Kurt Busch crew chief Pat Tryson leaving Penske Racing; expected to join MWR
Penske Racing's Kurt Busch is seventh in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings heading into Saturday's race at Richmond International Raceway.
// David Griffin, NASCAR Scene
RICHMOND, Va. – Pat Tryson is leaving Penske Racing and driver Kurt Busch following the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. He is expected to be the crew chief for Martin Truex Jr. at Michael Waltrip Racing, according to sources.
Busch is seventh in the standings and trying to lock into the Chase For The Sprint Cup this weekend. He confirmed that Tryson is leaving his organization, but did not address whether Tryson would join MWR.
“It’s a change that’s going to happen,” Busch said Friday at Richmond International Raceway. “It’s unfortunate that Pat made that type of decision. It seems as if our focus right now should be really on the Chase and making it into the Chase, so it was a tough week for that type of news.”
Truex wouldn’t confirm that Tryson would be his crew chief.
“I’m not exactly sure yet, to be honest,” Truex said Friday night. “We’ll just have to wait and see what happens. When they’re ready to tell everybody, we’ll all find out.”
As he prepares for the penultimate race heading to the Chase, Busch says that while the timing isn't the best, he's not upset with Tryson at all. He understands that people sometimes need to make this kind of decision.
“The timing isn’t all that good, but it never is any good when you want to change direction in life,” Busch said. “I did that back in 2005 at Roush Racing. There is never really a good time to bring things up. But I can’t be disappointed at Pat or upset at Pat, the way we’ve had a great run together in the way he turned our program around in 2007 and helped put him back on the map, so to speak.
“You never want to hold anybody back from their ambitions and their dreams. We have a guy named Brad Keselowski that is coming to [drive in] our program, and Dale [Earnhardt] Jr. had a tough decision to make on what to do with him. When you phrase it like Pat did and I am sure that Keselowski did that there are opportunities ahead and that they want to go and conquer different things, you can’t tie them down, you have to let them go and make those decisions.”
For now, Busch just wants to focus on the task at hand - getting into the championship-determining field Saturday night and then chasing the championship. He and Tryson have one win with 13 top-10 finishes this season, including six top fives.
“Pat and I had a great run together,” Busch said. “We still have more work to do, though. We want to get locked in tomorrow night. That’s the focus. … He will be with us throughout the Chase. It’s going to be a changing target throughout the Chase, but right now Pat and I are a great combination and we have a task at hand.”
Tryson wouldn't discuss the issue when approached prior to Busch’s session.
“The only thing I’ll comment on is we’re working on making the Chase,” Tryson said politely in the garage between practice and qualifying Friday. “Other than that, I’m not worried about next year right now.”
Tryson, who has worked for Mattei Motorsports, Wood Brothers Racing and Roush Fenway Racing, has worked with Busch since June 2007. He has won four races with Busch, two in 2007, one in 2008 and one this year.
A spokesman could not confirm that Tryson would join Michael Waltrip Racing. Truex’s current crew chief, Kevin Manion, declined to answer a question last week about his future and whether he would join Truex in the move from Earnhardt Ganassi Racing to MWR.
Truex wouldn’t confirm that Tryson would be his crew chief.
“I’m not exactly sure yet, to be honest,” Truex said Friday night. “We’ll just have to wait and see what happens. When they’re ready to tell everybody, we’ll all find out.”
