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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: Tryson Only Allowed At Shop Once A Week
Departing Penske Racing crew chief Pat Tryson is only allowed at shop one day a week...
Bob Pockrass  | http://www.scenedaily.com  |  Posted September 20, 2009   Loudon, NH
Departing Penske Racing crew chief Pat Tryson has limited access to the shop these days. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Pat Tryson's days at Penske Racing are numbered. That number is nine – as in he will only go to the shop the next nine Tuesdays.

Tryson, who is leaving Penske and driver Kurt Busch at the end of the season to crew chief for Martin Truex Jr. at Michael Waltrip Racing, confirmed Sunday that he will only go to the shop for the competition debriefing on Tuesdays and stay at home the rest of the week.

“I was in the shop all this week, but they want me to focus on this year’s stuff and they’ve got stuff going on at the shop for next year, so they’re going to work on that,” Tryson said prior to the Sylvania 300 today at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “And I’ll be communicating by e-mail and phones and I’ll be in there for driver debrief on Tuesdays. … Tuesday is the only day I’m welcome.”

Penske Racing Vice President of Operations Mike Nelson said the team was trying to find a balance in involving Tryson for the rest of this season but not having him involved in any future plans.

“Going forward, he’s coming to the shop on Tuesday when we do our postrace debrief,” Nelson said. “It’s not a ‘You can’t come to the shop type thing.’

“It really breaks down to 2009 vs. 2010. He’s not there for the discussions that we have about 2010. That’s a lot of what we’re doing at the shop right now. The 2009 stuff … that’s something that he needs to be involved with and there’s no change in his involvement with Kurt. That’s the meeting that Kurt comes in for on Tuesdays. We’re trying to leave that part of it seamless. We’re trying not to affect anything for 2009, it’s just that it doesn’t make any sense for him or for us to sit down and discuss what we’re doing in 2010.”

Tryson wouldn’t comment on how he felt about the decision – “It’s their decision and I’m going to live with it,” he said. Can he and Busch win the title with him only being in the shop for a Tuesday meeting that looks back at the previous week and looks ahead to the upcoming race?

“We’ll find out,” Tryson said. “I don’t know for sure, but we’re going to find out. We’re going to try hard to win a championship. It is what it is.

“I don’t see why we can’t as long as me and Kurt and Dave [Winston] our engineer, everybody is working together. … I want to win the championship, so I’m going to work hard to do that. Whatever we’ve got to do to do it is what we’ll do.”

The 45-year-old Tryson seemed resigned to the fact that the decision was just part of the business.

“I’m still working for Penske, and that’s all I’m worried about,” Tryson said. “I’m just worried about winning the championship. … You can do a lot of it via e-mail, so it’s not that big a deal. The biggest thing is the lack of communication with the guys, seeing the guys.”

Tryson said not being at the shop “will be a big change” and is typically there from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily.

“I’m going to work on stuff from home, and when I get done with that stuff, I guess I’ll do whatever my wife makes me do,” Tryson said.

SceneDaily.com • Penske Racings Kurt Busch settles for sixth at New Hampshire
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Bob Pockrass

SceneDaily.com

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