Roswell, GA (May 4, 2011) – Dave Rogers, crew chief for the No. 18 M&M’s Pretzel Toyota Camry driven by Kyle Busch has been named the WYPALL* Wipers Crew Chief of the Race following Saturday night’s Crown Royal 400 at Richmond International Raceway (RIR).
With the team’s final pit stop on lap 293 of the 400-lap race, knew Busch would have to conserve fuel to make it to race’s conclusion. In the final laps Rogers reminded his driver to save on fuel, while also keeping Denny Hamlin in his rear view mirror and away from the lead. Running on fumes, Busch took the checkered flag, conducted his routine burnout and then proceeded to run out of gas.
After starting 20th, Busch maneuvered his way up to the front and dominated the race, thanks to a flawless car and incredible pit stops. He led a race-high 235 laps.
“It was important to save fuel there under the last caution since it was so long,” said Busch, who joins Richard Petty as the only driver to win three straight spring Cup races at RIR. “That probably saved us. Thankfully, it played out that way and I saved just enough.”
“Dave Rogers Led the M&M’s Pretzel team in getting the car prepared correctly, nailing the set up with the challenges of the new tire that Goodyear brought,” said WYPALL Wipers crew chief representative and Sirius NASCAR Radio host Claire B. Lang. “He led the team to fast, consistent pit stops and his fuel strategy down the stretch and encouragement to his driver to save gas, capped off a dominating performance by his driver and team which resulted in the win.”
WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief Results
Steve Addington, Kurt Busch and the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil team finished 22nd after fighting an ill-handling car all night. The Addington-led crew made multiple adjustments to the car, but to no avail.
“We probably had the strongest car running laps down at the end, but when you get more than one lap down, your day is pretty much done,” said Busch. “That was certainly the case for us here tonight. We just weren’t very good tonight.”
Paul Wolfe and the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge of Brad Keselowski started seventh, their best qualifying position all season. But a tight-handling condition and a late race incident caused them to finish a disappointing 36th.
“We had an awesome Miller Lite Dodge on short runs all night, but not on the long runs and that’s what we faced the first half of the race,” said Keselowski. “You’ve got to have a car that does both and we just didn’t have it tonight. Coming into the race, we felt we could run strong and we did. We qualified well and did well on short runs, but we were way off on the long-run stuff.”
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 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.
