HOMESTEAD, Fla. — One of the longest active crew chief/driver relationships in Nextel Cup came to an end after Sunday’s Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
And the two got to celebrate in victory lane after winning the race.
Robbie Reiser, Matt Kenseth’s crew chief since the pair started together in the Busch Series, will become general manager at Roush Fenway Racing.
Reiser replaces Max Jones and steps into the GM role with well over 20 years of experience. The Allentown, Wis., native began as a driver, racing late models in the 1980s before getting into the Busch Series in 1995.
“It’s really not that different than what I’ve been doing,” Reiser said. “The office is only going to be about 40 feet from where I’ve been the last few years, so I really don’t look at as that big of a change for what we’re doing. Obviously, I’ll be involved with the five teams, but what I do on a daily basis, it’ll change a little bit because the guys on the 17 will be off on their own.”
As co-owner of Reiser Enterprises with his dad, John, Robbie transitioned to crew chief in 1997 and hired fellow Wisconsin native Kenseth to drive for him. Reiser, along with Kenseth, came to Roush Fenway Racing in 1999 and together have tallied 15 wins, 78 top fives and 141 top 10s in NASCAR’S Cup series, including winning rookie honors in 2000 and the championship in 2003.
“We are fortunate to have an experienced and talented replacement in Robbie Reiser,” said Roush Fenway Racing’s co-owner Jack Roush.
Kenseth has enjoyed a close relationship with Reiser.
“I feel good about him being promoted,” Kenseth said. “I think from an organizational standpoint it’s going to be really good for Roush Fenway Racing, which I think will also be good for the 17 team in the long haul.  I know it’s something he’s kind of been interested in doing the last few years, but we’ve enjoyed working together and doing this for a long time, too, so I think overall it’ll make the company stronger.” 
Team engineer Chip Bolin will replace Reiser as Kenseth’s crew chief.