Veteran crew chief and competition manager for NASCAR Ryan Pemberton died suddenly on January 14 at the age of 54.
A Director of Competition for JR Motorsports at the time of his death, Pemberton sat on top of the pit box for over 600 races before stepping down.
JRM CEO Kelley Earnhardt Miller spoke on Pemberton saying, “Ryan Pemberton was instrumental to JR Motorsports’ success during the decade he spent with us. He had such a passion for competition and, as a leader, knew how to motivate everyone he worked with. He will always be part of the JRM family. Our hearts go out to his wife Andrea and daughters Payton and Britton during this tremendously difficult time.”
Over the course of his career Pemberton has worked with Larry Pearson, Joe Nemechek, Brian Vickers, Ernie Irvan, Mark Martin, Aric Almirola, David Reutimann, Robert Pressley, and Derrike Cope.
Pemberton comes from a racing family with he and his brothers – Robin, Randy, and Roman – all involved with NASCAR in some capacity.
Predeceased by nephew Bray and brother Randy; Pemberton is survived wife Andrea and daughters Payton and Britton.
Feature photo credit: Autoweek Facebook page.