Roswell, GA (May 18, 2011) – Jimmy Fennig, crew chief for the No. 17 Wiley X Sunglasses Ford driven by Matt Kenseth, has been named the WYPALL* Wipers Crew Chief of the Race following Sunday’s Fed Ex 400 at the famed Monster Mile.
Running sixth when the final caution came out with just 39 laps left, Fennig’s call for two tires only was a roll of the dice that paid off in a win. The top five drivers took on four tires, while others behind Kenseth took just two for track position. With the field shuffled, Kenseth restarted second, and within two laps, passed Mark Martin – who didn’t pit – and cruised to the win, leading the final 33 laps.
” I originally said four tires but after talking with Matt on the radio, we felt like two tires and track position was the way to go,” said Fennig, whose team now has two triumphs thus far in 2011.
“Just a great call there at the end,” said WYPALL Wipers crew chief representative and FOX/Speed analyst Jeff Hammond. “To come back and win it after starting from the middle of the field (24th) happened because of that crucial call.”
WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief Results
Steve Addington, Kurt Busch and the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil team finished 14th, experiencing both loose and tight handling conditions just two laps into the race.
“It’s a totally different race car from what it was here in practice,” Busch radioed to crew chief Addington. The Addington-led team continued to work on the handling, but nothing could improve it to where it needed to be to compete with the leaders.
Paul Wolfe and the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge of Brad Keselowski finished just ahead of teammate Busch in 13th position. The Wolfe-led team battled an ill-handling machine in the beginning, but was able to still run in the top-10. Keselowski and Wolfe elected to play out a “short pit” strategy on their second stop that allowed him to move up to fifth.
The adjustments proved to work as Keselowski’s machine continued to improve, but fell short as he stalled in the pits on the final stop.
“We started off the race really well,” said Keselowski. “I think we were probably about a fifth-place car. We kept working on it and got back to where we were a fifth-place car, but had lost track position. I stalled the car on the pit stop and lost our track position again, but overall, I think it was a solid day for the Miller Lite Dodge team.”
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 SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) 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.
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.
