Drew Blickensderfer to Mark 500th NASCAR Cup Series Race as Crew Chief
Drew Blickensderfer will reach a major milestone in his NASCAR Cup Series career as he calls his 500th race during Sunday’s Würth 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.
Currently, Blickensderfer is serving as the crew chief for Noah Gragson, who drives the No. 4 Ford for Front Row Motorsports.
Blickensderfer has four Cup Series victories under his belt. His first two wins came in his debut races as a Cup crew chief in 2009 with Matt Kenseth and Roush Fenway Racing—at the Daytona 500 and then at California Speedway. He secured another Daytona win in 2011 with David Ragan, also with Roush Fenway Racing. His most recent win came in the 2021 Daytona 500 with Michael McDowell, marking McDowell’s first career victory.
Across his 499 Cup races so far, Blickensderfer has earned 30 top-five finishes and 84 top-10s.
Throughout his career, he’s worked for several teams, including Roush Fenway Racing, Richard Childress Racing, and Richard Petty Motorsports. He alternated between the Cup and Xfinity Series before settling in at Front Row Motorsports in 2019 to work with McDowell. He remained there for three seasons before moving to Stewart-Haas Racing to crew chief for Aric Almirola in 2022.
Blickensderfer reunited with Gragson at SHR in 2024 and the duo returned together to Front Row Motorsports for the 2025 season.
“I’m thrilled to be back at Front Row Motorsports,” Blickensderfer said when his return was announced. “Working with Bob Jenkins and Jerry Freeze was a great experience before, and coming back with Noah makes it even more meaningful.”
So far in 2025, Blickensderfer and Gragson have earned one top-five and two top-10 finishes in the first 10 races.
“I’m thankful to have Drew and four teammates from last year come with me to Front Row,” Gragson said before the season. “That continuity has given us a strong base to start the year.”
