IN THE COCKPIT: Tony Gibson - More New Hampshire Magic?

Sprint Cup

IN THE COCKPIT: Tony Gibson - More New Hampshire Magic?

We’re going back to Loudon with the same car and the same exact setup that we had last time, and hoping for the same result...

Tony Gibson | Posted September 22, 2011 Loudon, NH

Tony Gibson (Left) and Ryan Newman (Right) celebrate together in victory lane after winning at New Hampshire Motor Speedway earlier this year. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

It was great to get a top-10 at Chicagoland Speedway and we definitely have some momentum as a company heading to the second race of the Chase for the championship.

We both had great racecars last week at Chicagoland, and we both felt like we had cars that could contend for the win. We led laps, and we ran top-three or four all day. And, although we were pleased to get a top-10 finish, we were disappointed not to have a shot to win it or get the top-five finish we felt like we deserved. All in all, though, it could have been worse with us running out of gas. And we’re doing what we need to be doing to have a shot at this Chase. We finished eighth, so we’ll take it. Momentum is huge at this point in the Chase – it’s everything in this sport. We’ve got to try to capitalize on it and move forward.

Running 1-2 at Loudon in July definitely makes us pretty excited about going back up there. We’re going back with the same car and the same exact setup that we had last time. We may have to tune on it a little bit based on track conditions. It will be a little bit cooler, and the track may be a little bit different, but I think it will be pretty close. It’s typically not a huge difference from July to September. We’re going to go back with what we had and start there. If we have to adjust, we will, but I think it's going to end up pretty close to what we ran there last time.

I hope it works out the same way. As long as we are first and second, I’ll take it. You never know. The racetrack will be a little different. We qualified 1-2. To start in the top five at New Hampshire is huge. Pit stall selection and clean air mean everything. Hopefully, we can go back there and both of us will be on the front row, again, and be in a situation where we can finish 1-2. Whichever way it goes, I’m fine with it – as long as it’s a good company day like it was this past weekend at Chicagoland.

So many different strategies come into play at New Hampshire with the tire. If the tire is so good, different people get on different sequences. And however the race plays out, you may see an odd winner – you may see something different happen. You may have a guy who didn’t run so well the first race come back with a different setup and now he’s money.

We’re hoping that our two setups, which are really close – that we can go back up there and duplicate our run from July. And I really think we have a great shot at it.
Even though we won this race in July, we approach this weekend like we do any race. We want to go in there, we want to qualify well, we want to lead laps and we want to finish in the top five or top 10.

We have to be consistent in this Chase. And if we are consistent running in the top-five or top-10 each week, then you are going to win races. It’s going to take the person who doesn’t have an issue – no DNFs (did not finish) – and is consistent, leading laps and running up front to win the championship. It’s not going to be a guy who wins two races and has a DNF, in my opinion. The guy who has a DNF is going to be in trouble in the points, and I think that is something we have seen with the way this point system is all year.

I think this is going to be the most competitive Chase ever, and I think it is going to be that way all the way to end. It may come down to just five guys, but I think you will have more than you usually see fighting for this championship in the last race at Homestead. I think Jimmie Johnson said it best when he said this is the most competitive our Series has been in years, and this Chase is going to be the most competitive all the way to the end.

So far, I think we are still an underdog. I just don’t think the media or the people in the garage look at this company – the 39 team, in particular – as a contender, for some reason. And that’s fine. That’s the way I want it to be. I want to be the guy who nobody expects, and I want to sneak up on it. We just want to be consistent and, hopefully, going into Homestead everybody will be saying, "Where did they come from?" And, if we are fortunate enough to be in that situation, fine. If not, it won’t be because of a lack of effort from this team.

Tony Gibson is the crew chief for Ryan Newman and the No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet at Stewart-Haas Racing. Gibson led the No. 39 team to a 15th-place finish in the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings, earning his career-first Cup win with Newman in the spring race at Phoenix. He finished ninth with Newman in the 2009 NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup in Stewart-Haas Racing’s inaugural season. Prior to joining SHR, Gibson served as the crew chief for Mark Martin, Aric Almirola, Steve Park and Michael Waltrip at Dale Earnhardt Inc. from 2003 to 2008. He also worked as Jeff Gordon’s car chief at Hendrick Motorsports from 1998 to 2002, after working for two-time series champion Bill Elliott and former champion Alan Kulwicki.

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Tony Gibson

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