Matt Borland signs with RCR as crew chief for Menard

Matt Borland moves to RCR from Stewart-Haas Racing where he most recently served as vice president of technology. (Getty Images)
Matt Borland moves to RCR from Stewart-Haas Racing where he most recently served as vice president of technology. (Getty Images)
Matt Borland moves to RCR from Stewart-Haas Racing where he most recently served as vice president of technology. (Getty Images)

Matt Borland has been named as crew chief for the Richard Childress Racing No. 27 Chevy in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series the team said Wednesday.  Borland will take over the crew chief duties from interim crew chief Danny Stockman starting with the 2017 season.

Stockman was appointed to the interim crew chief in July replacing Justin Alexander who had been Menard’s crew chief since joining the team with five races left in the 2014 season.  The team said Stockman will return to RCR’s NASCAR Xfinity Series program, where he has won seven races and the 2013 Xfinity Series championship.

Borland moves from Stewart-Haas Racing where he most recently served as vice president of technology.  He also managed SHR’s NASCAR and Formula 1 operations, while managing its engineering staff of 30. From 2009 to 2016, Borland served in several roles at SHR, including vice president of competition and crew chief. His crew chief record in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series includes 13 wins, all coming with current RCR driver, Ryan Newman, behind the wheel.

“Matt’s experience as an engineer in both NASCAR and Formula 1 will be critically important to the growth of RCR’s Sprint Cup Series program,” said Chairman and CEO, Richard Childress. “He has an impressive background and will be a great resource to our racing operations.

“We thank Danny (Stockman) for his time as interim crew chief of the No. 27 team and look forward to having him back next season as a crew chief in our XFINITY Series program,” he added. “Danny has played an integral role in our Xfinity Series success and we’ll have a forthcoming announcement on his new responsibility.”

Borland’s extensive racing experience includes time at Pi Research, a well-known engineering organization, PacWest Racing, Team Penske and Michael Waltrip Racing. He is a graduate of the General Motors Institute and is a native of Big Rapids, Michigan.

“Richard Childress Racing is one of NASCAR’s most prestigious race teams with a storied history and I’m thrilled to be a part of this organization,” Borland said. “I’m looking forward to working closely with Dr. Eric Warren and the staff of talented engineers and employees. I’m confident my experience in various forms of motorsports will contribute to RCR’s continued success on track.”

Menard has two top-10 finishes in 33 Cup starts this season. In 360 career starts, he has one win that coming at Indy in 2015.

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.