The No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet Camaro will have a new crew chief for the remainder of the season after a sudden change.
According to a statement from the NASCAR Cup Series team, Travis Mack will no longer sit atop the pit box. The team will move forward to Las Vegas Motor Speedway with an interim crew chief leading the way.
"Travis Mack will no longer serve as crew chief for the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet, effective immediately," the statement said. "We appreciate the commitment Travis made to the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season and wish him well in the future.
"Darian Grubb will serve as the No. 16 crew chief this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with driver Shane van Gisbergen. More announcements regarding the position will be made in the near future."
Mack joined Kaulig Racing in January. He took over as the crew chief for the No. 16 team after three seasons guiding the No. 99 team at Trackhouse Racing. A corresponding move sent Matt Swiderski from Kaulig Racing to Trackhouse Racing.
Mack has spent the season working with a variety of drivers. AJ Allmendinger and van Gisbergen each spent 10 races with the veteran crew chief. Josh Williams made two starts while Ty Dillon and Derek Kraus each made five starts.
Allmendinger posted a pair of sixth-place finishes with Mack as the crew chief. Van Gisbergen finished second at Watkins Glen and seventh at the Charlotte Roval.
Grubb is currently the Director of Performance at Trackhouse Racing, the team that brought van Gisbergen to NASCAR. He has extensive experience as a crew chief, most notably while working with Tony Stewart.
Grubb has 24 wins at the Cup level, including one in van Gisbergen's NASCAR debut at Chicago in 2023. He won the 2005 Cup championship with Stewart. Grubb also celebrated wins with Jimmie Johnson, Casey Mears, Denny Hamlin, and Carl Edwards.
Grubb will now reunite with van Gisbergen as the New Zealand native makes his first career start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This will be van Gisbergen's first intermediate oval since Darlington Raceway.
