| Cole Pearn | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Pearn in 2018 | |||||||
| Born | Cole R. Pearn (1982-10-13)October 13, 1982 (age 43) Mount Brydges, Ontario, Canada | ||||||
| Achievements | 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief 2006Great Canadian 300 race winner | ||||||
| NASCARCanada Series career | |||||||
| 27 races run over 4 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 14th (2003) | ||||||
| First race | 2000CarQuest 300 (Delaware) | ||||||
| Last race | 2003Molson Canadian CASCAR Championship Showdown (Cayuga) | ||||||
| |||||||
Cole R. Pearn (born October 13, 1982) is a CanadianNASCAR crew chief and formerstock car racing driver. He competed inCASCAR (nowNASCAR Canada Series) for three seasons from 2001 to 2003. He also was a 3 time Canadian Go-Kart Champion, Delaware Speedway Track Champion and winner of the Great Canadian 300 in 2006. He is currently serving as the crew chief forMartin Truex Jr.'s No. 56Tricon Garage team in theNASCAR Cup Series. Pearn led Truex to theCup championship in 2017.
Pearn was considered NASCAR's best active crew chief during his career, having turnedFurniture Row Racing from a backmarker to a championship contender.[1] Pearn was the crew chief responsible for 17 of the team's 18 race wins.[2]
Pearn, a three-time nationalkart racing champion in Canada, competed inlate models.[3] In 2000, Pearn debuted in theCASCAR Super Series atDelaware Speedway, finishing 18th.[4] Pearn competed full-time in 2002 and 2003, driving the No. 24Pontiac and recording a best finish of sixth twice: in 2002 at Delaware[5] and 2003 at Race City Speedway.[6]
After graduating from college, Pearn worked forToyota, and later moved toNorth Carolina. He joinedRichard Childress Racing in 2007, working withKevin Harvick's No. 29 crew as an engineer.[7]
In 2010, he joinedFurniture Row Racing as a team engineer, though he left forJTG Daugherty Racing in 2011.[8] Pearn returned to FRR during the 2012 season, becoming the team's lead race engineer. On December 3, 2014, Pearn was promoted to crew chief of the No. 78, replacingTodd Berrier,[3] who had departed the team to joinJoe Gibbs Racing,[7] and Pearn became the first regular Canadian crew chief in Cup Series history.[9] In 2015, Pearn and driverMartin Truex Jr. won theAxalta "We Paint Winners" 400 atPocono Raceway, and Pearn became the first Canadian crew chief to win a Cup race.[10] In 2016, Pearn was suspended for theKobalt 400 after failing technical inspection at theFolds of Honor QuikTrip 500; the team had also been penalized at theDaytona 500 the week before for roof flap problems.[11] During the 2017 season, Pearn and Truex won eight races en route to the series championship.[12] The following year, Pearn and Truex won 4 races during the year at Fontana, Pocono, Sonoma, and Kentucky. Rumors throughout the year swirled the Furniture Row team after sponsor 5 hour Energy left the team and eventually the team announced they were shutting down. Truex and Pearn made it to the final four again in 2018 and finished 2nd in the final standings.
In 2019, Pearn and Truex moved to Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 19 team following Furniture Row Racing's shutdown after the 2018 season.[13]
On December 9, 2019 Pearn announced that he had parted ways with JGR to pursue opportunities outside of NASCAR.[14] He remained involved in the sport as an analyst for NASCAR.com.[15]
On January 16, 2025, it was announced that Pearn would move over toTricon Garage to crew chief the No. 56 forMartin Truex Jr. in the2025 Daytona 500.[16]
In August 2020, Pearn joinedIndyCar Series teamEd Carpenter Racing as the lead engineer forConor Daly in theIndianapolis 500.[15]
Pearn's father Ron was a stock car driver at Checker Flag Raceway inWindsor, Ontario.[9] In 2006, he graduated from theUniversity of Waterloo with a mechanical engineering degree.[3][7]
Pearn is anice hockey fan and a supporter of theToronto Maple Leafs; he also playsforward in a Golden-based rec league.[9]
After leaving the crew chief ranks, Pearn moved toBritish Columbia.[17] He and his wife Carrie operate the lodging chain Golden Alpine Holidays.[15]
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time.Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
| CASCAR Super Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Car owner | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | CSSC | Pts | Ref | ||||||
| 2000 | Cole Pearn | 24 | Chevy | EDM | CAL | MSP | DEL 18 | N/A | 0 | [18] | ||||||||||||||
| 2001 | DEL 17 | PET | MSP | MSP | KWA | TOR | ASE | CTR | HAM | CAL | VAN | DEL 27 | 46th | 360 | [19] | |||||||||
| 2002 | DEL 36 | 20th | 1540 | [20] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Pontiac | PET 18 | ASE 17 | MSP 22 | MSP 12 | HAM 19 | TOR 31 | CAL 31 | VAN 30 | MNT 11 | KWA 24 | DEL 6 | |||||||||||||
| 2003 | DEL 25 | PET 10 | MSP 21 | HAM 21 | TOR 21 | CAL 6 | VAN 11 | ASE 11 | MSP 12 | DEL 15 | PET 14 | HAM 28 | 14th | 1566 | [21] | |||||||||
