Jeffrey S. Hensley (born November 11, 1962) is an American professional

stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of Auto racing, automobile racing run on oval track racing, oval tracks and road courses. It originally used Production vehicle, production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifical ...

driver and crew chief. He works as the crew chief for

Tricon Garage Tricon Garage, formerly known as David Gilliland Racing, DGR-Crosley, and Team DGR, is an American professional stock car racing team that competes in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the NASCAR Cup Series. The team was founded in early 2017 ...

on their No. 15

Toyota Tundra The Toyota Tundra is a full-size pickup truck manufactured in the United States by the Japanese manufacturer Toyota since May 1999. The Tundra was the second full-size pickup to be built by a Japanese manufacturer (the first was the Toyota T100 ...

in the

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck-based stock car racing, s ...

driven by

Tanner Gray Tanner Sean Gray (born April 15, 1999) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 15 Toyota Tundra#Third generation (XK70; 2021), Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for Trico ...

. Hensley is a longtime crew chief in the Truck Series, having previously worked for

GMS Racing GMS Racing was an American professional stock car racing team that competed in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, ARCA Menards Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series. GMS Racing previously competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series from 2016 to 2019 ...

(three separate stints with them),

ThorSport Racing ThorSport Racing is an American professional stock car racing team competing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Founded in 1996 as SealMaster Racing and based in Sandusky, Ohio, the team is owned by Duke Thorson and his wife, Rhonda. Currently ...

(three separate stints with them), Joe Denette/

NTS Motorsports NTS Motorsports was an American professional stock car racing team that competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The team was owned by Californian Bob Newberry, coming into its current form after Joe Denette Motorsports merged with New ...

Kevin Harvick Incorporated Kevin Harvick, Inc., colloquially referred to as KHI, is a racing team owned by former NASCAR Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick and his wife DeLana, who is the daughter of former Busch Series driver John Linville. The team owned cars in the NASCA ...

Red Horse Racing Red Horse Racing was an American professional stock car racing team that last competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The team was based in Mooresville, North Carolina. It was co-owned by former Mobil 1 marketing executive Tom DeLoach a ...

Xpress Motorsports Xpress Motorsports was a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team. The team won the Truck Series championship in 2002 and 2003 with Mike Bliss and Travis Kvapil, respectively. The team was owned by Steve Coulter until 2004, when he sold the team to its ...

, and

Bill Davis Racing Bill Davis Racing was a racing team that participated in all three of NASCAR's top divisions until 2009. The team had run Toyota-branded stock cars and trucks in the Camping World Truck Series (Toyota Tundra) since 2004 and Sprint Cup Series ( T ...

. Hensley has also worked as a crew chief in the

NASCAR Xfinity Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level NASCAR Cup Series, Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a Undercard, support ...

and is the

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

championship-winning crew chief in the series when it was known as the Busch Series. Hensley was to return to the Xfinity Series in 2022 working for

Our Motorsports Our Motorsports is an American professional stock car racing team that competes full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, fielding the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro SS full-time for Kris Wright. The team also previously competed part-time in the ARCA Mena ...

but he left the team prior to the start of the season.

Racing career

Driving career

Hensley began racing at the age of eighteen, racing in various short tracks in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

and

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. In 1982, he moved to the newly-formed

Busch Grand National Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...

, competing in the Nos. 2 and 63 for his family-owned team. In his first season of competition, he ran ten races, and had five top-ten finishes. His abbreviated schedule landed him twentieth in points. The following season, he ran twenty-eight of the schedule thirty-five races, and had nine top-ten finishes, and improved to tenth in standings. He had two less top-tens in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

, but had a career-best eighth-place finish in points. After he dropped to three top-tens in 1985, in the No. 2 Flute's Sheetmetal car, he retired from driving.

Crew chiefing career

1987–2001: Hensley Motorsports

In 1987, Hensley became the crew chief for his family's No. 63 car in the Busch Series.

