McAnally-Hilgemann Racing (MHR) has revealed its crew chief lineup for the 2027 NASCAR FedEx Freight Truck Series, featuring a prominent addition from the Cup garage.
New Crew Chief Additions and Role Changes
Matt Barndt, who previously served as the car chief for Chase Elliott and the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in the Cup Series, has joined MHR to become the crew chief for Christian Eckes and the No. 91 team. Both racing organizations share a connection through their common sponsorship with NAPA Auto Parts.
Kevin Bellicourt, who formerly worked as the crew chief for Daniel Hemric and the No. 19 entry, is transitioning into a General Manager position. Darren Fraley will replace Bellicourt, moving over from the No. 81 MHR entry.
Edward “Dewey” Townsend, who previously worked with MHR’s part-time No. 20 entry, is now taking over as the crew chief for newly signed driver Nick Sanchez and the No. 18 team.
Team Management and Expectations
Mark Hillman is stepping into an Operations Manager role for MHR, and Stephen Poswiatowski is transitioning from Hemric’s No. 19 team to take on the Lead Engineer position.
“We have high expectations of ourselves, to win races and compete for championships”, team owner Bill McAnally stated.
McAnally expressed confidence that having Kevin Bellicourt, Matt Barndt, Darren Fraley, and Dewey Townsend places the team in the ideal position to build on their strong finish to the previous season and prepare them to perform even better when competition resumes in February. He noted that the organization feels confident in its current direction and excited about its development for 2027.
MHR did not secure a win in 2026, but Eckes finished fifth in the final championship standings after collecting four runner-up finishes across the final six races of the year.
