Ryan Fugle named crew chief for Germain Racing's Michael Annett
Germain Racing officials say Ryan “Rudy” Fugle has officially been named crew chief for the team’s No. 15 NASCAR Nationwide Series entry and driver Michael Annett.
Fugle has been transitioning into the crew chief role through the summer. He officially takes the reins as crew chief for next weekend’s race at Texas Motor Speedway.
Germain general manager Mike Hillman Sr. took over as crew chief in April after Bruce Cook was let go.
“The transition began over the summer as Mike Sr. has been slowly turning the reins over to me,” Fugle said. “Between Mike Sr., Randy Goss and the crew guys on the No. 15 Camry, the transition has been pretty smooth. I’m still the shock builder for our team, and we’ve all worked together so long and so well that while I’m in the trailer building shocks, the guys working on the car keep going. I still do all of my engineer duties as well – I figure my own fuel mileage, take my own race notes.”
The rookie Annett has improved since the crew chief change, as he’s finished in the top 10 four times, including a career-best sixth at Auto Club Speedway in California three races ago.
“Rudy has really been making the calls longer than we’ve given him credit for,” Hillman said. “He’s been doing the same job for a while, but sometimes it’s easier when you don’t have to take all the heat.”