Larry Pollard Larry Pollard (born 5 May 1954) is a Canadian former NASCAR Busch Grand National Series driver. During his career, Pollard was the Pit stop#NASCAR pit crew roles, crew chief for NASCAR drivers Richard Petty and Phil Parsons during the 1980s befor ...

drove the car in 1987 and

Mike Swaim Mike Swaim (born June 7, 1952) is an American former professional stock car racing driver who has competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Busch Series and the ISCARS Dash Touring Series, NASCAR Goody's Dash Series. He is a former champion ...

drove it in 1988.

Chuck Bown Richard Charles Bown Jr. (born February 22, 1954) is an American former NASCAR champion. His last ride came in 1999. He lives with his wife in Asheboro, North Carolina. He is the older brother of former fellow NASCAR competitor Jim Bown. 1970s ...

became the driver of the No. 63 in 1989, and they won the championship together in

. They continued to work together until the 1994 season, when Bown left and was replaced by his brother Jim. Hensley continued working for the team until it was sold in 2001.

2004–2010

Following the sale, he worked for Arrington Manufacturers for three years before returning to the track when he was hired by

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

to serve as the crew chief for

Bill Lester William Alexander Lester III (born February 6, 1961) is an American semi-retired professional racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, driving the No. 17 Ford F-150 for David Gilliland Racing. Lester pre ...

's No. 22 truck. The following season, he was reassigned to the No. 5 of Mike Skinner, where he stayed for two and a half seasons. He and Skinner won eight races and finished second in points during the 2007 season. In the summer of 2008, he left BDR to become the competition director for

Bobby Hamilton Racing Bobby Hamilton Racing-Virginia is a disbanded NASCAR racing team. It was owned by four-time Winston Cup winner and 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Bobby Hamilton until his death on January 7, 2007. Bobby Hamilton Jr. was given owners ...

. However, Hensley left BHR a few months later to return to crew chiefing, and for the last few races of 2008 and all of 2009, Hensley was the crew chief for

Brian Scott Brian Joseph Scott (born January 12, 1988) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. Racing career Beginnings Scott has been racing competitively since the age of 12. One of his early career highlights came at the 360 Nationals ...

's No. 16 truck for

. After Xpress closed down in 2010, Hensley moved to

, working as the crew chief for the No. 17 of

Timothy Peters Timothy Jason Peters (born August 29, 1980) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, driving the No. 25 Chevrolet Silverado for Rackley W.A.R.. He was a member of t ...

, and won the season-opener at Daytona.

2011–2014

Hensley left RHR after 2010 to work for

. Though he initially served as Ron Hornaday's crew chief, he moved to crew chief for Nelson Piquet Jr. and the No. 8 truck, before joining

Joe Denette Motorsports NTS Motorsports was an American professional stock car racing team that competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The team was owned by Californian Bob Newberry, coming into its current form after Joe Denette Motorsports merged with New ...

for the final race of the season. In 2012, he started the year with JDM, reunited with Hornaday, before moving to

Turner Scott Motorsports Turner Scott Motorsports (TSM), formerly Turner Motorsports was an American professional stock car racing team that last competed in the NASCAR Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Sprint Cup Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Nationwide Series, ...

to crew chief for

Miguel Paludo Miguel Paludo (born July 26, 1983) is a Brazilian professional racing driver who competes full-time in the Porsche GT3 Cup Brasil, Porsche GT3 Carrera Cup Series. Paludo formerly competed in NASCAR full-time in the Camping World Truck Series, driv ...

halfway through the season, a role he reprised in 2013. At the start of the 2014 season, Hensley moved to

as crew chief for the team's No. 20 truck.

2014–2023: ThorSport Racing & GMS Racing

Hensley left NTS midway through the 2014 season for

where he would be the crew chief for

Johnny Sauter Jonathan Joseph Sauter (born May 1, 1978) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 66 Ford F-150 for ThorSport Racing. He has also driven in the NASCAR Cup ...

