SHR names Rex Stump technical director

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (AP) NASCAR championship-winning team Stewart-Haas Racing has hired Rex Stump as its technical director.

Stump has spent the last 18 years at Hendrick Motorsports, where he founded the organization's research and development program and has been instrumental in chassis design and technology.

SHR wrapped up its second championship in four years when Kevin Harvick won the Sprint Cup title on Sunday.

''You can never sit still in this business, and Rex's record of success will help us stay ahead of the curve,'' said Greg Zipadelli, vice president of competition at SHR.

Stump replaces Matt Borland, who was named vice president of technology for the Haas F1 Team and Stewart-Haas Racing. Borland's new role will be serving as a liaison between the two organizations, Haas F1 Team in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship and Stewart-Haas Racing.

Haas F1 Team will make its Formula One debut in 2016.

Stump has degrees in mechanical and automotive engineering, and worked at General Motors. He moved to motorsports in 1991 when he became a race engineer for Team Penske. One of Stump's most memorable achievements at Hendrick Motorsports was the design of Jeff Gordon's infamous ''T-Rex'' race-winning car for the 1997 All-Star Race.

The car helped Gordon dominate to a 1.02-second margin of victory. The car conformed to NASCAR's rulebook, but the design was so advanced that NASCAR told the team to never bring it back to another track. The rulebook was amended shortly after.

''Hendrick Motorsports provided me a lot of opportunities to succeed and I wouldn't be in this position if it weren't for Rick Hendrick, Ray Evernham and all the talented people I've worked with the last 18 years,'' Stump said. ''I'm proud of my time there, but I'm looking forward to my new role at Stewart-Haas.''