Roswell, GA (October 5, 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 “AAA 400” at Dover International Speedway.
After a sub-par performance at Loudon a week ago in which the team finished 22nd, the Addington-led team were on a mission to prove they were a legitimate championship contender at Dover. They didn’t disappoint.
Busch, who started from the outside pole position, ran in the top-five most of the day, then outlasted Jimmie Johnson on two restarts late in the race and cruised to a .908-second victory over the five-time series champion. Busch led five times for 90 laps, including the final 42. During the middle stages, he ran mostly between third through fifth, but after Addington made several changes during pit stops (Busch spent less time on pit road than any other driver), he climbed the leaderboard.
“He (Kurt) was giving us great feedback, and we were just trying to figure out how to get our car going,” said Addington, who delivered Busch his second triumph of 2011, and first at Dover. “It was probably halfway through the race when we got a hold of what direction we needed, and we got the breaks we needed to make those adjustments.”
With the win, Busch moved up six positions and is now currently tied for third in the championship hunt, just nine points behind leader Kevin Harvick.
“What a difference a week makes,” said FOX/Speed analyst and WYPALL Wipers crew chief representative Jeff Hammond. ” Steve did an incredible job to get his team to forget about the bad weekend they had in New Hampshire a week ago, and to get focused on the job at hand. They came to Dover prepared – were fast right off the truck, and never missed a beat in the race.”
WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief Results
Paul Wolfe and the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge of Brad Keselowski finished 20th after battling back from two laps down. After struggling with handling issues and the loss of power steering, Keselowski got back on the lead lap during a lap 359 caution period. He was turning laps as fast as the leaders, but the laps ran out. Keselowski slipped three positions to sixth in the title chase, but is only 14 points out of the lead.
“By the time we finally got back on the lead lap, we didn’t have any time left to gain back any of the track position we lost. It is somewhat frustrating.”
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.
