Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Stewart Haas Announces Crew Chief Swap

Crew chief Tony Gibson
Stewart Haas Racing has confirmed that it will swap the crew chiefs for drivers Kurt Busch and Danica Patrick, beginning next weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.  

Veteran Tony Gibson, who has manned the pit box for Danica Patrick throughout her NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career, will serve as crew chief for Kurt Busch and the No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet in 2015. Busch’s current crew chief, Daniel Knost, has been named interim crew chief for Patrick and could continue in that capacity in 2015, though sources close to the team say a final decision has not been made.

Busch qualified for the 2014 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, but was eliminated at the end of the Challenger Round. Patrick is currently 27th in championship points, with three Top-10 finishes in 32 starts.

“We made this change to evaluate our program and to get a head start on 2015,” said Greg Zipadelli, vice president of competition, Stewart-Haas Racing. “With the ban on testing next year, the last three races of this season take on even greater importance. For Tony Gibson and Kurt, they’ll get three races together that will provide direction for next year. And for Daniel Knost and Danica, this is an opportunity for them develop a rapport that could potentially continue into 2015.”

The move involves only Gibson and Knost, with both teams’ over-the-wall pit crews remaining unchanged.

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