Jonathan Hassler
Crew Chief, No. 12 Menards/Advance Auto Parts/BODYARMOR/WURTH/Discount Tire/Wabash/Dent Wizard Ford Mustang
Following a NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) championship season in 2023, Jonathan Hassler is in his third season as crew chief of the No. 12 Menards/Advance Auto Parts/BODYARMOR/WURTH/Discount Tire/Wabash/Dent Wizard Ford Mustang team in 2024, with driver Ryan Blaney behind the wheel.
Hassler led the No. 12 Ford team to a magical season in 2023 with Blaney producing three race victories along with eight top-five and 18 top-10 finishes. Blaney's win at the Coca-Cola 600 in May qualified the No. 12 Ford team for the NCS Playoffs and post-season wins at Talladega and Martinsville helped pave the way to the series title. A second-place finish in the Championship 4 season finale at Phoenix powered the No. 12 team to the series crown - Team Penske's fourth NCS title and 44th championship in its history.
In 2022, Hassler, Blaney and the No. 12 Ford team produced a win in the NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway after leading a race-high 84 laps, netting the team a $1 million payday. Hassler and Blaney were a model of consistency during the 2022 season, earning a Cup Series-leading nine stage wins while ranking second with 290 stage points. The No. 12 team's average finish of 13.6 - thanks to 12 top-five and 17 top-10 finishes - resulted in the team advancing to the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Playoffs.
Hassler was named the crew chief for the No. 12 Ford team prior to the 2022 season, marking his first full season atop the pit box in NASCAR's premier series. Hassler made the transition to the No. 12 team after serving as the crew chief for the Wood Brothers iconic No. 21 Ford Mustang throughout the second half of the 2021 Cup Series season.
A native of Greencastle, Indiana, Hassler began competing in go-karts at the age of eight, moving to mini sprint cars by the age of 14 and then running some select super late model races while he was in his early 20s. In high school, Hassler played football for four years, as a wide receiver and safety, and his team made it all the way to the Indiana State Championship game his senior year. Hassler also played basketball through his junior year in high school. While he enjoyed playing on the field and the court, Hassler realized he wanted to pursue his racing dreams and opportunities within the sport.
After high school, Hassler enrolled at Purdue University, focused on his goal of becoming a top-tier race car driver. Hassler even helped create an organization at Purdue, "Opportunity Motorsports," designed to help aspiring students find careers in racing. Hassler, along with three other charter members organizations are currently employed in racing. As the demand increased to find funding to become a driver, Hassler began to shift his focus to a career in race engineering.
Hassler aligned with Hendricks County Motorsports, a late model team in the Indianapolis area that needed mechanical and engineering assistance. The team's driver, fellow NASCAR Cup Series crew chief Chris Gabehart, was also a Purdue student at the time. In addition to his racing pursuits, Hassler also served as the emcee for the annual Rube Goldberg Machine Contest, a national event which challenges teams to make a creative and complex machine to handle some of life's simplest tasks.
Hassler graduated from Purdue in 2007 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and he immediately looked to establish a career in NASCAR. He served as an engineer for Ginn Racing in 2007 before he joined Team Penske as a race engineer in 2008.
Hassler has been involved in many wins since he arrived at Team Penske, including his time as race engineer for Brad Keselowski's historic three-race run with the No. 2 Ford team in September of 2018. The team began the impressive streak by winning the Southern 500, the first for Team Penske since 1975 with Bobby Allison. Keselowski then won the Brickyard 400, the first NCS victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for team owner Roger Penske at the track where he'd experienced so much INDYCAR success in the Indianapolis 500. The No. 2 team concluded the run by capturing the opening race of the 2018 NASCAR Playoffs at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for Team Penske's 500th all-time win.
Hassler also served as Keselowski's race engineer when the No. 2 team produced two of the most dominant short-track race wins in NASCAR history. In the 2014 fall race at Richmond Raceway, Keselowski led 383 of 400 laps en route to victory and in the spring race at Martinsville in 2019, the No. 2 Ford led 446 of 500 laps in a convincing triumph.
Away from the track, Hassler enjoys spending time with his wife and children, both on the lake and in the snow while skiing. He is also an avid country music fan.