Veteran Tony Gibson will work with driver Kurt Busch, while Daniel Knost
climbs atop the pit box for Danica Patrick.
“We are looking to try to get both teams to be a little more consistent,”
he said. “They have had speed throughout the year, but haven’t necessarily put
the whole season together… at the level we expect from them. Tony Gibson
has got a lot of experience (and) that group has been with a lot of veteran
drivers. We just felt like it was worth moving him over to Kurt. We
feel like his experience will help put that group together and get the finishes
that we need out of that team.
“As far as Daniel, he is a young aggressive, very smart engineer.
Danica is used to dealing with engineers from her background. Actually, a
while ago, she talked about having the opportunity to work with a younger
engineer and build the relationship over time (and) I feel like it was the time
to do it.
“This is a good opportunity for us to switch things up for Texas (and) the
last three races and see how things go.”
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| 41 and 10 teams swap crew chiefs |
Zipadelli candidly stated that Gibson may be better equipped to deal with
the temperamental Busch than Knost has been.
“(Gibson) dealt with Mark Martin, Dale
Earnhardt, Jr. (and) Michael Waltrip back in the day, so I think he has heard
it all,” said Zipadelli. “He'll let it go in one ear and out the other. Because
of his experience (and) the time he's been in the sport, he will probably be
able to handle that a little bit better. He's been around a long time and
dealt with a bunch of different people.
He's kind of toward the end of his career…
not all revved-up and young and worried about anything other than trying to go
out and win races. In all honestly, it is a really good opportunity for him
with the cars he's been building to go out and try to win a few races in
the next year or two."
Zipadelli said that despite being named only an
interim crew chief for Patrick’s operation, Knost is the leading candidate for
that post in 2015.
“I would like to believe that Daniel will have that position,” he said. “I
think it is just kind of `wait and see’ how Danica works with him and how they
get along. Daniel is going to be with SHR for a long period of time.
It’s not a matter of whether he doesn’t do a good job there. He has done
a great job.”
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| With Busch, no time for growth |
Zipadelli said the first-year crew chief was “really fed to the wolves” this season, being thrust into a –profile crew chief’s role with no experience. “He was a guy without a lot of experience, (but) he won a race and made the Chase. It’s just been and up and down year. I think he has a lot of potential, (so) we put him with Danica. I think they have got the opportunity to learn and grow together as Danica continues to grow every week.
“I think long term, it’s the right thing,” he said. “There might be a step
backwards (for Patrick) while they get to learn each other and grow. But long
term, two years from now, I think the personalities between Daniel and Danica
will work together much better. I think the same thing will happen on the
No. 41 car.
“That is a team that we have to get going immediately,” he added. “There
isn’t a lot of time for growth. Kurt is in the prime of his career (and)
we know that he can go out and win races at every race track we go to. We
have got to give him that.”
He said that race day communication with an engineering-based crew chief is
“what (Danica) grew up with. She came from IndyCar (and) that is what they
had. The way they do things is a little different than the old-school
racer does things. She wants to know more about what they are doing… just
trying to learn.
“She has made a ton of progress. Her speed on the race track (and) her
qualifying are better, but our race finishes aren’t. At the end of the
day, that is really what counts. So how do we help and encourage
that? Right now I think that this is a pretty good change (and) very
positive for our company as a whole.”
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