Trent T. Owens (born January 4, 1975) is an American
stock car racing
Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...
driver and
crew chief who works for
Kaulig Racing as the crew chief for their No. 31
Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE in the
NASCAR Cup Series
The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. In 1971, ...
, driven by
Justin Haley. He was previously a driver in what was then known as the
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the
ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series. He is also the nephew of seven-time Cup Series champion
Richard Petty
Richard Lee Petty (born July 2, 1937), nicknamed "The King", is an American former stock car racing driver who raced from 1958 to 1992 in the former NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notabl ...
. Owens previously crew chiefed for
Petty's team as well as
JTG Daugherty Racing,
Braun Racing
Braun Motorsports, formerly known as Braun Racing, was an American professional stock car racing team that last competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The team is based in Mooresville, North Carolina. Best known as one of the top in ...
/Turner Motorsports/
Turner Scott Motorsports and
Bobby Gerhart Racing.
Racing career
Driving career
Owens started his career while still in high school, working for
Petty Enterprises
Petty Enterprises (formerly Lee Petty Engineering) was a NASCAR racing team based in Level Cross, North Carolina, USA. It was founded by Lee Petty with his two sons Richard Petty and Maurice Petty. The team was later owned by Richard Petty, hi ...
, owned by his uncle
Richard
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Frankish language, Old Frankish and is a Compound (linguistics), compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' an ...
. He also worked at the
Richard Petty Driving Experience
Walt Disney World Speedway was a racing facility located on the grounds of the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando.
It was built in 1995 by IMS Events, Inc., a subsidiary of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation, an ...
.
In 2000, Owens attempted to qualify for the season-finale for the
ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series at
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
in a No. 37 car owned by crew chief
Barry Dodson
Barry Dodson was an American stock car crew chief. He was the crew chief for Rusty Wallace's 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship for Blue Max Racing. He pitted for several drivers won a combined 19 Cup races.
Racing career
Dodson began rac ...
, but he failed to qualify. He would not attempt to make any other ARCA starts. Owens made his debut in the
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
, driving the No. 49 Ford at
Pikes Peak. He started 32nd, but managed a good day, finishing 19th. He then topped that run with an 18th at
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
before finishing 34th at
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
. He then switched rides, competing in three events for
Ware Racing Enterprises
Rick Ware Racing (RWR) is an American motorsports team which currently competes in the NASCAR Cup Series, WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and the NTT IndyCar Series.
History
The organizational roots of RWR date back to Ware & Sons Racing with ...
. His best run was a 19th, coming in the season-finale at
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
.
In
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
, Owens became the driver of the No. 15 Ford for
Countryman Ballew Racing
Billy Ballew Motorsports was a team that competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. They were formed in 1996 by Georgia businessman Billy Ballew.
Fasscore Motorsports
In 2003, Ballew began running a second truck under the name Fasscor ...
. He failed to qualify for the season-opener at
Daytona Daytona refers to the city of Daytona Beach, Florida, or things named after it.
Daytona may also refer to:
Locations
* Daytona Beach Shores, Florida
* South Daytona, Florida
* The Daytona Beach metropolitan area
* Halifax area, also known as Da ...
. In the rest of the races he ran for the team (the next six races), he scored top-20s in all but one of his starts. His best finish of the year was a 14th at Pikes Peak (where he had his best career start of 12th), but he also had a pair of 15ths at
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town.
In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...
and
Dover
Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...
. After the race at
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, Owens was released due to funding issues. He was without a ride for the rest of the season.
Crew chiefing career
![RSR Photo TO-AA](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/RSR_Photo_TO-AA.JPG)
After being unable to find another ride, in 2003, Owens took his first crew chiefing job for Scott Traylor Motorsports's No. 5 car in the
ARCA Re/Max Series, working with a young
Clint Bowyer as he made his series debut at
Nashville Superspeedway, helping him pull off an eye-opening 2nd-place finish with
Richard Childress
Richard Childress (born September 21, 1945 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina) is an American former race car driver in NASCAR. As the owner of Richard Childress Racing (RCR), he became one of the wealthiest men in North Carolina. In 2004, he opene ...
in attendance, which led to Childress signing Bowyer to become a
development driver for
his team. Bowyer would go on to become a Cup Series driver for RCR.
Starting in
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
, Owens worked for
Braun Racing
Braun Motorsports, formerly known as Braun Racing, was an American professional stock car racing team that last competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The team is based in Mooresville, North Carolina. Best known as one of the top in ...
