Roswell, GA (February, 23, 2011) – Donnie Wingo, crew chief for the No. 21 Wood Brothers Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion driven by rookie Trevor Bayne, has been named the WYPALL* Wipers Crew Chief of the Race following Sunday’s 53rd running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.
Bayne pulled off one of the most stunning upsets in the history of NASCAR. In only his second career start, the 20-year-old captured the checkered flag in the Great American Race, holding off a late charge by fellow Ford driver Carl Edwards and giving the famed Woods Brothers their fifth Daytona 500 victory.
Wingo and company gave Bayne what he called “a rocket” of a car after overcoming adversity. After qualifying third, Bayne was involved in a last-lap crash during Thursday’s Gatorade Duel (a unique heat-race format that determines the starting order for the Daytona 500), forcing the Wingo-led team to completely rebuild the car.
When the green flag fell Sunday, it was evident that Wingo and his team made the right repairs. Bayne quickly moved from his 32nd starting position to the top-10, before pulling to the head of the field on the final green-white-checkered-flag finish. The win was the first for the Woods Brothers – a pioneer NASCAR team since the 1950s – in 10 years and their first Daytona 500 triumph since 1976 when Hall of Famer David Pearson took the red and white, gold numeral No. 21 to Victory Lane.
“With everything the way it worked out last year, the opportunity for me to come over and work with this great group of people, you know, I couldn’t be prouder, couldn’t be happier,” said Wingo, a journeyman crew chief who joined the Woods in 2010.
“This ‘Cinderella story’ just shows what a leader Donnie really is,” said WYPALL Wipers crew chief representative and FOX/Speed analyst Jeff Hammond. “He showed up for Speedweeks ready to play with the big dogs and they did just that. Despite their setback in the duel, Donnie didn’t give up and led this team to victory with resiliency.”
WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief Results
Steve Addington led Kurt Busch’s No. 2 Shell-Pennzoil team to an impressive fifth-place finish. He led 10 times for 19 laps. Busch thought he would have a shot at the victory with his brother Kyle running in tow helping push him to the front, but Kyle had a late-race pit stop just before the final restart of the day.
It was a solid week for Busch as he won the Budweiser Shootout and the first Gatorade Duel qualifying race on Thursday.
Paul Wolfe and the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge of Brad Keselowski finished in a disappointing 29th following an incident on lap 167 which sent Keselowski into the wall, ending his day. Starting from the 16th position, the Wolfe-led team led nine laps and remained in the top-10 for the first 50 laps.
WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief Voting Team
Addington and Wolfe, along with Hammond and Sirius NASCAR Radio’s Claire B. Lang, serve as the panel for the WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief Challenge and vote for the weekly crew chief winners.
Each weekly WYPALL Crew Chief Challenge winner will be a guest on Lang’s “Dialed In” program on Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 128 at 8 p.m. EST on Wednesdays throughout the season.
The crew chief with the most weekly top 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 on Saturday, November 12, 2011. The winner will also serve as the race’s Grand Marshal.
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 2011 season and spotlight the men behind the machines. For more information, log onto www.wypall.com.
About Penske Racing
Penske Racing is one of the most successful teams in the history of professional sports. Competing in a variety of disciplines, cars owned and prepared by Penske Racing have produced 332 major race wins, 396 pole positions and 23 National Championships. The team has also earned 15 Indianapolis 500 victories. For more information about Penske Racing, please visit www.penskeracing.com.
