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closeAddington named WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief of the Race in Sonoma
Wednesday, Jun. 25, 2008
ROSWELL, Ga. (June 24, 2008) – Steve Addington, crew chief of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry driven by Kyle Busch, has been named the WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief of the Race following Sunday’s Toyota/SaveMart 350 at Infineon Raceway.
Although the team ended the day victorious, Addington and his crew did not start the weekend off on the right foot. Struggles with car’s set up on Friday led to a qualifying mishap, landing the No. 18 car in the 30th starting position. Sunday was not looking to be very promising for Busch and the No. 18 team, “We were so bad, we didn’t know what was going on,” said Busch post-race, “Addington and the guys worked their tails off and never gave up.”
Despite early troubles, it only took 33 laps for Busch to grab the lead. The Addington-led team made only two pit stops all day. Pit strategy and fuel mileage calls helped turn the day around for Busch and the No. 18 car. “I had a game plan on when we would pit all along,” said Addington. Concerned about fuel mileage, Addington summoned his driver in on lap 68 for the last time. But with a late caution flag on lap 109, the race went into overtime for two extra laps, thankfully Busch had more than enough fuel to cruise to victory, the team’s series leading fifth win this season.
The 2008 WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief Challenge is a season-long contest that will determine the best crew chiefs in the NASCAR Sprint Cup garage. Following each race, a panel will vote to determine which crew chief demonstrated the most outstanding strategy and leadership during the race. It isn’t necessarily the crew chief that goes to Victory Lane, but the crew chief that makes the biggest difference for his team.
Representatives from WYPALL Wipers, together with FOX/SPEED television analyst Jeff Hammond, and three of NASCAR’s top crew chiefs who represent WYPALL, including Todd Berrier of Richard Childress Racing’s No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevy team, Bob Osborne of Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 99 Office Depot Ford team, and Kenny Francis of Gillett Evernham Motorsports’ No. 9 Budweiser Dodge team, make up the panel of judges.
In addition to the $1,000 check, the winning crew chief will receive signage to announce the win on their pit box the following week. 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 $20,000 check at the season finale in Homestead, Fla.
“The WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief Challenge spotlights the crew chief’s efforts to get his team in Victory Lane,” said Tom Merrill, Category Manager for WYPALL Wipers. “WYPALL Wipers and crew chiefs are a natural fit. Crew chiefs only want to use reliable products on their cars and engines. That’s why they choose WYPALL Wipers. Our products are used to wipe up the toughest, most stubborn messes, and we want to focus on the men who put WYPALL Wipers to use each week. That’s why we continue to show our appreciation to the crew chiefs.”