Steve Letarte
Encyclopedia
Steve Letarte is the crew chief
for Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
in the NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series. He first began as crew chief
for Jeff Gordon
when he took over the job of the #24 DuPont
Chevrolet
from Robbie Loomis
in September 2005. Letarte was born in Cornish, Maine
.
part time in 1995. In 1996, at the age of 16, he joined the group full-time. From 1997 to 1999, he worked as a tire specialist for the #24 team. He then became a mechanic and finally car chief in 2002.
In his sixth race as crew chief with Gordon, he visited victory lane for the first time in October 2005, winning the Subway 500 at Martinsville Speedway
, in Martinsville, Virginia
. The #24 improved with three top-five finishes in the last five races of the 2005 season.
Entering the 2006 season, Hendrick Motorsports made wholesale changes to the #24 team. They fought major handling issues at almost all of the intermediate racetracks, (1.5/2-mile downforce racetracks) which relegated Gordon to run outside of the top-ten and even outside of the top-fifteen. Gordon finished outside of the top-ten at California, Texas, Charlotte, and Pocono — all of which were downforce tracks.
When the series reached the 2-mile racetrack of Michigan International Speedway
, near Brooklyn, Michigan
, in mid-June, the #24 Chevrolet experienced a huge turnaround at a track that the #24 had struggled. Gordon led the most laps and finished eighth in a rain-shortened event; showing an instant improvement in the #24's downforce program. For the first time since 2004, the #24 DuPont Chevrolet made the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup
.
The #24 experienced an up-and-down postseason in 2006. They finished in the top five in both of the first two races, but posted 39th and 36th place finishes in the next two events, due to a failed fuel pump in Kansas Speedway
and an accident at Talladega Superspeedway
. Gordon also experienced an engine failure with 33 laps to go at Charlotte
which relegated the #24 to a 24th place finish.
Letarte and his team rebounded with finishes of: 5th at Martinsville, 6th at Atlanta, 9th at Texas, 4th at Phoenix and a 24th place finish at the season finale at Homestead, and ended the season 6th in the final points standings. Letarte's teammate, the #48 Lowe's Monte Carlo SS which is driven by Jimmie Johnson
and crew-chiefed by Chad Knaus
, won the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Championship.
In 2007, the #24 team finished the year with 6 wins, Gordon's highest total since 2001, and a series-leading 21 top-5s, the most scored in a season since 1999. The #24 team also finished with 30 top-10s, setting a new NASCAR modern era record for most top 10s in a single season. They dominated the points standings throughout much of the year, earning, in total, 353 more points than Jimmie Johnson's #48 team, and 706 more points than Tony Stewart's #20 team (who earned the third most points of any team in 2007). However, due to NASCAR's "Chase for the Cup" playoff system, in which the points are reset based on the number of wins each team accumulates throughout the "regular" season (the first 26 races), the #24 lost the championship. Their performance in the Chase was exceptionally good however, winning two races and scoring an average finish of 5.1, but it was not enough to outperform their Hendrick Motorsports teammates on the #48 team.
2008 would be a brutal reminder of how difficult racing in NASCAR's top series can be. Astonishingly, the #24 team failed to win a race for the first time since Gordon's rookie year in 1993. The team posted a respectable 19 top-10s and 13 top-5s en route to a 7th place finish in the season's final standings, but it was a disappointing follow-up to the 2007 season. Despite being the target of blame from many critics for the team's failures, Jeff Gordon and Rick Hendrick stood by the longtime Hendrick Motorsports employee and Letarte returned at the helm for 2009.
Jeff Gordon snapped his career-high 47-race winless streak with a victory in the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway (one of only two tracks Gordon had yet to win at on the NASCAR circuit) on April 5, 2009. But alas, it would be the #24 team's only win of the 2009 season. The team had a strong year however, finishing 3rd in the final standings and leading the series with both 16 top-5s and 25 top 10s. As an organization, Hendrick Motorsports finished an impressive 1-2-3 in the standings as Mark Martin finished second and Jimmie Johnson went on to win his record-setting fourth-straight championship.
for the 2011 season.
Pit stop
In motorsports, a pit stop is where a racing vehicle stops in the pits during a race for refuelling, new tires, repairs, mechanical adjustments, a driver change, or any combination of the above...
for Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
* NOTE: References to "Earnhardt", "he", and "him" refer to the subject of this article, unless otherwise specified. References to his father will include "Sr."...
in the NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Sprint Cup Series. He first began as crew chief
Crew chief
Crew chief may refer to:*Crew chief , the head person on a race team who directs both the driver and pit crew*Crew chief , Part of the Ford Work Solutions Package see Ford Sync...
for Jeff Gordon
Jeff Gordon
Jeffery Michael "Jeff" Gordon is a professional NASCAR driver. He is the driver of the #24 Drive to End Hunger/DuPont/Pepsi Chevrolet Impala. He is a four-time Sprint Cup Series champion and a three-time Daytona 500 winner. He is third on the all-time wins list, with 85 career wins, and has the...
when he took over the job of the #24 DuPont
DuPont
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...
Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
from Robbie Loomis
Robbie Loomis
Robbie Loomis is a former NASCAR crew chief who worked for Petty Enterprises and Hendrick Motorsports during his time as a crew chief, working most notably with Richard Petty and Jeff Gordon...
in September 2005. Letarte was born in Cornish, Maine
Cornish, Maine
Cornish is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,269 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area...
.
Early Racing Career
Letarte began working for Hendrick MotorsportsHendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports , originally named All Star Racing, is a current American auto racing team created in 1984 by Rick Hendrick. The team currently competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Chevrolet Impalas...
part time in 1995. In 1996, at the age of 16, he joined the group full-time. From 1997 to 1999, he worked as a tire specialist for the #24 team. He then became a mechanic and finally car chief in 2002.
