Marital Status: Married, Kim
Children: Erin and Coleman
After a three years of being apart, the amazing duo of crew chief Donnie Wingo and Roush Fenway Racing driver Jamie McMurray return to the track together in 2009. After working together for two seasons at Chip Ganassi Racing, McMurray left to drive for Jack Roush at Roush Fenway Racing, while Wingo remained at Chip Ganassi Racing for two more seasons. In 2009, Wingo will rejoin McMurray at Roush Fenway as the two look forward to the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.
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 Chip Ganassi Racing 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 Chip Ganassi Racing began as crew chief for then rookie driver 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, earning 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 and McMurray. 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 cut-off 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 leading Mears to his most successful season at Ganassi Racing, finishing 14th in the standings while earning three top-five finishes including a second-place effort in the Daytona 500.
In 2007 and 2008, Wingo continued as a veteran crew chief at Chip Ganassi Racing working with both Juan Pablo Montoya and Reed Sorrenson. During his tenure with Juan Pablo Montoya, he helped Montoya earn is first Sprint Cup win and go on to earn the rookie of the year title in 2007.
The team of McMurray and Wingo are paired together again for the 2009 season and with the same goal in mind – to put McMurray back in Victory Lane and into contention for the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.
