Charlotte, NC (Best E Casino) - Crew chief Doug Richert will leave Roush Racing and will serve as crew chief for Brian Vickers' No.83 Red Bull Racing Toyota in 2007.

Richert, who was crew chief for the No.16 Greg Biffle Ford, is the second major loss at Roush. Veteran driver Mark Martin announced two months ago that he was leaving the organization.

Roush Racing had already announced that Pat Tryson would be Biffle's crew chief in 2007, but Richert could have stayed with Roush in a different capacity, most likely in the Busch Series.

Biffle and Richert won the 2003 Busch Series title then finished second to Tony Stewart in the 2005 Nextel Cup championship. When Richert was 20, he was crew chief for Dale Earnhardt during his 1980 title run, making Richert the youngest crew chief to win a "Cup" championship. This year the team struggled to a 13th-place finish and missed the "Chase," but did win two races including a third consecutive Ford 400.

This will be the first year in Nextel Cup for the Red Bull Toyota.

The Cup Series has gotten so much more competitive these days," Richert said. "Starting from scratch is no easy task, but once the team gets some chemistry and momentum going, we'll hopefully be able to do some exciting things."