10:21 PM
JD
In 2011 there were several new driver/crew chief combinations, most of them were in the Hendrick Motorsports garage. It was definitely interesting to watch which new combination would win and how each of them would deal with problems that arose. Although the Gordon/Gustafson combination would top most lists, the Earnhardt/Letarte duo definitely did better than most assumed they would.
In 2012 there will be no less than 11 new driver/crew chief combinations starting in February at the Daytona 500. There will be at least 3 or 4 of these new combos that will visit victory lane, and no doubt 3 or 4 of them will make the Chase. Will there be any surprises? Will any of the new teams gel quickly and become the next Jimmie and Chad or Jeff and Ray? Well that may be a long shot, but below I have listed the best three of these new combinations along with how they will impress in 2012.
1. Hamlin / Grubb- The #11 FedEx Toyota will begin the year with a driver that faded last year after his dominant run in 2010, and a crew chief with something to prove after being let go a couple weeks after winning the Sprint Cup Championship. Will Hamlin/Grubb win a race? Without a doubt. Grubb has never had a season without a win, and Hamlin has never had a full season without a win. Make the Chase? Of course. Hamlin has never finished outside the top 12 in a full season and Grubb has never finished outside the top 15. Given Hamlin's ability to put a great Chase run together as he did in 2010, combined with Grubb's recent success at Chase race domination, be prepared for a strong charge in the final races of 2012 by Denny Hamlin.
2. Harvick / Wilson- After the 2011 season, Shane Wilson has been moved over from the #33, formerly driven by Clint Bowyer. Although Harvick and last year's crew chief, Todd Berrier, had some great success, including becoming the "Closer" and having a great run in the 2010 Chase to challenge for the Sprint Cup Championship, RCR has elected to move Wilson to the #29 for 2012. Wilson will be working with many of the same people, so all that will change from last year will be the driver, and moving from Bowyer to Harvick is a step up. Shane Wilson only has 2 Sprint Cup wins, but he does have 14 Nationwide wins, 13 of which were driven by, you guessed it, Kevin Harvick. With the same crew, same garage, and having already won together, it won't take long for these two to develop the chemistry needed to compete. Oh, and 7 of those Nationwide wins the two had were at Chase tracks.
3. Stewart / Addington- After almost every championship win, the winning team changes a little. Very few championship teams have been able to field the exact same team in February. However, that particular type of change has not happened to a championship team since owner Billy Hagan replaced Dale Inman, arguably the greatest crew chief ever, with Steve Hmiel for driver Terry Labonte after winning the 1984 championship. I could not find the details about how Inman left the position open, someone older than I will have to answer that one. What I do know is that Labonte did not repeat his success of 1984. Don't get me wrong, Hmiel was no slouch, but changing the crew chief is no small change. With that said, Stewart has proven he has plenty of drive left, and after coming up short with Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch, Addington is sure to have something to prove. Addington has a knack for pulling a rabbit out of his hat and Stewart has more determination that most drivers, so look for these two to get at least a couple of wins and a Chase appearance.
With all of these changes, and more changes to come, February will be a busy time in both North Carolina and Daytona. Will any of the new duos become the next super team? Who knows. Either way 2012 is coming soon, and all of these teams are definitely working to make this season a wild one.
Posted in: Dale Jr Crew Chief,Daytona,Denny Hamlin,Hendrick,Jeff Gordon,Kevin Harvick,Kurt Busch,Kyle Busch,Nascar,Nascar Blog,nascar news,NASCAR Race Results,Sprint Cup,steve letarte,Tony Stewart
1 comments:
Hey JD!
Like they say, Imitation is the greatest compliment... The success seen in 2011 by Gordon's 24 team and Dale Jr.'s 88 team just by reinvigoration with a new crew chief is now being replicated in other racing stables... The one that I have trouble understanding is Stewart. Seems this is a step taken when your team is down, not right after winning the Cup. I guess in this case it was more of a personality conflict although if ya think about it that could be said in most cases... I can imagine working with Stewart is very unusual in racing at this level. Usually there's a team owner both the CC and driver must answer to... I'm going to say Tony makes the ultimate decisions at SHR for the 14 car so maybe his CC is more of an orchestrator and not so much a decision maker... Unusual circumstance.
Thanks JD! (60 DAYS UNTIL DAYTONA!) LOL!!!
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