Mooresville, N.C. — Robert Yates Racing announced today that 16-year racing veteran Shawn Parker will assume crew chief duties for Dale Jarrett’s No. 88 UPS Taurus, taking over for interim Crew Chief Garth Finley.

Finley filled in the position following the departure of Brad Parrott last month.

Parker had been serving RYR as the car chief of Elliott Sadler’s No. 38 M&M’s Taurus since the team was formed before the 2003 season.

“Shawn is a talented mechanic and a natural leader,” said Doug Yates, general manager for RYR. “Shawn is someone we thought of as a future crew chief for Robert Yates Racing when we hired him in December. More importantly, he has a lot of experience in Winston Cup racing and brings a lot of knowledge to the crew chief role. He also believes in Dale Jarrett as a driver and Robert Yates Racing as championship contenders.”

Parker’s NASCAR experience includes five seasons with Roush Racing drivers Mark Martin and Kurt Busch. He also worked with Rusty Wallace’s Penske Racing South team.

“This is just a dream come true for me,” Parker said of his new role. “This is a role I’ve worked hard for. The opportunity to work with a driver like Dale Jarrett, the No. 88 team and Robert Yates Racing is incredible.”

Also announced was the return of Jason Burdett to RYR as the No. 88’s car chief. Burdett previously worked with the team and was a part of the 1999 championship team. He left RYR following the 2000 season and joined the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team and helped contribute to its 2001 championship effort. Burdett served as the car chief for Hendrick’s No. 48 car since 2002.

“Jason and I grew up in the same area in New York and we worked on the same type of cars when we were making our way up the ladder,” Parker said of Burdett. “Jason has worked at Robert Yates Racing before so he knows how things work there and brings a lot to the table. He knows a lot of the guys and I think he’ll fit in well and add a lot to the team.”