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Joe Gibbs Racing endures another series of Chase setbacks

By Bob Pockrass - Associate Editor

Sunday, September 28, 2008

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Jason Smith / Getty Images for NASCAR

Kyle Busch's Joe Gibbs Racing team looks over his car during the Camping World RV 400 Sunday.

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. – This time, it wasn’t only Kyle Busch who left frustrated after a Chase For The Sprint Cup race. He had the support of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates in that department following Sunday's Camping World RV 400 at Kansas Speedway.
   
None of the three JGR drivers finished better than 11th and they now sit 10th, 11th and 12th among the 12 Chase competitors.
   
Tony Stewart, who entered the day seventh in points, had problems in the pits and on the track with Brian Vickers, lost four spots and is now 11th in the Chase, 255 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson.
   
Kyle Busch, who has won eight races this year, had his best finish of the Chase – 28th – despite a fuel-pickup problem. He remained last in the Chase and is 311 points behind Johnson.
   
Hamlin actually improved a spot from 11th to 10th but only finished 11th, in part because of being involved in an accident with Michael Waltrip.
   
“It’s been a hard few weeks,” JGR President J.D. Gibbs said. “Not much you can say, really. It’s frustrating. We’ve got a great group of guys at the track and at the shop as well. We’ve just got to come back and do it again next week.”
   
It is unlikely any of the JGR drivers can make up the ground to win the Chase. Stewart had the best shot going into Kansas as he was just 113 points behind the leader, but had contact with Brian Vickers’ car on pit road early in the race. On the next stop, Stewart slowly ran into Vickers’ fuel man, who was in Stewart's way when he was done with his stop. The fuel man pretty much sat and rolled off the hood uninjured. A few laps later, Vickers and Stewart had contact on the track, sending Stewart spinning through the infield grass and damaging his front splitter.
   
Both JGR and Vickers’ Red Bull team are Toyota partners.
   
“We asked them to work with us,” Stewart crew chief Greg Zipadelli said. “For the first time, they stopped real short and I don’t understand why they would do that. We’re obviously not team cars, but we’re coming in here the best shot for Toyota to win a championship.
   
“It’s our fault for qualifying bad and being put in that position. We worked with the 16 car [of Greg Biffle] and didn’t hold him up and made sure we stopped long. We didn’t want to be the reason he had a bad day. Whatever. They’re not like that. They were racing a little bit different than we did and next time we’ll know that.”
   
Red Bull crew chief Kevin Hamlin said his team and driver followed racing protocol.
   
“The one time we stopped as far to the front of the box as we could stop and he never turned the steering wheel once when he tried leaving,” Hamlin said. “So [screw] him. …  He didn’t even get in his box right, so it’s partially his fault [the first time]. And then the next time, we tried to stay on the front side of the box so we came in there at an angle and we got as front of them as we could get at an angle, coming around them because they were way out on pit road, too, so we had to go way around him.
   
“We did what we could do and he never even tried turning coming out of the box.”
   
Stewart left without comment, and had plenty of company in the JGR camp in terms of frustration.
   
“Those other guys in our group have had luck and I’ve had bad luck all year,” Denny Hamlin said. “I’m used to it. We have a situation where we are all trying new stuff and trying to get better.”
   
At first, Busch thought he had similar luck to what he had a week earlier when his engine blew.
   
“It was just like probably what it sounded like – just sputtering and not running clean,” Busch said.
   
Busch had the problems early in the race, and the team could not diagnose the source of the problem in the pits.
   
“We’ll go back and just dissect the whole car to see what the problem was and see if we can find anything,” crew chief Steve Addington said.
   
Busch hasn’t had that problem before.
   
“This is the first time,” Addington said. “There’s a first time for everything the last three weeks.”

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Comments

18 responses to "Joe Gibbs Racing endures another series of Chase setbacks"
  1. 1
    Kim Palmer said:
    Sep 28, 2008 at 7:03 PM

    I think there is a "mole" in the Toyota JGR camp. Seams like alot weird things are happening to that team that has an inside job smell to it. Kyle Busch has not had an chance to drive a compeditive car in the chase for some strange reasons. Of course all the 18 haters love it, but it hasn't been a even playing field since the chase started. Bad luck happens to everybody, but this kind luck is kinda stinky even for Toyota/KB don't ya think?

