Shane Huffman

Early life

While attending St. Stephens High School in Hickory, North Carolina, Huffman was a three-year starter for the well respected high school wrestling team (1989–1990, 1990–1991, 1991–1992). He was instrumental in helping with the success of the team; posting a career record of 59–27 at the 112 lb and 119 lb weight classes, as the team won the Big-6 3A conference championship 2 out of the 3 years he started. He also served as one of the team captains during his senior year. To this day Huffman still ranks high on the individual records lists for the school in Single Season Near Fall Points (141), Single Season Pins (21), Single Season Team Points (181.5), Career Near Fall Points (245), Career Pins (34), Career Team Points (342), and Career Wins (59).

Early career

Huffman began his racing career at Hickory Motor Speedway in late model stock car racing. In 1996, he won the Late Limited Model Series championship. In 1999 he won the late model track championship, the Blue Ridge Regional Championship, and was the runner-up for the NASCAR Winston Racing Series Champion.

In 2000, he moved up to the USAR Hooters Pro Cup. After posting no top-ten finishes in his rookie year on the circuit, he won his first career race at Coastal Plains Speedway in 2001. That same season, he made his NASCAR Busch Series debut at Richmond, driving the #77 Jennie-O Ford Taurus for Moy Racing. He started 40th and finished 24th, three laps down. After a winless 2002, Huffman won five races and was both the champion of USAR's national points standings, as well as the Southern Division. He repeated his Southern Division title in 2005. Huffman has 28 wins in 133 starts in USAR - the 2nd most wins in the USAR series history. Huffman holds the record with most poles in USAR history at 26.

JR Motorsports

Huffman had three wins in USAR in 2006 driving the No. 88 Champion Chevy for JR Motorsports. He made his first Busch start that year driving the No. 83 Make-A-Wish Foundation Chevy for at Gateway International Raceway in a JR Motorsports car prepared by NEMCO Motorsports. Following the release of regular 88 driver Mark McFarland, Huffman shared the driving duties of the 88 for the rest of the season with Robby Gordon and Martin Truex Jr..

He started the 2007 Busch season in the No. 88 car. On July 3, 2007, Dale Earnhardt Jr. released Huffman from driving the No. 88 Navy Chevy for JR Motorsports. He went on to compete part-time in the Truck Series with Curtis Key Motorsports in 2007.

Huffman returned to Nationwide racing on July 4, 2008, driving the No. 31 car for Stanton Barrett Motorsports in the Winn-Dixie 250 at Daytona International Speedway. He started 21st and was able to lead 2 laps (17 and 18) when he remained on the track after a lap 14 caution caused by the spinning No. 22 car driven by Josh Wise. When the green flag dropped on lap 17 Huffman was able to hold off a charge by his ex-boss, Dale Earnhardt Jr. After 2 laps he was passed by Earnhardt and remained in the top 10 for one more lap before falling back in the pack. Huffman eventually finished in 41st position, 82 laps down.

Post-racing career

In 2007, Huffman joined Rusty Wallace Racing as a car chief for Steve Wallace before moving to the Truck Series. He joined GMS Racing in 2014 as a crew chief, working with the team until his suspension from the final two Truck races in 2015. Huffman eventually moved to Timothy Peters' No. 17 team at Red Horse Racing. After Red Horse's shutdown in 2017, Huffman moved to MDM Motorsports and the No. 99 team.. On August 12, he got his first win as a crew chief in the LTi Printing 200 at Michigan International Speedway with Darrell Wallace Jr driving.

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)