Kenseth's 2008 crew chief, Chip Bolin, will return to his role as team engineer after one winless season atop the pit box. Bolin took over when Robbie Reiser was moved to team manager at Roush Fenway Racing, but the team failed to match its standard for performance.
Kenseth, who signed a multiyear contract extension last month, failed to win a race for the first time since 2001 and was 11th in the final standings -- his lowest finish since that winless season.
"We are really looking forward to Drew coming on board," Kenseth said in a statement Wednesday. "Drew brings a great work ethic and high level of enthusiasm to our team. He has been waiting for the opportunity to become a crew chief in the Sprint Cup Series and I know he'll make the most of it."
Blickensderfer was a crew chief the past three seasons in Roush's Nationwide Series program. He and Kenseth earned three wins in that series before Blickensderfer was paired with Carl Edwards.
With Edwards won seven of the last 19 races and finished second in the Nationwide standings with Blickensderfer as crew chief.
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