Two-time Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Crew Chief of the Year Jason Durham has been tapped to lead the SSI Motorsports crew on the series for Hudson O'Neal, the Martinsville, Ind., driver announced today.

The news comes just three days after Durham’s Category 5 Race Cars business partner Stormy Scott announced he’s stepping away from Dirt Late Model racing to return to his modified roots.

The 52-year-old Durham last served as a nationally touring crew chief in 2022 for Double L Motorsports during Jonathan Davenport’s record $2 million season. Durham then moved over to Scott's Rancho Milagro Racing operation in 2023 before the duo unveiled their new venture, Category 5 Race Cars, in January 2024 at Vado (N.M.) Speedway Park’s Wild West Shootout.

Scott’s lone Category 5 victory came last season on the Comp Cams Super Dirt Series at Batesville Speedway in Locust Grove, Ark, a Late Model career-high $12,000 payday. According to the Rancho Milagro press release, Durham will continue to servicing Category 5 Race Cars clients at his Kentucky shop, although attempts to reach Durham to confirm the future of Category 5 Race Cars before Monday’s news were unsuccessful.

Durham adds success and experience to O’Neal’s No. 71 operation as the 24-year-old driver sits eighth in Lucas Oil points ahead of the tour’s March 21 resumption at Atomic Speedway near Chillicothe, Ohio.

From 2014-16, Durham serving the Double L Motorsports head wrench for Jared Landers before working as Lucas Oil Series technical director in 2017. In 2018, he returned to the Double L team when team owner Lance Landers revamped his program and hired Blairsville, Ga.’s Davenport, who eventually went on to win 85 races, three World 100s, and two Lucas Oil titles from 2018-22 with Durham, Lucas Oil's Crew Chief of the year in '19 and '21.

Attempts to reach O’Neal on Monday were unsuccessful.