Brad Parrott Biography
Brad Parrott
NASCAR Busch Series Crew Chief, No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge
Personal Statistics
Birth Date: July 13, 1967
Birthplace: Charlotte, N.C.
Residence: Huntersville, N.C
Marital Status: Married to Mary
Children: Blake and Ella
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When Brad Parrott joined the CGRFS team in April of 2006 to serve as crew chief for Casey Mears and the No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge for a limited NASCAR Busch Series schedule, he had no idea what was in store for him and his team. His job description changed dramatically in July of ‘06. Parrott was then tasked with transitioning Formula One driver Juan Pablo Montoya from open-wheel racing to stock cars in preparation for his full-time ride in the No. 42 Dodge Charger in the NEXTEL Cup Series in 2007 and a limited Busch schedule.
The pairing of Parrott and Mears translated into immediate success on the track. The duo competed in seven Busch races in 2006, beginning with the 1.5-mile track in Texas. Mears finished the race in third place, and earned two additional top-10 finishes at Phoenix and Charlotte with Parrott atop the pit box. It was in July at Chicagoland Speedway when Parrott did what he does best; placed his driver in position to win. Parrott’s strategy put Mears up front with 45 laps to go in the race, and Mears never relinquished the lead. With fuel mileage in question, he was able to drive the No. 42 Dodge Charger to the checkered flag before running the tank dry on his victory lap. The trip to victory lane was Parrott’s 16th in the Busch Series, and a career first for Mears. The pair followed up the Busch win in Chicago with a second-place finish at Michigan.
Team Owner Chip Ganassi announced the signing of Montoya in July at Chicagoland, the same weekend Parrott returned Ganassi to victory lane. Parrott became an instrumental part of Montoya’s shift from open-wheel cars to stock cars. It began with a heavy testing schedule and led to two ARCA RE/MAX races and four NASCAR Busch Series races. Parrott provided Montoya with the necessary equipment to learn the ins and outs of stock cars. Montoya finished third under Parrott’s tutelage in his stock-car debut at Talladega Superspeedway in the ARCA Series. Following the ARCA race in Iowa the following week, Parrott and the Texaco/Havoline team took Montoya to Memphis Motorsports Park for his NASCAR Busch Series debut. Montoya, who had to qualify on time, started ninth en route to an 11th-place effort at the short track. Parrott and Montoya competed together in the final three races on the Busch Series schedule.
Throughout the last 20 years, Parrott worked his way up through the NASCAR ranks. He has worked with the top teams in the industry including Penske Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, Robert Yates Racing (RYR) and Roush Racing. Between 1986 and 1995 as he worked toward someday becoming a crew chief, he worked for several teams like the Stavola Brothers, Bob Whitcomb, Penske, Hendrick and Bobby Allison Motorsports.
Parrott moved to RYR in 1996 to car chief the No. 88 car with Dale Jarrett. He held that role through the 2001 season where the team earned 23 Cup Series victories (including two Daytona 500 and two Brickyard 400 wins) and the 1999 Winston Cup Championship.
In 2002, Parrott signed on at Roush Racing as the Busch Series crew chief for driver Jeff Burton. Together the two recorded five wins, eight top-five finishes, nine top-10 finishes and two poles in just 13 starts. In March of that year at Darlington, Parrott hit the set up on Burton’s car. Burton not only captured the pole for the race, but led every lap on his way to victory lane.
Parrott moved back to the Cup Series in 2003, and began the season as the crew chief for Jarrett and the No. 88 car at RYR. He recorded his first win as a Winston Cup crew chief in just the second race of the season at North Carolina Speedway. Although Parrott was victorious early in 2003, he left Yates and Jarrett and moved back to Roush Racing in April to assume car chief duties on the No. 99 car with Burton.
Parrott then took on the role of crew chief at Roush in the Busch Series for Greg Biffle in 2004 and Carl Edwards for the 2005 season. He and Biffle recorded two poles, five wins, 15 top-five finishes and 21 top-10 finishes en route to a third-place finish in the overall Busch Series standings. Edwards and Parrott continued Roush’s success in the Busch Series by racking up four poles, five wins, 15 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes as well as capturing Edwards the 2005 Rookie of the Year title.
Parrott’s stint as Roush has prepared him to take on the 2007 season with Montoya. The seasoned crew chief knows what it takes to work with a full-time NEXTEL Cup driver who competes for him in the Busch Series. Parrott’s experience and Montoya’s proven talent, coupled with their preparations in 2006, should be a formula for success next season. |
