Hendrick names Greg Ives Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s new crew chief

Hendrick Motorsports has tabbed Greg Ives to step in as Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s new crew chief for the 2015 season, Earnhardt announced on Twitter Wednesday.

Ives will take over Earnhardt's #88 Chevrolet next year after current crew chief Steve Letarte leaves for an NB Sports analyst position.

Ives, who was a crew chief in the Nationwide Series on Earnhardt's JR Motorsports team for the past two seasons, previously worked as Jimmie Johnson's race engineer from 2006-10. Ives was with Johnson during his run of five consecutive championships.

Since the start of last season, Ives has won five races on the Nationwide Series, two with Regan Smith and three with Chase Elliott.

Well there ya have it. Greg Ives will crew chief our #88 team next year. We couldn't be more excited to have him come on board.
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) July 30, 2014

As happy as we are about putting the crew chief decision in the rear view, there's still a lot of season left. Races to try and win.
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) July 30, 2014

- Alex Hampl