Roswell, GA (February 16, 2011) – Two winning crew chiefs representing one of the biggest names in the history of NASCAR, a noted motorsports radio journalist and a championship crew chief turned television personality, headline the voting panel for the weekly 2011 WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief Challenge and the coveted season-ending WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief of the Year.
New to the WYPALL crew chief lineup are Penske Racing’s Steve Addington (crew chief for the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge and Kurt Busch) and Paul Wolfe (crew chief for the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge and Brad Keselowski). It was recently announced that Kimberly-Clark Professional and its WYPALL brand became an associate sponsor for Penske Racing’s NASCAR and IndyCar Series teams.
Sirius NASCAR Radio’s award-winning Claire B. Lang, who has hosted the popular “Dialed In” program since 2001 when NASCAR first launched on satellite radio, also makes her debut as part of the WYPALL team in 2011. The trio of newcomers join former championship winning crew chief and FOX/Speed TV analyst Jeff Hammond, who has been a staple of the WYPALL crew chief program since 2008.
“What a team we have in 2011,” said Stephanie Rossignol, Wiper & Partnership Products – Business Leader for WYPALL. “We are so excited to partner with such an outstanding organization such as Penske Racing and two winning crew chiefs in Steve and Paul. Add Claire, an outstanding journalist who knows the sport inside out, to Jeff, who has been the backbone of the program the last three years, we feel we have our best team yet. We can’t wait to get the 2011 WYPALL Wipers Crew Crew Challenge started in Daytona.”
As part of the season-long WYPALL Crew Chief Challenge, the quartet will vote to determine which crew chief demonstrates the most outstanding strategy and ingenuity during each race. It isn’t necessarily the crew chief that goes to victory lane, but the crew chief that makes the biggest difference to his team.
The weekly winning crew chief will receive a bundle of WYPALL products. The crew chief with the most weekly wins will be honored as the WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief of the Year and will be presented a $10,000 check during the weekend of the WYPALL* 200 Presented by Kimberly-Clark Professional Nationwide Series race at Phoenix International Raceway, set for Saturday, November 12.
Addington and Wolfe have proven credentials atop the pit box. Addington begins his second season as crew chief for Kurt Busch. Last year the team captured two triumphs and made the Chase for the Sprint Cup Series Championship. From 2008-2009, Addington led Kurt’s brother Kyle to 12 wins at Joe Gibbs Racing.
Wolfe is a former Nationwide Series driver, who competed in 16 races before deciding to hang up his helmet to become a crew chief. He led Brad Keselowki’s Penske Racing Nationwide team to six wins and the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series championship, the first NASCAR Series title for team owner Roger Penske. This season, he takes over the helm of Keselowski’s Cup Series effort.
In addition to “Dialed In”, Lang hosts pre- and post-race coverage each week of NASCAR Cup Series races. The respected 20-year motorsports veteran will actually be the first to announce the weekly WYPALL Wiper Crew Chief of the Race each Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST on “Dialed In.” That crew chief will also be a guest on the show, which airs on Sirius NASCAR Radio channel 128.
While Hammond no longer calls the shots from high atop a pit box, he still oversees each race track from a television booth, analyzing the action for FOX and SPEED. His credentials are impressive – 43 wins and two championships (with Darrell Waltrip) as a crew chief, as well as a team member on four other championship teams.
Since the program began in 2004, WYPALL Crew Chief of the Year winners include Tony Eury, Sr. (for driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr.), Robbie Reiser (for driver Matt Kenseth), Doug Richert (for driver Greg Biffle) Mike Ford (for driver Denny Hamlin), Chad Knaus (Jimmie Johnson) and Gil Martin (for driver Kevin Harvick). Knaus is the only one with two awards.
About WYPALL Wipers:
Since 2004, Kimberly-Clark Professional’s WYPALL Wipers brand has been affiliated with some of racing’s top teams. Offering heavy-duty to versatile light-duty towels, WYPALL Wipers provides race teams with a number of products providing strength and durability. Defeating the toughest of challenges, from absorbing tough grease and oil to wiping down windshields without leaving residue behind, WYPALL Wipers continue to offer performance and versatility.
The WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief Challenge will continue throughout the remainder of the 2009 season and spotlight the men behind the machines. For more information, log onto www.wypall.com.