's No. 98 truck. In 2015, ThorSport moved him to

Cameron Hayley Cameron Hayley (born July 21, 1996) is a Canadian professional stock car racing driver. He currently competes part-time in the SPEARS Southwest Tour Series, driving the No. 7 Ford Fusion for Jefferson Pitts Racing. Hayley won the K&N Pro Serie ...

's No. 13 truck. He left the team in 2016 for

where he would be the crew chief for their No. 23 truck driven by

Spencer Gallagher Spencer Moritz Gallagher (born November 20, 1989) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He currently competes part-time in the ARCA Menards Series, driving the No. 23 Chevrolet for Sigma Performance Services, and part-time in the A ...

. Hensley went back to ThorSport in 2017 and was the crew chief for

Grant Enfinger Grant McArthur Enfinger (born January 22, 1985) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 9 Chevrolet Silverado#Fourth-generation Silverado / fifth-generation S ...

and their No. 98 truck for four years (from 2017 to 2020). He returned to

in 2021 and became the crew chief for the No. 23 truck of

Chase Purdy Charles Russell "Chase" Purdy III (born November 11, 1999) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He most recently competed full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 77 Chevrolet Silverado for Spire Mot ...

. After the 2021 season, Hensley left GMS to be the crew chief for

Brett Moffitt Brett Bradley Moffitt (born August 7, 1992) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 1 Toyota Tundra for Tricon Garage and the No. 4 Chevrolet Silverado ...

's No. 02 car for

in the Xfinity Series in 2022. It would have been Hensley's first time crew chiefing in the Xfinity Series since

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

when he was the crew chiefing for his family team's No. 63 car driven by

Shane Hall Shane Hall (born August 25, 1969) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He is a former driver in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He last drove the No. 49 Chevrolet for Jay Robinson Racing. Hall is featured as an unlockable driver ...

. However, on February 3, 2022, ''

NASCAR on Fox ''NASCAR on Fox'', also known as ''Fox NASCAR'', is the branding used for broadcasts of NASCAR races produced by Fox Sports (United States), Fox Sports and have aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox television network in the United States si ...

'' reporter

Bob Pockrass Robert Pockrass (born March 1, 1969) is an American motorsports journalist and on-air talent for Fox Sports who covers NASCAR and IndyCar. Early life Pockrass moved to Indianapolis at 10 years old and attended Indiana University Bloomington, in ...

revealed in a tweet that Hensley had already left Our Motorsports before the start of the season and would instead go back to ThorSport to crew chief

Matt Crafton Matthew Justin Crafton (born June 11, 1976) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 88 Ford F-Series (fourteenth generation), Ford F-150 for ThorSport Racing ...

's No. 88 truck. Crafton's crew chief for the previous ten years, Carl "Junior" Joiner, had retired. Before the race at Mid-Ohio, Hensley would leave ThorSport to return to GMS and the No. 23 truck, which was now driven by Enfinger, who Hensley previously crew chiefed at ThorSport.

2024–present: Tricon Garage

GMS closed down after the 2023 season and Hensley joined

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

to be the crew chief of

Taylor Gray Taylor Gray may refer to: * Taylor Gray (racing driver), American stock car racing driver, born in 2005 * Taylor Gray (actor) Taylor Arthur Gray (born September 7, 1993) is an American actor, best known for playing Ezra Bridger on the animated ...

's No. 17 truck, replacing Jacob Hampton. On December 16, 2024, Tricon announced that Hensley would move from the No. 17 truck to the No. 15 truck in 2025 where he would crew chief Taylor's older brother

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hensley, Jeff Living people 1962 births People from Ridgeway, Virginia Sportspeople from Henry County, Virginia Racing drivers from Virginia NASCAR drivers ARCA Menards Series drivers NASCAR crew chiefs