Doug Randolph enters his 24th year in motorsports as he begins a new chapter as crew chief for Dale Earnhardt, Inc.'s No. 15 Menards Chevrolet driven by Paul Menard. Before moving to Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Randolph served as crew chief for Nextel Cup champion Bobby Labonte and Petty Enterprises for the second half of the 2007 season. Prior to that appointment he spent four seasons at MB2 Motorsports/Ginn Racing, serving in roles such as crew chief, race coordinator and driver development manager.
While there, Randolph led Ginn Racing's Busch Series team and driver Regan Smith to three top-five, five top-10s, and a pole position in just 17 starts. He also used his knowledge and experience to lead 20-year-old sprint-car racer Kraig Kinser to a pair of strong performances in the 2005 ARCA RE/MAX Series.
Randolph first began working in motorsports in 1984 for L.D. Ottinger's Busch Series team. It was during those same years that he attended the University of Tennessee, from which he graduated in 1988 with a Bachelor of Science degree in wildlife and fisheries biology. A few years after his graduation, Randolph made the decision to move to North Carolina to further his career in motorsports.
Randolph immediately began working with Junior Johnson's Cup team and driver Sterling Marlin. Randolph was an asset to the team, but moving up the ladder was important. He was offered a position with Larry Hedrick Motorsports and continued to climb up the stock car ranks. He remained at Hedrick until 1998 before making his next move.
Randolph made an impact at Bill Davis Racing beginning in 1999. He spent one season as car chief for Ward Burton before being promoted to crew chief for Dave Blaney for the last 16 races of the 2000 season. He remained in that position through 2001, and led Blaney to six top-10 finishes. In 2002, Randolph moved to Chip Ganassi Racing where he was crew chief for Jimmy Spencer, producing six top-10 and two top-five finishes.
The 2003 season brought a change of pace for Randolph. Randolph took a break from the Cup Series and worked as a crew chief on the Busch cirquit. He led Scott Riggs to two wins, 11 top-five and 17 top-10 finishes. The duo also found itself in contention for the Busch Series Championship heading into the final event of the season.
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