Tony Palmer
Race Engineer, No. 12 Menards/Advance Auto Parts/BODYARMOR/WURTH/Discount Tire/Wabash/Dent Wizard Ford Mustang
In 2024, Tony Palmer returns for his third season as race engineer with the No. 12 Menards/Advance Auto Parts/BODYARMOR/WURTH/Discount Tire/Wabash/Dent Wizard Ford Mustang team. Working closely with crew chief Jonathan Hassler and driver Ryan Blaney, Palmer helped the team win its first NASCAR Cup Series championship last season and the No. 12 crew looks to defend its crown in 2024.
Behind three race wins (Charlotte, Talladega and Martinsville), along with eight top-five and 18 top-10 finishes, the No. 12 Ford Mustang team was one of the most consistent units throughout the 2023 season and a strong playoff performance spurred the run to the championship.
In 2022, Palmer helped lead the No. 12 Ford team to a $1 million win in the NASCAR All-Star race and solid run in the NASCAR Playoffs during his first season with the team.
Palmer joined the No. 12 Team Penske Ford team after serving as race engineer for the No. 21 Ford Mustang with Team Penske technical partner, Wood Brothers Racing.
Growing up in Morgantown, West Virginia, Palmer became fascinated by racing as a student in middle school. While he knew that a motorsports career was in his future, Palmer played football for Morgantown High School before graduating and attending West Virginia University (WVU) where he’d earn a Mechanical Engineering degree in 2009. Palmer honed his engineering and racing skills while working on the 2009 WVU SAE Team.
Though he had no connections in NASCAR racing, Palmer took a leap of faith after he graduated college and moved south to North Carolina in hopes of landing an entry-level position in the sport. Little did he know that his athletic ability would help open a door at a race team owned by a famous West Virginia native and NFL Hall of Famer, Randy Moss.
After spending time on a developmental pit crew in 2009, Palmer joined Randy Moss Motorsports as a front tire carrier and mechanic on the No. 5 truck driven by Mike Skinner. Palmer turned that opportunity into a position at Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) as a front-end mechanic and race engineer, while also continuing his over-the-wall pit duties as a tire carrier on the No. 51 truck.
Palmer continued to shine as he transitioned to race engineer on the newly-formed No. 54 NASCAR Xfinity Series car at KBM, as he made his first trip to NASCAR Victory Lane with former Team Penske driver Kurt Busch in 2012. In addition to his at-track duties as race engineer, Palmer also spent time at the shop running the setup plate for the team.
The 2013 season brought the first opportunity for Palmer to work in the NASCAR Cup Series as he joined JTG-Daugherty Racing working in data acquisition and as race engineering support. Palmer also trained and served as a back-up tire carrier for the team. From 2014 through 2017, Palmer served as race engineer for the JTG-Daugherty Racing team, as he earned his first NASCAR Cup Series win in ’14 with another former Team Penske driver, AJ Allmendinger.
In 2018, Palmer became the race engineer on the iconic No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford, where he worked with Hassler and with Team Penske through the team’s technical alliance. The experience on the No. 21 Ford prepared Palmer for the opportunity to transition to the No. 12 Mustang in 2022.
Away from the track, Palmer is a licensed pilot and enjoys spending time in the sky as much as possible while balancing the travel schedule of the NASCAR Cup Series. He and his wife Amanda reside in Huntersville, N.C.