#24 Crew Chief
Letarte was promoted from car chief to crew chief after the #24 DuPont Chevrolet missed the 2005 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup. He was promoted after 26 of the 36 races in the 2005 season.In his sixth race as crew chief with Gordon, he visited victory lane for the first time in October 2005, winning the Subway 500 at Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway is an International Speedway Corporation-owned NASCAR stock car racing track located in Henry County, near Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved...
, in Martinsville, Virginia
Martinsville, Virginia
Martinsville is an independent city which is surrounded by Henry County, Virginia, United States. The population was 13,821 in 2010. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Martinsville with Henry County for statistical purposes...
. The #24 improved with three top-five finishes in the last five races of the 2005 season.
Entering the 2006 season, Hendrick Motorsports made wholesale changes to the #24 team. They fought major handling issues at almost all of the intermediate racetracks, (1.5/2-mile downforce racetracks) which relegated Gordon to run outside of the top-ten and even outside of the top-fifteen. Gordon finished outside of the top-ten at California, Texas, Charlotte, and Pocono — all of which were downforce tracks.
When the series reached the 2-mile racetrack of Michigan International Speedway
Michigan International Speedway
Michigan International Speedway is a two-mile moderate-banked D-shaped superspeedway located off U.S. Highway 12 on more than in Brooklyn, in the scenic Irish Hills area of southeastern Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is sometimes known as a "sister track" to Texas...
, near Brooklyn, Michigan
Brooklyn, Michigan
Brooklyn is a village in Jackson County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 1,176. It is located just off U.S. Highway 12 Brooklyn (formerly Swainsville) is a village in Jackson County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village...
, in mid-June, the #24 Chevrolet experienced a huge turnaround at a track that the #24 had struggled. Gordon led the most laps and finished eighth in a rain-shortened event; showing an instant improvement in the #24's downforce program. For the first time since 2004, the #24 DuPont Chevrolet made the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup
Chase for the Nextel Cup
The Chase for the Sprint Cup, originally known as "The Chase for the Championship" during its creation, and then "The Chase for the Nextel Cup" is the championship system used in NASCAR's top division, the Sprint Cup Series, akin to the postseason in American professional sports leagues...
.
Kansas Speedway
Kansas Speedway is a tri-oval race track in Kansas City, Kansas. The speedway was built in 2001 and currently hosts two annual NASCAR race weekends. The IndyCar Series also raced at the speedway until 2011...
and an accident at Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama, United States. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base just outside the small city of Lincoln. It was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in...
. Gordon also experienced an engine failure with 33 laps to go at Charlotte
Lowe's Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...
which relegated the #24 to a 24th place finish.
Letarte and his team rebounded with finishes of: 5th at Martinsville, 6th at Atlanta, 9th at Texas, 4th at Phoenix and a 24th place finish at the season finale at Homestead, and ended the season 6th in the final points standings. Letarte's teammate, the #48 Lowe's Monte Carlo SS which is driven by Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Kenneth Johnson is an American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race car driver. He currently drives the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports....
and crew-chiefed by Chad Knaus
Chad Knaus
Chad Anthony Knaus is the current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series crew chief for Jimmie Johnson. He is currently employed at Hendrick Motorsports. Knaus has 52 victories as Jimmie Johnson's crew chief and is the only NASCAR crew chief to win five consecutive championships. He has been a crew chief in...
, won the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Championship.
In 2007, the #24 team finished the year with 6 wins, Gordon's highest total since 2001, and a series-leading 21 top-5s, the most scored in a season since 1999. The #24 team also finished with 30 top-10s, setting a new NASCAR modern era record for most top 10s in a single season. They dominated the points standings throughout much of the year, earning, in total, 353 more points than Jimmie Johnson's #48 team, and 706 more points than Tony Stewart's #20 team (who earned the third most points of any team in 2007). However, due to NASCAR's "Chase for the Cup" playoff system, in which the points are reset based on the number of wins each team accumulates throughout the "regular" season (the first 26 races), the #24 lost the championship. Their performance in the Chase was exceptionally good however, winning two races and scoring an average finish of 5.1, but it was not enough to outperform their Hendrick Motorsports teammates on the #48 team.
2008 would be a brutal reminder of how difficult racing in NASCAR's top series can be. Astonishingly, the #24 team failed to win a race for the first time since Gordon's rookie year in 1993. The team posted a respectable 19 top-10s and 13 top-5s en route to a 7th place finish in the season's final standings, but it was a disappointing follow-up to the 2007 season. Despite being the target of blame from many critics for the team's failures, Jeff Gordon and Rick Hendrick stood by the longtime Hendrick Motorsports employee and Letarte returned at the helm for 2009.
Jeff Gordon snapped his career-high 47-race winless streak with a victory in the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway (one of only two tracks Gordon had yet to win at on the NASCAR circuit) on April 5, 2009. But alas, it would be the #24 team's only win of the 2009 season. The team had a strong year however, finishing 3rd in the final standings and leading the series with both 16 top-5s and 25 top 10s. As an organization, Hendrick Motorsports finished an impressive 1-2-3 in the standings as Mark Martin finished second and Jimmie Johnson went on to win his record-setting fourth-straight championship.
#88 Crew Chief
On November 23rd, 2010, Letarte was named the crew chief of the #88 car driven by Dale Earnhardt, Jr.Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
* NOTE: References to "Earnhardt", "he", and "him" refer to the subject of this article, unless otherwise specified. References to his father will include "Sr."...
for the 2011 season.