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Matt Hagan’s co-crew chief Mike Knudsen has been promoted to the role of crew chief by the Tony Stewart Racing Nitro team. Knudsen has been working with Matt Hagan in the NHRA Funny Car since 2013. The newly promoted crew chief spoke highly of Stewart as the team owner reflected on why promoting Knudsen was the best dynamic for the team.
Mike Knudsen said (via NHRA.com):
“I’m really excited to take the next step in my career. Thank you to Dickie’s [Venables] mentorship, I feel very prepared to step into the crew chief role. I couldn’t ask for a better situation. Tony [Stewart] is the best owner in the NHRA, and we have a championship-winning team that’s led by Alex Conaway [car chief], also with Matt being a four-time championship-winning driver.”
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“I’m also excited to bring Phil on board. He and I have multiple years of experience working together at DSR. I feel we will really complement each other as co-crew chiefs. We’re excited to get the 2025 season underway and hunt down that fifth championship for Matt.”
Knudsen’s promotion means that the former crew chief Dickie Venables will be stepping down from the role. Assistant crew chief at Maynard Family Racing on Tony Schumacher’s Top Fuel operation, Phil Schuler will be joining TSR to fill in for Knudsen’s former position of co-crew chief.
Mike Knudsen has won three championships with Matt Hagan. He made the switch to Tony Stewart Racing from Don Schumacher Racing in 2022 and won the championship the very next year. Yet, some fans and critics questioned whether TSR made the right decision by letting Dickie Venables go. Tony Stewart spoke about why he felt it was the right decision.
“Ultimately the best for the dynamic of this team”: Tony Stewart on Mike Knudsen's promotion
The TSR owner thanked Dickie Venables for his contributions and recalled the success the team achieved with him. Venables was the Crew Chief when Hagan won the first championship for the team. Yet, Stewart believes that moving ahead with Knudsen as the Crew Chief is the right call.
Tony Stewart said (via NHRA.com):
“Many in the industry may question why the change, and all I can say is as a team owner you are presented with difficult decisions often, and the call we made to elevate Mike Knudsen to the crew chief role is what is ultimately best for the dynamic of this team. I’m very proud of Mike for being promoted to the crew chief role.”
“He is a strong leader and great tuner and is well-prepared to take on this new position. With this change, we are also excited to have Phil Shuler join the team alongside Mike. He has a prominent background in the NHRA, and I’m looking forward to seeing what they can accomplish together.”
According to rumors, Dickie Venables is linked to Kalitta Motorsports as Todd Smith was released from his duties as J.R. Todd’s co-crew chief.