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  2. 2
    Robert Wingert said:
    Sep 28, 2008 at 7:35 PM

    Level playing field? Are you serious? Should the other chase drivers slow down so JGR cars can pass them? I couldn't be happier.

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  3. 3
    chris welch said:
    Sep 28, 2008 at 8:56 PM

    KB has had a lot of luck this year to assist him in 8 wins. it has to end sometime. but three races in a row to start the chase? i cant believe what i am seeing.

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  4. 4
    4da88 said:
    Sep 29, 2008 at 2:12 AM

    Suppose JGR is being forced to play by the rules, now?

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  5. 5
    keisler bobby said:
    Sep 29, 2008 at 10:03 AM

    I'm not a fan of Kyle but 3 races in a row bad luck-----I think I smell a mole also.

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  6. 6
    Satspeed 9 said:
    Sep 29, 2008 at 10:29 AM

    No one seems to know the difficulty of a "mole". That someone would have the access and intelligence to make all of this happen. How about Kyle had all the luck in the world the first half(and alot of talent too) but kharma is catching up. Kyle was the regular season Champ, and congrats to him on that, but he cannot hang with the 48 when it counts either way. Sorry Rowdy fans, maybe next year.

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  7. 7
    anonymous said:
    Sep 29, 2008 at 12:24 PM

    Was there really something wrong with KB's car or was this another demonstration of how much of a baby he is and he has just given up. They could never really pinpoint exactly what was wrong and he didn't seem to know anything about a "piece of paper in the cowl". If a piece of paper was under that hot hood, it would have burned. I think he was just riding around the track, having a pity party for himself. Poor baby, hope you don't have any better luck at Dega.

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  8. 8
    Rebecca Blaha said:
    Sep 29, 2008 at 2:19 PM

    We have been hearing people denigrate Toyota all season. It seems that they are resented for being in NASCAR. Last year Michael started off with trouble. JGR has been running well all year. Why do they all have so many mechanical problems now that the chase is on? It sounds like someone really doesn't want Toyota to win a championship!

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  9. 9
    Eleanor Harkins said:
    Sep 29, 2008 at 2:24 PM

    A LARGE MOLE

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  10. 10
    Pat Draper said:
    Sep 29, 2008 at 2:44 PM

    It does seem very strange that something has happened to the #18 three weeks in a row. After going all season with out any problems then the chase starts and Bang nothing is going right. Could be a mole hidding some place. You know it could happen. Money speaks, think about it.

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  11. 11
    Susan Morledge said:
    Sep 29, 2008 at 8:41 PM

    #7 you are a pathetic excuse for a human being!! Wishing someone ill is so despicable! Grow up or karma will land on you too!!

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  12. 12
    Michelle Trice said:
    Sep 29, 2008 at 9:28 PM

    Does seem very strange. I think there is definately something bad going on at the JGR shop, mole?...maybe. It is just sad to have done so good up to this point and then have this happen, I don't care who the driver is it is just sad.

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  13. 13
    Jayne Deere said:
    Sep 29, 2008 at 10:51 PM

    Come on, Anonymous! Your posting doesn't make any sense, it only serves to put you in a bad light. Busch has had some bad luck and it must be incredibly frustrating for him especially after being touted as the favorite to win the Cup. You might not like him as a driver but surely you don't think that he would deliberately put himself in that position. I don't know about a mole in the JGR camp but I do hope all the JGR teams can make a come back and rise in the standings.

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  14. 14
    anonymous said:
    Sep 30, 2008 at 3:37 AM

    Hook, Line, Sinker!!!

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  15. 15
    Kim Palmer said:
    Sep 30, 2008 at 2:25 PM

    Well IF KB has another bad, weird, strange, WTF race, I'd say JGR should call in Clouseau for undercover work.

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  16. 16
    4da88 said:
    Sep 30, 2008 at 2:41 PM

    Can everyone count on their fingers... 1 - 2 - 3?

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  17. 17
    SUSAN E SCHUSNER said:
    Sep 30, 2008 at 3:04 PM

    great!! 4da88 Good sense of HUMOR!!!

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  18. 18
    anonymous said:
    Oct 1, 2008 at 7:09 AM

    More like 10, 11, 12!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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