Mark Martin’s ex-crew chief Ryan Pemberton dies at the age of 54    

Ryan Pemberton has won races as crew chief in both Cup and Xfinity Series.

Mark Martin’s ex-crew chief Ryan Pemberton dies at the age of 54    

Mark Martin and Ryan Pemberton (Via IMAGO)

The NASCAR community is mourning the death of another veteran of the sport. Ryan Pemberton, one of the well-known veteran crew chiefs, passed away at age 54. Coming from a racing family that included former NASCAR VP Robin Pemberton, he has accomplished a lot while working with multiple drivers and teams.

His most high-profile driver was the NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin. He has also worked with Dave Blaney, father of reigning Cup champion Ryan Blaney, Derrike Cope, Ernie Irvan, Jerry Nadeau, and Joe Nemechek. He has served as the crew chief for 76 Xfinity Serie races and 561 Cup Series races.

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He has won NASCAR three Xfinity series races as crew chief, with his most impressive work coming when he worked with Regan Smith at Junior Motorsports. Pemberton, though failed to win NASCAR Cup races with Martin, did so twice with Joe Nemechek and Brian Vickers, with the wins coming with a five-year gap.

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His most recent NASCAR job was at JR Motorsports, which is c-o-owned By Dale Earnhardt Jr. He worked as the competition director and won three titles in his time with the team. Chase Elliott won the title in 2014, William Byron in 2017, and Tyler Reddick in 2018.

JRM mourns the death of Ryan Pemberton

JRM is a joint venture with Dale Jr., Kelly Earnhardt Miller, and Rick Hendrick as co-owners. Kelly was the one to share some words on Ryan Pemberton’s death on behalf of the Xfinity Series team, which functions as Chevy’s.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., a HMS driver back in 2017
Dale Earnhardt Jr., a HMS driver back in 2017 (Credits: Guardian)

Kelly highlighted Pemberton’s contributions towards making JRM a successful operation. She claimed he was instrumental to JRM’s success and acknowledged his passion for the sport. Kelly extended her condolences to the Pemberton family and said Ryan will always be part of the JRM family.  

Ryan was instrumental to JR Motorsports’ success during the decade he spent with us. He had such a passion for competition and, as a leader, knew how to motivate everyone he worked with. He will always be part of the JRM family. Our hearts go out to his wife Andrea and daughters Payton and Britton during this tremendously difficult time.
Kelley Earnhardt Miller said in a statement.

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