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The NASCAR community learned of the passing of Ryan Pemberton through a heartfelt statement released by JR Motorsports. Pemberton was a key figure who played an instrumental role in JR Motorsports' success over the past decade. He passed away on Monday (January 15) at the age of 54.
The statement expressed gratitude for Pemberton's dedication, passion for competition and leadership that left an indelible mark on the entire JR Motorsports family.
Pemberton spent 23 years as a crew chief in NASCAR and 10 years as the Competition Director for JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series.
Kelley Earnhardt-Miller, the co-owner of JR Motorsports, said in the statement:
“Ryan Pemberton was instrumental to JR Motorsports’ success during the decade he spent with us. He had such a passion for competition and, as a leader, knew how to motivate everyone he worked with. He will always be part of the JRM family. Our hearts go out to his wife Andrea and daughters Payton and Britton during this tremendously difficult time.”
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The statement also expressed the team's condolences to Pemberton's family, acknowledging the difficulty they were facing during the challenging time.
Ryan Pemberton served as crew chief in more than 600 Cup Series and Xfinity Series races. He had two Cups and three Xfinity wins in his career as a crew chief. Pemberton worked with drivers like Derrike Cope, Ernie Irvan, Dave Blaney, Joe Nemechek, Mark Martin, Brian Vickers and David Reutimann.
Pemberton joined JRM in the 2012 season and left in 2022. He was the director of the team too and during that tenure, JRM won 58 Xfinity races and three titles.
Boris Said mourns the death of Ryan Pemberton
It was the semi-retired NASCAR driver Boris Said who first announced the sad news of the passing of Ryan Pemberton. Said drove four NASCAR Cup Series races with Pemberton atop the pit box.
In an Instagram post on Sunday evening, Said shared a photo of Pemberton with a caption that read:
“Lost a great human being today, even better father and husband, have so many great memories driving and laughing with Ryan, RIP my friend.”
Fans and members of the NASCAR community took to social media to express their condolences for Pemberton and his family. Many reflected on the impact he had on the sport and the legacy he leaves behind at JR Motorsports.
