NASCAR
Bob Pockrass, NASCAR 7y

FRR get pit-crew members back as JGR makes changes to alliance

NASCAR

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Furniture Row Racing gets two key pit-crew members back this week, and they now are under a new managerial structure.

Furniture Row, as part of its alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing, gets its pit crew members from JGR, which trains them and assigned them at the start of the year to the Furniture Row cars of Martin Truex Jr. and Erik Jones. But JGR came under scrutiny last month when it suspended Truex tire changers Lee Cunningham and Chris Taylor for three races for a confrontation with JGR driver Kyle Busch's crew chief Adam Stevens.

JGR appeared to have a conflict of interest by suspending pit-crew members for Truex, who leads the NASCAR Cup Series, as a JGR decision impacted the ability of one of its top competitors.

The Truex and Jones pit-crew members will now report to Furniture Row Racing owner Barney Visser instead of JGR executives.

A JGR spokesman confirmed the change in structure Wednesday. Fox Sports was the first to report the change.

"I don't think you can worry about that [perception]," team owner Joe Gibbs said the week of the suspensions. "Obviously, they'll be back. And I think that's one of the best pit crews on pit road. ... I just know that right now they've chosen to do [this alliance]."

Truex won one race during the three-race stretch, which ended with last week's event at Michigan, where Truex nearly won and finished second.

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