CONCORD, N.C. -- As the 2014 season came to a close, big changes were in the works at Hendrick Motorsports, and with the No. 5 team in particular.
As Keith Rodden returned to the organization to take over as Kasey Kahne's crew chief, Kenny Francis stepped into the role of vehicle technical director.
It was a move that had all of Hendrick Motorsports excited.
"It's the first time we've had kind of a crew chief, race engineer person at the center feeding all four teams," Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick said at the time. "To get that done you've got to have someone that the four crew chiefs respect.
"And there's nobody in the sport they respect any more than Kenny Francis."
In the months since he took over the role, Francis has overseen organization-wide car design and development with day-to-day management of Hendrick Motorsports' chassis, body, research and development, on-track testing, vehicle engineering and simulation programs.
"I think Kenny has been a very busy guy, but I think he is enjoying it."
Hendrick Motorsports General Manager Doug Duchardt
In addition, he has served as the primary liaison between Hendrick Motorsports' crew chiefs and its vehicle group.
With all the new rules changes implemented by NASCAR for the upcoming season, Francis said that 2015 was "probably as good a year as any" for someone to step in to his role.
So, how has the transition been?
"It has been hectic," Francis said. "There is a lot going on. And with NASCAR rule changes there has been an increased challenge."
But he has embraced that challenge with the goal of being "a better conduit of communication" between the engineering side of the organization and the race teams.
And Hendrick Motorsports General Manager Doug Duchardt said Francis has already accomplished that goal even as he continues to settle into the job.
"The thing we are really blessed about with Kenny in his new role is Kenny is probably one of the great engineering minds in the garage, and freeing him up from the stress and burden of being a crew chief and letting him go work on technical problems has been a real windfall for our whole vehicle side of the company," Duchardt said.
He pointed to a variety of issues or projects that the crew chiefs have presented to Francis, and they have already shown that they believe in his answers.
"They know it is in good hands when Kenny comes back and says, 'Here is the solution I developed,'" Duchardt said. "It has been a very productive offseason in that way."
Francis said he has been in constant communication with NASCAR as the organization continues to better understand the new rules and how they will be enforced.
And with the 2015 season set to officially kick off, he hopes the benefits of taking over his new position will shine through on the track. A front row at the Daytona 500 is certainly a step in the right direction.
"I think Kenny has been a very busy guy, but I think he is enjoying it," Duchardt said. "I am excited for him in that new role and I am excited for the company."