Addington keeping options open
Friday, Oct. 30, 2009
Getty Images for NASCAR
FONTANA, CA - OCTOBER 11: David Gilliland (L) listens to crew chief Steve Addington before relieving Kyle Busch (Not Shown) of the #18 M&M's Toyota during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway on October 11, 2009 in Fontana, California. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Getty Images for NASCAR
LOUDON, NH - SEPTEMBER 19: Steve Addington, crew chief for the #18 M&M's Toyota driven by Kyle Busch, waits in the garage during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sylvania 300 at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 19, 2009 in Loudon, New Hampshire (Photo by Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Getty Images for NASCAR
HAMPTON, GA - SEPTEMBER 05: Steve Addington, crew chief for the #18 Pedigree Toyota, watches during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on September 5, 2009 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR)
AP
FILE - In this May 9, 2008, file photo, Dave Rogers, crew chief for the Old Spice Toyota, watches his driver Tony Stewart during the NASCAR Diamond Hill Plywood 200 Nationwide series auto race at the Darlington International Raceway, in Darlington, S.C. Kyle Busch will have a new crew chief after this weekend's race at Talladega Superspeedway, with Joe Gibbs Racing replacing Steve Addington with Rogers on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009, after a season that fell far short of expectations. (AP Photo/Brett Flashnick, File)
TALLADEGA, Ala. - Steve Addington, who will step down as crew chief for driver Kyle Busch following Sunday's race at Talladega, said he believes the change was made because "they want to try to bring a breath of fresh air into the No. 18 car."
Addington and Busch have won 12 races in the nearly two years they have worked together at Joe Gibbs Racing.
"I'm the guy that has the performance on his shoulders, which – I got big shoulders – I can carry that," Addington said Friday in an interview with Sirius Satellite Radio.
"And it was, we didn’t make the Chase, but we won four races and a lot of guys would like to have our season. But it just didn't work out and I'll move on and good things will come for me."
Addington said he was notified Monday afternoon that the change was being made.
"I've got a lot of respect for this organization and the people in it," he said. "But you sit back and you wonder, what do you got to do because you beat a lot of great guys in this garage in the past 18 months. And you start questioning what do you got to do to be successful in this business?
"I've been with the No. 18 car for five years and the past two years have been awesome, and I think it's just, you just question what you have to do to make it over here."
Addington will be reassigned at JGR, but said he is keeping all his options open.
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