, later
Turner Motorsports and then
Turner Scott Motorsports as a crew chief in the
NASCAR Nationwide Series, scoring wins with
Mark Martin,
Dave Blaney,
Reed Sorenson,
James Buescher, and
Nelson Piquet Jr.
Nelson Angelo Tamsma Piquet Souto Maior (born July 25, 1985), also known as Nelson Piquet Junior or Nelsinho Piquet, is a Brazilian stock car racing driver and former Formula One and Formula E driver where he was champion in the 2014–15 seaso ...
He was also the crew chief for
Kyle Larson
Kyle Miyata Larson (born July 31, 1992) is an American professional auto racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports. Larson is the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champ ...
in
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
, and although he did not win any races that year, he won
Rookie of the Year and moved up to a Cup Series ride with
Chip Ganassi Racing
Chip Ganassi Racing, LLC (CGR), also sometimes branded as Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, is an American auto racing organization with teams competing in the IndyCar Series, NTT IndyCar Series, International Motor Sports Association, IMSA WeatherTech ...
the following year.
On December 2, 2013, it was announced that Owens would be moving up to the
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
, having been hired by
Richard Petty Motorsports
Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) was an American professional stock car racing team that competed in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team was founded as a result of the merger between Gillett Evernham Motorsports (GEM) and Petty Enterprises, with ...
to crew chief the team's No. 43 entry for driver
Aric Almirola
Aric Michael Almirola (born March 14, 1984) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 10 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing. A graduate of Hillsborough High School in T ...
.
![Trent Owens 2017](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/Trent_Owens_2017.jpg)
Owens was released from his contract at Richard Petty Motorsports at the end of the
2016 season. He was then hired to crew chief
JTG Daugherty Racing's new second car, the No. 37, driven by
Chris Buescher, in
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
.
In 2020, Buescher left for
Roush Fenway Racing and he was replaced by
Ryan Preece (previously the driver of JTGD's No. 47 car), and Owens remained the crew chief of the No. 37 car. Prior to the
2020 Auto Club 400
The 2020 Auto Club 400 was a NASCAR Cup Series Auto Club 400, race held on March 1, 2020, at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Contested over 200 laps on the D-shaped oval, it was the third race of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Rep ...
at
Fontana
Fontana may refer to:
Places
Italy
*Fontana Liri, comune in the Province of Frosinone
*Fontanafredda, comune in the Province of Pordenone
*Fontanarosa, comune in the Province of Avellino
*Francavilla Fontana, comune in the Province of Brindisi
* ...
, Owens was suspended after the car was discovered to have an illegal modification during pre-race inspection. The team was also docked 10 owner and driver points.
When the No. 37 car was closed down after the
2021 season, Owens lost his job with JTGD and moved to
Kaulig Racing to crew chief their new No. 31 car in the Cup Series, driven by
Justin Haley, who is the nephew of Todd Braun, the owner of Braun Racing, who Owens used to crew chief for. On February 23, 2022, Owens was suspended for four races after the No. 31 lost a wheel during the
2022 Daytona 500
The 2022 Daytona 500 was the first stock car race of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series and the 64th running of the event. The race was held on Sunday, February 20, 2022, in Daytona Beach, Florida at Daytona International Speedway, a asphalt superspeedwa ...
. On May 17, Owens was once again suspended for four races due to a tire and wheel loss during the
2022 AdventHealth 400
The 2022 AdventHealth 400 was a NASCAR Cup Series race that was held on May 15, 2022, at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. Contested over 267 laps on the asphalt speedway, it was the 13th race of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Report
...
at
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
.
Personal life
Owens is married and has two children. He is the nephew of
Richard Petty
Richard Lee Petty (born July 2, 1937), nicknamed "The King", is an American former stock car racing driver who raced from 1958 to 1992 in the former NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notabl ...
. His father Randy Owens, the brother of Petty's late wife Lynda, was a member of Petty's pit crew at age 19 and killed during a pit road accident when a water tank caught on fire during the
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
Winston 500. Trent was four months old at the time.
His father-in-law is fellow NASCAR crew chief
Barry Dodson
Barry Dodson was an American stock car crew chief. He was the crew chief for Rusty Wallace's 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship for Blue Max Racing. He pitted for several drivers won a combined 19 Cup races.
Racing career
Dodson began rac ...
who won the 1989 Cup championship with driver
Rusty Wallace.
Motorsports career results
NASCAR
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (
Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Craftsman Truck Series
ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (
Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Owens, Trent
Living people
1975 births
People from Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
Petty family
Racing drivers from Charlotte, North Carolina
Racing drivers from North Carolina
NASCAR crew chiefs
NASCAR drivers