Bruce Schlicker, who had been Shane van Gisbergen’s crew chief and the no. 97 Kaulig Racing for the first 20 races of the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, has left the team and will not return after the Xfinity Series’ three-week break.
Although Kaulig Racing did not make a statement about Schlicker’s departure, “out of respect for Bruce”, the team confirmed to TobyChristie.com that Kevin Walter will take over as crew chief for Shane van Gisbergen and the No. 97 Kaulig Racing. Walter was the crew chief for Josh Williams and the No. 11 by Kaulig Racing.
Kaulig Racing has announced that Eddie Pardue will become the crew chief for Williams and the No. 11 moving forward.
The news is somewhat surprising since the duo of Schlicker and SVG produced three wins (Portland, Sonoma and Chicago Street Course), five top-5s and six top-10s in the first 20 races of the season. The pair finished fourth in the last NASCAR Xfinity Series race, the Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and SVG also recorded a third-place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway in February.
Overall, Schlicker is a crew chief who has won 10 NASCAR Xfinity Series races. All of his wins came with Kaulig Racing, and he hit the streak with four different drivers in the series. SVG, despite his lack of experience on ovals, is really starting to become an increasingly consistent contender from 10 to 15 on oval tracks, and as the series enters the playoffs, there is hope that van Gisbergen could potentially make a deep run. in the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoffs.
If he does, it will be with a new crew chief manning the pits starting with next weekend’s Cabo Wabo 250 at Michigan International Speedway.
