Five-Time Champion Engineer, Greg Ives, Named Crew Chief For Smith

Greg Ives, the race engineer for Jimmie Johnson’s historic run of five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships from 2006-10, has been named crew chief for JR Motorsports and driver Regan Smith for the 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series season, general manager Kelley Earnhardt Miller announced today.   Ives, 33, and Smith, 29, will spearhead JRM’s bid for a 2013 championship in the No. 5 Chevrolet.  Smith was victorious in his JR Motorsports debut Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, driving the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet to a win in the season finale.  The win was Smith’s first in 103 series starts and the company’s 10th.   “Regan’s win on Saturday and the announcement of Greg’s hiring today are huge momentum boosts for this company going into the off-season,” said owner Dale Earnhardt Jr.  “Greg comes highly regarded.  He has been a huge part of the 48 team’s success, and this is a good opportunity for him to get his feet wet as a crew chief.  The partnership between JR Motorsport