Jimmy Fennig will continue to guide the No. 6 Ford Fusion for the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with David Ragan. This is Fennig’s second year with the young driver.

Fennig started ‘06 as crew chief for Jamie McMurray, just a page in his three decades on the NASCAR Nextel Cup circuit. Fennig has worked with some of the sport’s most experienced drivers, Bobby Allison, Mark Martin and Dick Trickle, but it was his partnership with a young Kurt Busch that resulted in his first Cup championship.

In only their third season together, the duo led the No.97 Sharpie/Irwin Ford Taurus team to the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Championship in the inaugural Chase for the Cup.

Fennig’s experience dates back to the dirt tracks of Wisconsin in 1970, where he spent many years with the Midwestern Dirt and Asphalt Series before taking his first Winston Cup Series job in ‘84 with DiGard Racing.

In ‘85, Fennig moved to the American Speed Association Series to become crew chief for future Roush Racing-superstar Martin. In their two ASA seasons together, they accumulated nine wins, 13 poles and a championship in ‘86.

At the end of ‘86, Fennig returned to the Winston Cup Series to work with Allison and Stavola Brothers Racing. As crew chief with Allison, Fennig won two Winston Cup races, including a victory in Allison’s final Daytona 500 in 1988. The following year Fennig worked with Dick Trickle, resulting in a Rookie-of-the-Year title.

Fennig continued to work with Allison in Allison’s new role as a team owner until October of ‘96, when Jack Roush gave Fennig the opportunity to reunite with Martin. In ‘97 the duo recorded four wins, 16 top-fives, 24 top-10s and three poles while finishing third in the championship standings. They followed it up with seven victories together the following season; the most either had won in a single season. They were runner-ups in the final point standings.

Fennig’s winning ways continued with Martin from ‘99 –‘01 with three victories and several pole positions.

For the ‘02 season, Fennig’s vast knowledge and experience turned out to be just what a young Busch needed. Under the veteran’s guidance, Busch found victory lane at Bristol Motor Speedway in just their sixth race together. They finished the season with four wins (including back-to-back victories in October at Martinsville and Atlanta), 12 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes, and finished runner-up three times. They capped their first season together with a pole and victory at the season finale in Homestead, and finished third in the point standings.

Their sophomore effort together produced another four wins (including a sweep at Bristol Motor Speedway), nine top-five and 14 top-10 finishes on the way to 11th place in the final championship standings. Their third season together proved to be a charm. Fennig picked up his first Cup title by leading his driver to the top of the standings following the inaugural Chase for the Nextel Cup, where together they beat nine of NASCAR’s best in the seasons’ final 10 Chase races. Their streak included one victory and eight finishes of sixth-place or better during The Chase, three trips to victory lane (including a third consecutive win at Bristol and a sweep of both races at Loudon), one pole, 10 top-10 and 21 top-10 finishes, 746 laps led during 21 events, and only three Did Not Finishes.

The duo went into ‘05 looking to continue their winning ways and defend their championship. Fennig led his team to victory lane three times, posted nine top-five finishes, 18 top-ten’s, and once again worked his way into the Chase for the Championship. The team would wind up 10th in the overall year-end standings, with Kenny Wallace driving the Irwin Tools/Sharpie Ford for the final two ‘05 races.