in the past, and knows the Team Penske system, Jeremy should be able to get Ryan on the right track and running competitively right out of the box, without a long development period."
Trevor Bayne, who Blaney is replacing behind the wheel, helped the Wood Brothers get back to Victory Lane early in his career with the team. Making just his second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start with the team, Bayne delivered another Daytona 500 victory for the storied team in dramatic fashion is 2011.
Throughout its illustrious 61-year career, Wood Brothers Racing -- the oldest active team in the sport -- has earned 98 victories, 337 top fives, 522 top 10s with some of NASCAR's top drivers.
