Pat Tryson’s decision to service the No. 6 Viagra Ford with two tires during the early stages of the Banquet 400 paid dividends. His strategy put Mark Martin up front long enough to lead more than half of the event before he beat teammate Greg Biffle to the checkered flag. Not only did Tryson bring his team a win, but his efforts earned him the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Race award. After starting in 19th place, Tryson improved Martin’s track position with a two-tire stop on an early round of pit stops. The move catapulted Martin to the front of the pack, where he stayed for the rest of the day. “It was early enough in the race for us to take two tires and see how they did,” said Tryson. “We didn’t have a lot of laps on our left-sides and it was a good opportunity for us to do it. I’m surprised more teams didn’t try the same thing, but I’m glad they didn’t.” The panel of voters, including Randy Covitz of the Kansas City Star, a Wypall Wipers representative and Tony Eury Sr., all voted for Tryson as the crew chief that did the best job.
Doug Richert leads the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Year standings with five wins. Alan Gustafson and Greg Zipadelli are tied for second-place with three wins. Bob Osborne, Jimmy Fennig, Robbie Reiser and Robbie Loomis are tied for third-place with two wins. Tommy Baldwin, Scott Miller, Fatback McSwain, Steve Hmiel, Greg Erwin, Slugger Labbe, Chad Knaus, Pat Tryson and Pete Rondeau are tied for fourth place, each with one win. At the end of the season, the crew chief with the most weekly wins will receive $20,000. Fans can also vote for their choice at wypall.com.(SMC 500)(10-10-2005)
