Luke Lambert
 Lambert at Kentucky Speedway in 2016 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Born | 1981 or 1982 (age 42–43) Mount Airy, North Carolina |
| Alma mater | North Carolina State University |
| Occupation | Crew chief |
| Sport | |
| Country | United States |
| Sport | Motor racing |
| Team | 17. Chris Buescher |
Luke Lambert is an American auto racing mechanic who currently serves as the crew chief for Chris Buescher in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Early life
A native of Mount Airy, North Carolina, Lambert graduated from Mount Airy High School in 2001.[1] He also was raised a race fan, and had a brief go-kart racing career after attending races at Bristol Motor Speedway as a child.[1] Lambert attended college at North Carolina State University and participated in the university's Wolfpack Motorsports program as a driver and mechanic.[1]
Career
After graduating college in 2005, Lambert worked for Richard Childress Racing as a mechanical engineer; he was moved up to race engineer in 2007 to work with Jeff Burton's team.[1] When Burton's crew chief, Todd Berrier, was fired midway through the 2011 season, RCR tapped Lambert to take over crew chiefing duties of the No. 31.[2]
Lambert moved to RCR's Nationwide Series to head Elliott Sadler's efforts in 2012; he was moved back up to Burton's Cup Series entry for the 2013 season.[3] While Burton left the team at the end of 2013, Lambert stayed on with new driver Ryan Newman.[4] In his first season with Newman, Lambert guided the team to the Championship 4 in the first season of NASCAR knockout playoffs.[5] In 2015, Lambert was suspended six races for illegal tire modifications.[6] Lambert earned his first Cup win atop the box with Newman at Phoenix Raceway in 2017,[7] and stayed with Newman through the driver's tenure with RCR, leading a renumbered No. 8 team with Daniel Hemric behind the wheel in 2019.[8]
Before 2020, Lambert moved to Roush Fenway Racing, where he was paired with Chris Buescher.[9]
References
- ^ a b c d "Luke Lambert makes dream come true with NASCAR". Mount Airy News. October 22, 2012. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
- ^ "Luke Lambert replaces Todd Berrier as Jeff Burton's NASCAR crew chief". MassLive. July 25, 2011. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
- ^ Pockrass, Bob (October 29, 2012). "Jeff Burton to be reunited with former crew chief Lambert at RCR". SB Nation. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
- ^ "2014 NASCAR Driver Profile: Ryan Newman". Athlon Sports. February 13, 2014. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
- ^ "RCR, Roush shake up crew chief lineup: Lambert to No. 17; Reddick, Burnett paired". NASCAR.com. November 5, 2019. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
- ^ Fitzgerald, Matt. "Ryan Newman, Luke Lambert, Crew Members Penalized by NASCAR for Modifying Tires". Bleacher Report. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
- ^ Durr, Tim (March 20, 2017). "Luke Lambert put Newman in position to 'guard off wolves' for Phoenix win". Fox Sports. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
- ^ Albert, Zack (December 14, 2018). "Childress 'proud' to have Lambert back to work with Hemric, No. 8 team". NASCAR.com. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
- ^ "Lambert Named No. 17 Crew Chief". Motor Racing Network. November 5, 2019. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
External links
- Luke Lambert crew chief statistics at Racing-Reference