Roswell, GA (June 29, 2011) – Steve Addington, WYPALL* spokesman and crew chief for the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Chevrolet driven by Kurt Busch, has been named the WYPALL* Wipers Crew Chief of the Race following Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA.
Addington drew up a plan for his team to pit only twice during the 110-lap race, and Busch, who started 11th, followed the plan to perfection, all the while leading the most laps (76). Leading on lap 72, Busch pulled his machine to pit road for the final time and was able to make it the rest of the way.
“I know Kurt well enough now that he doesn’t even have to say stuff and I know what he’s thinking,” said Addington. “I think he may have been a little too hard on himself. I told him that the poles (Busch won three straight poles prior to Sonoma race) hadn’t led to race wins, so maybe starting back there in 11th might just be a cool place to start and win the race. We stuck to it. We had a game plan. That has worked out the best for me at road course races – hit those laps that we had planned”.
“It was one of those unbelievable days where having a game plan going in – we weren’t questioning it – and it was just old school on how we were going to make it on two stops,” Busch said of the race and the strategy laid out by Addington.
This was Busch’s first victory on the road course and 23rd overall career victory.
“We all knew this week was coming,” said WYPALL Wipers crew chief representative and FOX/Speed analyst Jeff Hammond. “Sitting on the pole the past few weeks, they’ve been fast, but just couldn’t quite close out the deal. This week they were fast in practice and Steve successfully coached his team through a challenging track/tire combination that paid off.”
WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief Results
Paul Wolfe and the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge of Brad Keselowski earned a top-10 finish coming home tenth in Sunday’s race. Wolfe and crew also discussed a pre-race strategy of two pit stops only which paid off in the end.
“We brought home a 10th-place finish,” said Keselowski. “We had a really good Miller Lite Dodge this whole week. I’m really proud of my guys. To finish 10th on a road course is nothing to be disappointed about. I thought for a minute there we were going to get a top five; we just fell off a little bit at the end. I got caught up with all the traffic but still came out of here with a top 10. It’s something I’m very proud of.”
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.
