NASCAR

Addington out as crew chief for Kyle Busch

Share This Story

Updated Oct 27, 2009 1:51 PM ET
     
 

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)

Kyle Busch will have a new crew chief after this weekend's race at Talladega Superspeedway, with Joe Gibbs Racing replacing Steve Addington on Tuesday after a season that fell far short of expectations.
Larry
McReynolds
NASCAR Analyst

This move falls in line with what several other teams in the NASCAR garage are doing -- preparing for next season.

You simply can't wait until the checkered flag waves at Homestead-Miami Speedway to start preparing for 2010. You've got to start working on it now.

If nothing else, Joe Gibbs Racing wants to see if having Dave Rogers atop the pit box will make a difference and help the No. 18 team find more consistency in the last three races.

More from Larry Mac >

Busch fell eight points shy of claiming a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship because of an inconsistent "regular season." Although he had four wins at the Chase cutoff, he also had 12 finishes outside the top 20. Addington, who guided Busch to 12 victories in 68 races, will crew chief Sunday's race at Talladega and then be replaced by Dave Rogers. A Nationwide Series crew chief for JGR, Rogers will call the final three races of this season for Busch as preparation for 2010. "We evaluate all of our teams on an ongoing basis and believe this is a change that will make the 18 team stronger as we prepare for next season," said JGR president J.D. Gibbs. Addington, who spent the past five season as crew chief of the No. 18, will be reassigned to a different role at JGR. "We think highly of Steve and the job he has done and we look forward to him remaining a part of the JGR family," Gibbs said. The crew chief change comes after consecutive top-10 finishes for Busch, including his fourth-place run at Martinsville on Sunday. It was his highest finish since his August win at Bristol. He'll now be paired with Rogers, who is in his fourth season as crew chief for JGR's No. 20 Nationwide car. He guided that team to JGR's first owner's championship in NASCAR's second-tier series last season by guiding four different drivers to nine wins and 26 top-10 finishes. Rogers joined JGR in 1998 and spent six seasons working for crew chief Greg Zipadelli on Tony Stewart's team. Rogers was part of Stewart's 2002 championship crew. "Dave has proven himself a talented crew chief and we think he will work well with Kyle," Gibbs said. "We hope that by making the move following this weekend's race at Talladega they can use the final three weeks of this season to begin working on communication and setups for the 2010 season."

Related Stories

Fantasy Auto Racing


Trending Now

Stories | Photos | Lists | Videos

NASCAR Videos

NASCAR Drive for Diversity Posted: Feb 09, 2012
Meet the new class for NASCAR's 2012 Drive for Diversity Team.

Tire Testing in Texas Posted: Feb 09, 2012
Denny Hamlin, Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer, and Greg Biffle talk about testing new ...

Fantasy Auto Racing: Keep 'em garaged Posted: Feb 08, 2012
FOXSports.com's fantasy guru Mike Harmon tells you which drivers to steer clear ...

MORE FOXSPORTS VIDEO »

Fox Sports Store

    itemName itemURL imageSrc price itemDescription
    Jeff Gordon Black Low Rider Adjustable Hat http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Jeff_Gordon/browse/featuredproduct/603017/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_603000/ff_603017_xl.jpg&w=100 21.95 Jeff Gordon Black Low Rider Adjustable Hat
    Juan Pablo Montoya Black Black Out Adjustable Hat http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Juan_Pablo_Montoya/browse/featuredproduct/603057/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_603000/ff_603057_xl.jpg&w=100 21.95 Juan Pablo Montoya Black Black Out Adjustable Hat
    Joey Logano Orange Exhaust Flames Adjustable Hat http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Joey_Logano/browse/featuredproduct/603115/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_603000/ff_603115_xl.jpg&w=100 21.95 Joey Logano Orange Exhaust Flames Adjustable Hat
    Checkered Flag Juan Pablo Montoya Red Exhaust Flames Adjustable Hat http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Juan_Pablo_Montoya/browse/featuredproduct/603117/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_603000/ff_603117_xl.jpg&w=100 21.95 Checkered Flag Juan Pablo Montoya Red Exhaust Flames Adjustable Hat
    Dale Earnhardt Jr. Royal Blue Exhaust Flames Adjustable Hat http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Dale_Earnhardt_Jr/browse/featuredproduct/616723/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_616000/ff_616723_xl.jpg&w=100 21.95 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Royal Blue Exhaust Flames Adjustable Hat
    Chase Authentics Jeff Burton Holiday Driver T-Shirt - Black http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Jeff_Burton/browse/featuredproduct/731363/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_731000/ff_731363_xl.jpg&w=100 23.95 Chase Authentics Jeff Burton Holiday Driver T-Shirt - Black
    Chase Authentics Jeff Burton 2012 Driver Schedule T-Shirt - Black http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Jeff_Burton/browse/featuredproduct/731374/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_731000/ff_731374_xl.jpg&w=100 23.95 Chase Authentics Jeff Burton 2012 Driver Schedule T-Shirt - Black
    Chase Authentics Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2012 Driver Schedule T-Shirt - Black http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Dale_Earnhardt_Jr/browse/featuredproduct/731376/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_731000/ff_731376_xl.jpg&w=100 23.95 Chase Authentics Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2012 Driver Schedule T-Shirt - Black
    Chase Authentics Kevin Harvick 2012 Driver Schedule T-Shirt - Black http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Kevin_Harvick/browse/featuredproduct/731378/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_731000/ff_731378_xl.jpg&w=100 23.95 Chase Authentics Kevin Harvick 2012 Driver Schedule T-Shirt - Black
    Chase Authentics Matt Kenseth 2012 Driver Schedule T-Shirt - Black http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Matt_Kenseth/browse/featuredproduct/731380/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_731000/ff_731380_xl.jpg&w=100 23.95 Chase Authentics Matt Kenseth 2012 Driver Schedule T-Shirt - Black
Microsoft© 2012 Microsoft