Kevin Kidd, Tommy Wheeler take over as leaders at Roush Fenway Racing

Roush Fenway Racing has announced its lineup for the 2017 season with numerous changes made to its organization.

Kevin Kidd will take over as Competition Director

Kevin Kidd will resume his role as the Sprint Cup Series Competition Director and Tommy Wheeler will serve as the team's Operation Director in 2017.  The team announced that it will be leasing its charter from the 16 car and loaning driver Chris Buescher to JTG Racing in 2017.

"We have been able to shore up our plans for 2017 and we feel that this will continue to move us in a direction that will yield improved performance and results," said owner co-owner Jack Roush.  "We say improvement in our cars and made substantial gains in our performance at times last season, and we will continue to build on that by maintaining a robust engineering group in order  to take the next step by consistently running up front."

Matt Puccia who led Trevor Bayne last season on the No. 6 AdvoCare Ford Racing team will return

Puccia will remain crew chief for Trevor Bayne in 2017

to duty as the leader of the team in 2017.  It will be the first time that Bayne will have the same crew chief for consecutive seasons while at Roush Fenway Racing in the Cup Series.  Brian Pattie, who was the crew chief Greg Biffle on the No. 16 Cup Series team, will take over as the crew chief of the No. 17 car and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., as Nick Sandler who was the crew chief of the team will be moved to the role of Director Of Engineering.

Robbie Reiser who was moved from his position last week, will remain with the organization in a yet to be determined position.

Kidd who moved to Roush Fenway Racing in 2015, served as the team manager of the Cup Series teams after coming from Joe Gibbs Racing where he worked as a crew chief for several seasons.

Wheeler has been on board Roush Fenway since 2009, he has 20-plus years of experience in the sport, he served in many positions for the team, including the team's production director since 2011, overseeing the building and production of all the organization's Cup and XFINITY cars.

This will be the first time since 1995 that Roush Fenway less than 3 cars in the Cup Series.