Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect additional changes made late Thursday evening.
Team Penske has made a change to the No. 12 pit crew that services Ryan Blaney’s car in the NASCAR Cup Series, the team confirmed.
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Graham Stoddard will join as the team’s new jackman for Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway (2 p.m. ET, FOX, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Stoddard had been the jackman for the No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford driven by Noah Gragson.
Stoddard replaces Landon Honeycutt, while Honeycutt joins the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing team with driver Josh Berry.
MORE: Kansas schedule | Cup standings
Patrick Gray, who began the season as the jackman on the No. 21 Ford, was originally announced Thursday as the jackman who would replace Honeycutt until a late change was made Thursday evening.
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The move comes as the No. 12 pit crew has been under scrutiny this season. Although Blaney sits second in the points standings with one win, three top fives and six top 10s in eight races, his pit crew has statistically been ranked among the lowest in the Cup Series. Per NASCAR Insights, the No. 12 crew ranked 35th of 36 full-time entries in season-long stats following last week’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Blaney finished second but lost a total of 11 spots on pit road on Sunday, with his crew ranking 30th.
According to Racing Insights, the No. 12 crew has posted an average time of 12.54 seconds for a four-tire change — ranked 35th in the series — while making a series-worst six mistakes. In total, the No. 12 team had lost 88 positions on pit road, earning a position-retention rate of just 51% for just the 35th-best. At Phoenix Raceway, Blaney overcame two loose wheels and a net loss of 45 positions to rally to the race win.
The No. 4 pit crew Stoddard leaves ranked 26th at Bristol and is ranked 34th overall per NASCAR Insights, tied with Blaney’s crew for six mistakes this season, three of which are attributed to the jackman. However, the No. 4 crew holds the sixth-best plus-minus in positions gained or lost on pit road at minus-1. Replacing Stoddard on the No. 4 car is jackman Tommy Bebie, who served as jackman on the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet for driver Cody Ware.
The No. 21 pit crew that Honeycutt joins ranked 15th at Bristol despite sitting 27th overall for the season. Per Racing Insights’ stats, the No. 21 team has averaged a 20th-best average time of 11.12 seconds for four-tire stops with a 36th-place retention percentage of 46%.
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In addition to a new jackman, Berry will also have a different crew chief on the headset at Kansas. Matt Swiderski will serve as the acting crew chief this weekend as regular crew chief Miles Stanley will not travel this weekend for personal reasons.
Blaney has two top fives in his last three Kansas starts. In five Kansas starts, Berry has a best finish of sixth.
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