Many predicted this. Dating all the way back to his championship season of 2004, Richmond winner Kurt Busch had excelled with a crew chief who could be defined as “old school” – one who made decisions with a healthy mix of modern engineering smarts and plain old gut. Busch won his title with a professor in old school ideals – Jimmy Fennig – calling the shots. Now, 11 years later, Tony Gibson “ himself a “racer’s crew chief’ – takes his perch atop Busch’s pit box. And the resulting success is astounding. Since Gibson joined the #41 Stewart-Haas Racing team with three races remaining in the 2014 season, Busch has rattled off some of the best numbers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Here are a few, and their relation to the competition (Note: Due to his suspension to open the 2015 season, Busch’s stats span nine races, compared to 12 for other drivers)”¦
– His average finish with Gibson is 8.7, which ranks second only to Kevin Harvick’s 5.2
– Busch’s driver rating with Gibson is 111.8, second to Harvick’s 130.6.
– His average running position is 7.0, second to Harvick’s 4.5
– Despite three fewer races, he ranks fourth in fastest laps run (217) and second in laps led (536)(NASCAR)(4-30-2015)
