NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
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CUP: Addington Stewart’s New Crew Chief
Steve Addington will replace Darian Grubb at Stewart-Haas Racing...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted November 28, 2011   Kannapolis, NC
Steve Addington (Pictured) was the crew chief for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kurt Busch at Penske Racing this past season. (Photo: Getty Images)
Longtime NASCAR crew chief Steve Addington has joined Stewart-Haas Racing as the new chief for newly crowned NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Tony Stewart and the No. 14 SHR Chevrolet.

Addington assumed the position immediately, according to a team release issued Monday. He replaces Darian Grubb, the former Hendrick Motorsports engineer who has been Stewart’s crew chief for the last three years. Team owner Rick Hendrick said Monday morning that Grubb already has been offered an engineering job with Hendrick.

“Darian was a very important part of the success we’ve had at Stewart-Haas Racing,” Stewart said in a team release. “I’m very proud of everything he helped accomplish, especially this year when we all rallied to win the championship. He’s a great person and I know he’ll continue to be successful in this sport.”

Stewart’s new crew chief should prove to be a steady and patient hand atop the pit box.

An old-school short-track racer from South Carolina, Addington earned his way up to the Sprint Cup Series through persistence and effort. He spent 15 years as a crew chief in what’s now known as the NASCAR Nationwide Series, including 11 years with Jason Keller, a relationship that produced 10 race victories, 11 poles and scored 69 top-five and 122 top-10 finishes.

For the last four years, Addington has led the way for the Busch brothers, serving as crew chief for Kyle Busch for 69 races in 2008-09. In his first year with Addington, Kyle won a career-high eight Sprint Cup races.

For 2010-11, Addington was Kurt Busch’s crew chief, the highlight coming last year, when the elder Busch swept both the Sprint All-Star Race and the Coca-Cola 600 on consecutive weekends at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Addington and Stewart knew each other at Joe Gibbs Racing, where both were employed from 2005-08.

“I know Steve well and I know how he goes about setting up a race car,” said Stewart in a team release. “My comfort level with him is already strong. He balances the technical part of our sport with the real-world experiences we get at the track, and that will allow for a smooth transition as we prepare to defend our title in 2012.”

“Tony and I are a lot alike and we’re able to push each other,” Addington said. “I saw how he worked when we were at Gibbs together and I’m not surprised at all at the success he’s created at Stewart-Haas Racing. He expects a lot and he knows a lot. His talent behind the wheel is obvious, but his ability to motivate and get everyone to believe that whatever goal they set is attainable is something every crew chief wants, and I plan to make the most of it.”

“Steve has proven himself everywhere he’s been,” Stewart said. “Our expectation when we unload each weekend is to win, and that’s Steve’s expectation, too. Getting there is never easy, but we’ve both been around long enough to know what it takes to be successful.”

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEED.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100.
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