“My wife was homesick”: Veteran crew chief Chad Kendrick unveils why he left Rackley W.A.R amid reunion with NASCAR team

Rackley W.A.R. announced the return of Chad Kendrick to the crew chief role in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The returning shot caller is set to work with rookie driver Dawson Sutton after leaving the team for a year because his wife was homesick.

Chad Kendrick is a veteran NASCAR crew chief who joined Jordan Anderson Racing to lead the No. 31 team of Parker Retzlaff in the 2024 Xfinity Series season. The move to Rackley W.A.R. marked his return following spending three years with the team from 2021 to 2023.

In a statement released by the Truck Series team, Kendrick explained why he left the team this year. The crew chief said the move to JAR was related to geographics and that he only wanted to stay with his homesick wife.

But with Rackley W.A.R. relocating from Nashville to Statesville in North Carolina, the home of NASCAR, Kendrick decided to return to the team for the 2025 season.

“My departure from Rackley W.A.R. was strictly a geographic move,” Kendrick said.

“My wife was homesick, and it was honestly just a matter of doing what made the most sense at the time. Willie [Allen, co-owner] and Curtis [Sutton, co-owner] have worked very hard to reposition this team to make it competitive on a consistent basis and I think the move from Nashville to Statesville demonstrates just how much they are committed to building a championship race team.”

The returning crew chief continued to express his excitement over working with Dawson Sutton in the No. 26 Rackley Roofing / W.A.R. Shocks Chevrolet Silverado.

“I’m excited to be back and even more excited to work with another young driver like Dawson Sutton who has shown immense capability. He has a bright future ahead of him if we all do our jobs behind him.”

Meanwhile, Sutton said:

“I’m really glad we were able to have Chad come back with us for my rookie of the year run next year [...] I’m glad the team’s move to North Carolina allowed us to work with him again. It’s another great step in a positive direction for sure."

With Chad Kendrick leaving Jordan Anderson Racing, the No. 31 is in need of a crew chief and a driver after Parker Retzlaff announced his departure from the Xfinity Series team.

Before working with Dawson Sutton, Kendrick took the crew chief role for drivers like Brad Keselowski, Ross Chastain, and Joey Logano. So far, he has amassed seven wins, 10 poles, 61 top-5s, and 128 top-10s.

The new crew chief-driver duo will debut on track at the Daytona International Speedway on February 14.

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Chad Kendrick’s achievement as crew chief of the No. 31 JAR car

During the one-year stint with Jordan Anderson Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Chad Kendrick scored two poles, two top-5s, and four top-10s with Parker Retzlaff behind the wheel. His best finish was at the opening race at Daytona International Speedway where the driver crossed the line third.

The No. 31 team followed the P3 with another top-5 finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway, with Retzlaff coming home fifth.

Since then, Chad Kendrick has faced challenging race weekends, with multiple finishes outside the top 30 finishing order.

While Kendrick prepares for a new challenge in the Truck Series with Rackley W.A.R., Retzlaff has yet to disclose his plans for the 2025 season.