In what is one of the biggest surprises of the NASCAR offseason, Cole Pearn has resigned as crew chief of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, the team announced Monday afternoon.
Pearn has decided to leave the organization to pursue other opportunities, the team said in a media release.
“This was an incredibly difficult decision,” Pearn said in a statement. “At the end of the day, I really want to spend time with my family and actually see my kids grow up.
“Being on the road, you are away from home so much and miss a lot of time with your family. I don’t want to miss that time anymore. I want to be there for all the things that my kids are going to experience while they are still young.
“I love racing and there isn’t a better place to be than Joe Gibbs Racing, but I don’t want to look back in 20 years and think about everything I missed with my wife and kids while I was gone. They are what is most important to me.”
Added Truex in a statement, “I cannot say enough good things about Cole and what he has meant for my career. I appreciate his hard work and dedication to our race team over the past six years going back to when he was my engineer at Furniture Row. Our friendship is what matters most to me and I’m happy that he’s doing what’s best for him and his family.”
About an hour after the blockbuster news was made public by JGR, Pearn appeared on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s SiriusXM Speedway with Dave Moody and further expounded on his reasons for stepping down, saying:
“Everybody in the sport understands the grind of what the schedule is. To do it at the top level, you have to be all the way in. I was somehow making it work with my family until my kids got in school and once they’re in school and you have a day off on a Thursday, it really doesn’t matter. You pretty much go all week and you barely see ‘em.
“I didn’t want to look back at my life and miss those moments. For me to get the opportunity to work in racing has been just a dream come true and then to have the success we’ve had just blows my mind. When you’ve achieved more than you’ve ever dreamt, you look at the other things in life you’ve been missing and I just felt like it was time.”
What’s next for Pearn?
“We’re working on that and going to let the dust settle a bit,” Pearn told Moody. “I’m must looking forward to being around the family. I’m going to keep myself busy. I’m definitely too young not to do anything so I’m definitely going to keep working, that’s for sure.”
Pearn conceded that both Truex and team owner Joe Gibbs were shocked when he revealed his plans to step away.
“Yeah, I definitely don’t think anybody saw that coming,” Pearn told Moody. “There’s no easy way to deliver that news, especially to people you respect and care about. I’ve been losing a lot of sleep trying to figure out the best way to do it, but at the end of the day, just being honest and speaking from the heart was the way to do it. They’re both amazing people and I think they took it about as best as anybody could.”
Truex joined Furniture Row Racing in 2014 and Pearn, who had already been with the team as an engineer, moved to the crew chief role for the 2015 season. In 179 races together, Pearn and Truex combined to reach the season- and championship-deciding Championship 4 race four different times, achieving one championship (2017), two runner-up titles (2018 and 2019), 24 wins, 70 top fives, 110 top 10s and 12 poles.
Of note, their 23 wins together from 2016 through 2019 are the most of any driver-crew chief combination currently active. During the most recent playoffs, the team claimed three wins, a pair of runner-up finishes and only finished outside the top seven once in 10 races.
The pair moved to JGR for the 2019 season from the now-defunct Furniture Row Racing. They compiled a NASCAR Cup series-best seven wins, 15 top-five finishes and 24 top-10s in 2019. During the playoffs alone, the Pearn-led No. 19 team claimed three wins, a pair of runner-up finishes and only finished outside the top seven once in 10 races.
JGR said in its statement that a replacement for Pearn as crew chief for the No. 19 will be announced at a later date.
I am still shocked but more so at all the kind responses I have received. It has been a honour to get to do this with such a great group of people and I am going to do whatever I can from far to keep helping them.
— Cole Pearn (@colepearn) December 10, 2019
Also it is truly nothing more than that and it has been a tough yet simple decision to eventually make. So please understand my sincerity and shove all your conspiracy theories up your hoop. ✌️out. Thanks again to everyone
— Cole Pearn (@colepearn) December 10, 2019
Fellow crew chief Rodney Childers, of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing team, along with others took to Twitter to express their feelings on Pearn’s departure:
Gosh I hate to see this... Cole is one of the best to ever walk thru the garage. A racer thru and thru.. But I’m also happy for him wanting to be with his family more and doing what’s right for himself. https://t.co/hRflDy1Brh
— Rodney Childers (@RodneyChilders4) December 9, 2019
Cheers to 6 years of good times & lots of memories with this guy. Wish him nothing but the best in the future. Love ya man. @colepearn pic.twitter.com/n5Evv908h4
— Martin Truex Jr. (@MartinTruex_Jr) December 10, 2019
My quote on @colepearn leaving @JoeGibbsRacing .... ( There comes a time in life when you have sacrificed everything to win races and championships. Then you look around and you are all by yourself in a hotel room and your family has gone on without you)... pic.twitter.com/pOU0uWdjkt
— Kenny Wallace (@Kenny_Wallace) December 9, 2019
Hate to see him go but am so proud of him for making the decision to spend time with his family and do what’s important in life. Thanks for all the memories @colepearn!! 💕 https://t.co/RTFnnR7xXG
— Sherry Pollex (@SherryPollex) December 9, 2019
There comes a time when family is more important than money. He may be back in a couple years but i certainly understand why he wants and needs this right now. I applaud you @colepearn https://t.co/rKbrl2cWGz
— Hermie Sadler (@HermieSadler) December 9, 2019
I’m going to miss getting to see @colepearn at the track and our hauler visits.... but I’m happy for Carrie and the kids. He and @MartinTruex_Jr have had nothing short of an incredible run together. https://t.co/CGqusd6JIH
— Regan Smith (@ReganSmith) December 9, 2019
