Roswell, GA (October 26, 2011) – Phillipe Lopez, crew chief for the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevrolet driven by Dave Blaney, has been named the WYPALL* Wipers Crew Chief of the Race following Sunday’s Good Sam 500 at the famed Talladega Superspeedway.
The Lopez-led team came from the 41st position to a third-place finish by teaming up with Brad Keselowski for the 188-lap race. The pair testing out the tandem duo during practice and it worked out well.
Despite fighting a loose car early on, Blaney’s car was fast all day. The No. 36 machine along with the No. 2 of Keselowski ran mid pack most of the event, eventually working their way into the top-5. Thanks to a solid crew, a near perfect car and leadership by Lopez, the finish marked the team’s best career result.
“This small team led by Crew Chief Phillipe Lopez is like the little engine that could,” said Sirius XM NASCAR Radio host Claire B. Lang. “It’s a victory for the smaller, underfunded teams. The No. 36 team won despite Tommy Baldwin Racing’s disadvantage in manpower and equipment from the mega teams.”
“Phillipe is a longtime Sprint Cup crew chief with a lot of respect,” said WYPALL Wipers crew chief representative and FOX/Speed analyst Jeff Hammond. “Being able to take advantage of the superspeedway track with his experience is what led Blaney to stay up front and ultimately get a top-5 finish.”
WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief Results
Steve Addington, Kurt Busch and the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ultra Dodge team finished a disappointing 36th place after falling victim to a late-race crash.
“We were doing really well all day, running with Regan Smith and there in the crash, we just had nowhere to go,” said Busch. “Our championship hopes are done just because of this two-car Talladega draft.”
Paul Wolfe, Kesolowski and the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge finished a strong fourth position and stand in the third position in the Chase standings and are now just 18 points behind the series leader (Carl Edwards).
Keselowski began from the 16th position partnering with Blaney for the 188-lap event.
“It was interesting the whole race,” said Keselowski. “I worked really hard with Dave Blaney all day. He was a great, great helper and I owe a lot of credit to him. We stayed smart and brought it up front at the end. I’m very proud of the effort, proud to have a good day.”
WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief Voting Team
Addington and Wolfe, along with Hammond and Sirius NASCAR Radio’s 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.
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.
