Roswell, GA (July 20, 2011) – Tony Gibson, crew chief for the No. 39 U.S. Army Chevy driven by Ryan Newman, has been named the WYPALL* Wipers Crew Chief of the Race following Sunday’s Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Newman started from the pole and led six times for a race-high 119 laps scoring his first win of the season and his third at New Hampshire, and it was Gibson’s call late in the race that helped elevate Newman to the win.
As Newman led on lap 241, following a caution, Gibson, keeping track position in mind, kept his driver out, while other front-runners opted to pit. Newman brought the field back to green and continued to be strong on his four fresh tires from his last pit stop on lap 227. Gibson knew stretching the fuel mileage was a gamble, but it paid off.
“I am just impressed with the fact the Stewart Haas Racing showed up with two fast race cars this weekend – both for Ryan and Tony Stewart,” said WYPALL Wipers crew chief representative and FOX/Speed analyst Jeff Hammond. “And Tony Gibson knew what he was doing, taking notes about pit stops during Saturday’s Nationwide race. Track position is key at this track, and Tony Gibson’s fuel management put Ryan in the right place to make the Chase.”
WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief Results
Steve Addington, Kurt Busch and the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil team had a top-three car most of the day but came up short on fuel mileage, scoring a solid 10th-place finish.
“It was a good hard-fought battle for our team,” Busch said. “We led laps early on and then had a little bit of a fade. It was a battle at the end trying to decide if we needed to come in and top off, put fresh tires on it or defend our track position. All in all, it was a good day. We’ll take that 10th-place finish. My guys with the Shell-Pennzoil/AAA Dodge did a good job today.”
“I’m proud of this team; we had a fast Shell-Pennzoil/AAA Dodge,” said Addington. “We couldn’t get off the corner the way we needed. We fought that. That forced us into a strategy of playing the track-position game.”
Paul Wolfe and the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge of Brad Keselowski finished an unfortunate 35th when Keselowski hit the wall on Lap 144 after blowing a tire.
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.
