Motorsport photo Nick DeGroot · Motorsport Mon, November 9, 2026 at 3:44 PM UTC · 2 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trackhouse Racing is making a change atop the pit box for the No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet in 2027. Blake Harris will become Shane van Gisbergen 's new crew chief, moving over from the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Alex Bowman .
Harris has been Bowman's crew chief since the start of the 2023 season, winning one race together. There has been no official word on Bowman's new crew chief for next year.
This change means the end of the pairing between SVG and current crew chief Stephen Doran, who has led the No. 97 team for the past two seasons. During that period, Van Gisbergen won seven races – all on road or street courses. He placed 12th in the 2025 standings, and led all Trackhouse drivers in 2026 despite missing the Chase, placing 17th in the final standings.
At the end of last year, Trackhouse made a similar move when they made Brandon McSwain the new crew chief for Ross Chastain, and he also came over from Hendrick where he was an engineer for William Byron.
Doran will return to Spire Motorsports to work with Michael McDowell as his 2027 crew chief. He will replace Travis Peterson, who has been offered an engineering role within the race team.
Our 2027 season starts today so we're eager to bring Stephen back to Spire Motorsports," said Spire Co-Owner Jeff Dickerson. "He's an exceptionally talented individual, a winning crew chief and someone who fits in with our group, seamlessly. Spire had a great 2026 season, so we have a lot to be proud of. Adding Stephen to the mix with Matt McCall and reuniting him with Ryan (Sparks), Luke (Lambert) and Dax (Garringer) gives me a lot of confidence that our best days as an organization are still in front of us."
Doran previously worked at Spire before, and worked as Zane Smith's crew chief for the 2024 NASCAR Cup season.
"I'm incredibly thankful to Justin (Marks) for giving me the opportunity to be a crew chief at Trackhouse," said Doran. I'm equally grateful for the opportunity to work alongside SVG. He's a world-class driver on the track and an even better person away from it. I'll truly miss the people and relationships I've built within the Trackhouse family. "The timing felt right to return to Spire Motorsports. Coming back to the No. 71 team is something I've thought about since leaving at the end of 2024. What Jeff, Dan (Towriss), and the entire organization have built in such a short time is impressive, and I'm excited to be part of what's ahead. I can't wait to get to work with Michael and the entire team as we push to become a consistent race-winning organization for years to come."
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Source: Sports
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