Sam Hunt Racing (SHR) announced today that veteran engineer Allen Hart will join the company as crew chief and technical director for the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) season. Hart, who served as lead race engineer at JR Motorsports on the No. 7 car since 2016, has multiple years of engineering experience in the NASCAR industry. Prior to JRM, Hart spent time as an engineer at both Turner Motorsports and Penske Racing. In 2021, Hart made his crew chief debut with JRM, filling in for Jason Burdett due to COVID-19 Protocols.
Following an impressive season in the NXS, 28-year-old Sam Hunt, owner of Sam Hunt Racing, sees the addition of Hart as a vital step in SHR’s continued growth.
“I’m so proud to add Allen to our young, blossoming organization,” said Hunt. “Allen is an experienced, race-winning engineer and leader at the Xfinity level, and he will be a huge asset to our organization for years to come. We are ready to provide him with this opportunity to continue building our program, as well as our working relationship with TRD and the current staff we have. Andrew [Abbott] has done a great job for our program this year, and he is still a large asset to our team.”
Hart, 39-years-old, will inherit a full-time NXS crew chief role for the first time in his career. The Midland, Michigan native is optimistic about his move to the team.
“I am really looking forward to starting this new chapter with Sam Hunt Racing,” said Hart. “Sam and I have been friends for a long time now, and I’ve really enjoyed watching this team grow from afar. Becoming a crew chief has been a goal of mine since I first came into this sport, and to be able to have that opportunity with this group is extremely special. I can’t thank everyone at JR Motorsports and on the No. 7 team who helped me get to this point over these last eight seasons. Now it’s time to focus on 2022 and get the year started off on a strong note. I am ready to get going.”
More details regarding Sam Hunt Racing’s 2022 plans will be released in the coming months.