Pocky's Paddock
A NASCAR BLOG BY Bob Pockrass
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Hard work, loyalty paying off for JGR crew chiefs
May
3
RICHMOND, Va. – Loyalty is paying off for Joe Gibbs Racing and its crew chiefs.
There were plenty of questions surrounding Steve Addington and his abilities as the No. 18 Sprint Cup team struggled in recent years.
Neither Bobby Labonte nor J.J. Yeley succeeded with him at the helm.
Now that Kyle Busch is winning races, it looks as if Addington might be a little smarter than many imagined. Sure, a great driver is going
to make any crew chief look better, but it seems as if Addington is doing all the right things to allow Busch to thrive.
Addington was promoted at JGR from its Busch Series operation to the Cup job at the start of 2005. He was one of two new crew chiefs with the team that year. The other was Dave Rogers, who was crew chief for Jason Leffler.
The Rogers-Leffler experiment didn’t work well and Rogers was reassigned within the company in June that year.
Rogers got his second chance as a JGR crew chief on the Busch side in 2006, where just three races into the year, he won the Mexico City race with Denny Hamlin. He won two races that year, four last season and already has five wins this year.
Addington and Rogers are good guys who are riding the wave of having good drivers and being a part of a strong organization. This can be a cruel sport, and there likely will be a time when their abilities are questioned again. At least now they have victories on their resume that show they can get the job done.
There were plenty of questions surrounding Steve Addington and his abilities as the No. 18 Sprint Cup team struggled in recent years.
Neither Bobby Labonte nor J.J. Yeley succeeded with him at the helm.
Now that Kyle Busch is winning races, it looks as if Addington might be a little smarter than many imagined. Sure, a great driver is going
to make any crew chief look better, but it seems as if Addington is doing all the right things to allow Busch to thrive.
Addington was promoted at JGR from its Busch Series operation to the Cup job at the start of 2005. He was one of two new crew chiefs with the team that year. The other was Dave Rogers, who was crew chief for Jason Leffler.
The Rogers-Leffler experiment didn’t work well and Rogers was reassigned within the company in June that year.
Rogers got his second chance as a JGR crew chief on the Busch side in 2006, where just three races into the year, he won the Mexico City race with Denny Hamlin. He won two races that year, four last season and already has five wins this year.
Addington and Rogers are good guys who are riding the wave of having good drivers and being a part of a strong organization. This can be a cruel sport, and there likely will be a time when their abilities are questioned again. At least now they have victories on their resume that show they can get the job done.
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Comments
2 responses to "Hard work, loyalty paying off for JGR crew chiefs"
Rose Sweeney said:
May 7, 2008 at 11:18 AMJoe your crew chiefs are tops. Now straighten out your drivers.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportWorm Dirt said:
May 11, 2008 at 3:26 PMRose Sweeney brings up an interesting point... I think it's fair to say that Joe Gibbs is widely viewed in high regard and with much RESPECT. Reasons for this go way beyond his performance in racing or football. He is a grounded and humble man who incorporates the virtues of his faith into everything he does. Now, I hardly think that Mr. Gibbs condones some of the behavior of his drivers or would EVER act in that manner himself, but I find INSPIRATION and COMFORT in his wisdom and fundamental understanding of this sport and of life to let his drivers be themselves and stand by them every step of the way.
Report as AbuseReport Abuse
This feature is intended to allow you to report comments that are abusive in terms of foul/vulgar language, harassment, racial/religious prejudice and any words/phrases of a related nature. This feature should not be used to report users who simply make a comment about your favorite driver, with which you do not agree. Commenting is a forum in which we can all express our opinions. Reporting abuse of others should be done with this in mind.
» Confirm Abuse Report