Donnie Wingo Biography
Donnie Wingo
Crew Chief, No. 42 Dodge Charger
Personal Statistics
Birth Date: February 13, 1960
Birthplace: Spartanburg, SC
Residence: Mooresville, NC
Marital Status: Married to Kim
Children: Erin and Coleman
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Donnie Wingo’s 25 years in NASCAR prepared him for one of the most challenging tasks of his career last season, transitioning a Formula One driver into a stock car expert. Wingo and his Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) team did just that as they led Juan Pablo Montoya to the 2007 Raybestos Rookie of the Year title and a victory at Infineon Raceway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
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Wingo broke into racing working as a crew member and mechanic with independent driver and Team Owner Jimmy Means in 1978. He worked with various other teams before stepping into his first crew chief role in 1989 with Bud Moore Racing. He led driver Morgan Shepherd to victory lane at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1990, his first as a Cup crew chief. Wingo chalked up three more Cup Series victories with Geoffrey Bodine (two in 1992 and one in 1993).
Before joining CGRFS in 2003, Wingo worked for seven years as a crew chief at Travis Carter/Haas-Carter Motorsports with such notable drivers as Todd Bodine and Jimmy Spencer. His move to CGRFS began as crew chief for rookie driver Jamie McMurray during the 2003 Sprint Cup season. Wingo led the No. 42 team to five top-five and 13 top-10 finishes. The team scored one pole position and finished 13th in the final point standings, earning McMurray the 2003 NASCAR Sprint Cup Raybestos Rookie of the Year title.
Wingo and McMurray carried the momentum from their successful 2003 season to 2004. The pair earned nine top-five and 23 top-10 finishes during the 2004 season. In addition, the No. 42 team finished 11th in the standings and earned a $1 million bonus as the highest finishing team outside of the Chase for the Cup.
The 2005 season saw yet another solid outing for Wingo, McMurray and the No. 42 team. Together they recorded one pole, four top-five finishes and 10 top-10 finishes. Once again Wingo and McMurray were entrenched in a heated battle to make the Chase for the Cup, only to come up a few points shy following the race in Richmond. They finished the season 12th in the overall standings – their third consecutive top-15 finish in points.
Wingo spent the 2006 season working with driver Casey Mears before Montoya joined the fold. He led Mears to his most successful season at CGRFS finishing the season 14th in the standings while earning three top-five finishes including a second-place effort in the Daytona 500.
Wingo and his No. 42 team will continue to work with one of the most high-profile drivers in motor sports as Montoya begins his sophomore season in NASCAR. The team looks to improve on 2007 where it amassed one win, three top-five and six top-10 finishes while earning three outside poles and a top-20 finish in the standings - the highest finish for a CGRFS team. Everyone in the industry expects the driver and team to improve in 2008, but no one’s expectations are higher than Wingo’s. |
