Lance McGrew

Lance McGrew (born December 15, 1967) is an American former crew chief for Hendrick Motorsports and currently works in their research and development division.

Early life McGrew's passion for racing started when he just a kid growing up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and attending local dirt track races with his father, Les. McGrew broadened his racing knowledge at Louisiana State University where he majored in mechanical engineering.

BACE Motorsports McGrew moved to North Carolina in the early 1990s and joined the BACE Motorsports NASCAR Busch Series team driven by his future Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jack Sprague. McGrew started by doing basic tasks such as sweeping the floors and washing the team transporter. The title was the first-ever in the Busch Series for Hendrick Motorsports. The No. 5 team finished the season with three wins, one pole position, 13 top-five finishes and 21 top-tens.

McGrew's Busch Series success as crew chief continued in 2004 with Kyle Busch, who drove the No. 5 Chevy full-time for Hendrick Motorsports. The team ended the season with five wins, five poles, 16 top-five finishes and 22 top-tens en route to a second-place finish in the championship standings. Busch won Rookie of the Year honors.

At the end of the 2004 season, McGrew was named crew chief of the No. 25 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, which was driven by Vickers in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. McGrew helped lead the No. 25 Hendrick Motorsports team to its best season since 2001. The team finished 17th in the 2005 championship standings with five top-five finishes and ten top-tens.

In 2006, McGrew and the No. 25 team improved on their previous Cup season by recording a 15th-place finish in the championship standings with one win, one pole, five top-five finishes and nine top-tens. Earnhardt Jr. finished twelfth at Dover. On October 30, 2009, McGrew was selected as Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s full-time crew chief for the 2010 season. In July 2011, Hendrick Motorsports announced that Kenny Francis would replace him as crew chief for the No. 5 car, as McGrew moves to K&N East to crew chief driver Chase Elliott.