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[/media-credit]Gets Jump on Competition for the KIMBERLY-CLARK PROFESSIONAL*
Crew Chief of the Year Honor
Roswell, GA (May 2, 2012) – Darian Grubb, crew chief for the No. 11 FedEx Toyota driven by Denny Hamlin, has been named the first quarter winner of the KIMBERLY-CLARK PROFESSIONAL* Crew Chief Spotlight Award.
Grubb, who has helped propel Hamlin to two victories and a third-place position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings, has a leg up on his fellow crew chiefs for the KIMBERLY-CLARK PROFESSIONAL* Crew of the Year award. The second-quarter Spotlight Award winner will be announced on July 11th.
Grubb, who was the 2011 KIMBERLY-CLARK PROFESSIONAL* Crew of the Year, has continued where he left off last year. He became Hamlin’s crew chief during the offseason after winning the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title with driver Tony Stewart. His calculated calls atop the pit box have been a major reason for Hamlin’s victories (Phoenix and Kansas), as well as his four top-five finishes.
As a result of the team’s stellar performance, Grubb captured two
KIMBERLY-CLARK PROFESSIONAL* Crew Chief of the Race awards in the first nine races. They were voted on by the expert panel of Penske Racing Sprint Cup crew chiefs Todd Gordon and Paul Wolfe, along with Claire B. Lang of Sirius XM NASCAR Radio and FOX/SPEED analyst and former champion crew chief Jeff Hammond.
Grubb is being presented a large bundle of KIMBERLY-CLARK PROFESSIONAL* products and a check for $2,000 as a result of winning the first quarter Spotlight Award. Each quarterly winner will be awarded the same prize during the 2012 season.
The crew chief with the most quarterly wins will be honored as the
KIMBERLY-CLARK PROFESSIONAL* Crew Chief of the Year and will be presented a $10,000 check at the end of the 2012 season..
“We have a very strong organization with some incredibly smart and talented people,” said Grubb. “We have all just tried to work together. It’s been learning the people and how to get the best results out of all those individuals. The pieces and parts are here. I feel like I came into a very good situation. We are off to a good start and we hope to continue to get better.”
“What a dynamic duo Darian and Denny are,” said Hammond,
KIMBERLY-CLARK PROFESSIONAL* crew chief representative and FOX/Speed analyst . “They were strong right out of the box, and to win so early in the season at Phoenix was incredible. It is obvious the team has great chemistry. What a way to kick off the season.”
Gordon and A.J. Allmendinger, who was named as the driver of the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge in late December, have jelled, recording a second-place finish at Martinsville and a pole position at Kansas.
Wolfe, crew chief for Brad Keselowski of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge, has a win at Bristol along with four top-10 results.
KIMBERLY-CLARK PROFESSIONAL* Crew Chief Challenge Voting Panel
Gordon and Wolfe, along with Hammond and Lang, serve as the panel for the
KIMBERLY-CLARK PROFESSIONAL* Crew Chief Challenge. Each week the quartet vote to determine The Crew Chief of the Race, based on which crew chief demonstrates the most outstanding strategy and ingenuity during each race. The winner won’t necessarily be the crew chief that goes to victory lane, but the crew chief that makes the biggest difference to their team.
The weekly winning crew chief receives a bundle of
KIMBERLY-CLARK PROFESSIONAL* products. Each Crew Chief of the Week is in contention to be named one of the four KIMBERLY-CLARK PROFESSIONAL* Crew Chief Spotlight awards and will be a guest on Lang’s “Dialed In” program on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90 at 8 p.m. EST on Wednesdays throughout the season. The crew chief with the most quarterly wins will be honored as the KIMBERLY-CLARK PROFESSIONAL* Crew Chief of the Year and will be presented a $10,000 check and the end of the 2012 season.
About KIMBERLY-CLARK PROFESSIONAL*
KIMBERLY-CLARK PROFESSIONAL* partners with businesses to create Exceptional Workplaces for their employees and patrons. KIMBERLY-CLARK PROFESSIONAL* helps transform workplaces making them safer, healthier, and more productive. Key brands in this segment include KLEENEX®, SCOTT®, WYPALL*, KIMTECH* and JACKSON SAFETY*. KIMBERLY-CLARK PROFESSIONAL*, located in Roswell, Ga., is one of Kimberly-Clark Corporation’s four business segments and can be visited on the web at www.kcprofessional.com.
