Sospenzo new crew chief for McDowell's No. 00 car

Michael Waltrip Racing on Wednesday said that Peter Sospenzo will take over as crew chief of the No. 00 Toyota, beginning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Bill Pappas, who previously served as Michael McDowell's crew chief, will advance to head of engineering.


Sospenzo"Walking into Michael Waltrip Racing for the first time [Tuesday] night, I was surprised by how beautiful the facility is and how efficient the operation has become and I am really looking forward to working here," Sospenzo said. "When I heard there may be a change, I started talking to Dr. Eric Warren and Cal Wells. I worked with Ryan Pemberton at Ginn Racing and stayed in touch with him. It's going to be nice to work with him again and also work with Bobby Kennedy."

McDowell welcomes the new opportunity.

"Peter has been in the business for years and worked with teams like Penske and Hendrick Motorsports," McDowell said. "He has a lot of experience and has been successful at his job."

Sospenzo also is eager to work with McDowell.

"He's young, ambitious and seems like a really good guy," Sospenzo said. "I can't wait to get started and move forward with him. Hopefully, we will have some good things ahead of us and we can build a long-lasting relationship."

Sospenzo looks forward to his newfound position at Michael Waltrip Racing and hopes to return to Victory Lane in the near future.

"I won with Jeremy Mayfield at California and Pocono [2000] and with Joe Nemechek at Richmond [2003]," Sospenzo said. "I have been able to work with some great teams and drivers and I'm proud to now be a part of Michael Waltrip Racing."