Penske Racing's Pat Tryson named Wypall crew chief of Texas race
Pat Tryson, crew chief for the No. 2 Penske Racing driven by Kurt Busch, has been named the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Race for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.
Tryson's pit and fuel strategy, along with coaching to Busch on the radio, enabled the No. 2 team to capture its second win of the season. The final 121 laps of the race were caution free, and Tryson was already in fuel-mileage mode. He called Busch to the pits under caution on lap 207 and instructed his driver to start conserving fuel.
As the next round of fuel stops began to take place, Kurt's brother Kyle Busch was in the lead and came in for four tires and fuel and Kurt Busch waited another two laps to stop. Kyle Busch ran out of fuel with three to go, and Kurt Busch won the race.
"It came down to the crew chief, Pat, putting in the right calls and getting us the fuel mileage to bring it home," Busch said. "We had good solid pit stops and good pit strategy, a very solid team."
This is the second time this season that Tryson has been won the Wypall award.
The leaders this season are Hendrick Motorsports' Chad Knaus, crew chief for Jimmie Johnson, and Darian Grubb, crew chief for Tony Stewart, with four wins each. The award ends after the first 35 races and the winner will be announced following this weekend’s race in Phoenix.
Bob Osborne, crew chief for Roush Fenway’s Carl Edwards, Todd Berrier, crew chief for Richard Childress Racing's Casey Mears and Fox/Speed analyst Jeff Hammond, along with representatives from the sponsor, serve as the panel for the challenge.
In addition to the $1,000 check, the winning crew chief will receive signage on his pit box the following week. The crew chief with the most weekly 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 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
