NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
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IN THE COCKPIT: Tony Gibson - Richmond Relief
For us, we feel Richmond is a race we can go and win, and we wanted to go in there without holding back...
Tony Gibson  |  Posted September 09, 2011   Richmond, VA
Tony Gibson (Right) calls the shots for driver Ryan Newman (Left) at Stewart-Haas Racing. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
It’s a huge relief heading into Richmond this weekend knowing we have already clinched a berth in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship. We had definitely been sweating it. What we didn’t want to do was to go into Richmond knowing that we had to finish in a certain spot. You can’t race that way – it’s hard to do.

That’s what we did this weekend in Atlanta. We knew this past weekend we had to finish 20th or better, and that’s what we focused on. We couldn’t race because we were so focused. All we kept track of was where the No. 2 car was and what we had to do to finish 20th without putting ourselves in trouble.

We raced the way we wanted to this weekend – we stayed out of trouble, we stayed by ourselves, tried to run by ourselves but make sure we stayed in the top-20, so that’s what we did. I hate racing like that, but we had to. And it paid off for us.

It’s a huge relief for me, for the team and for Ryan because we know going into Richmond that we are in the Chase. This is the first time that Ryan has made the Chase and hasn’t had to sweat it out at Richmond, which I know was a big deal to him. And after missing the Chase last season by one spot, our No. 39 team is really happy to be back in contention for a championship.

For us, we feel Richmond is a race we can go and win, and we wanted to go in there without holding back. We wanted to go in there and say, “Here’s what we’ve got and let’s get after it.” So I’m very relieved.

We’re going to go to Richmond and whatever we’ve got to do to win, that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going there to try to sit on the pole, try to lead as many laps and lead the last lap. That’s our goal. Whether its strategy or just flat getting it done, we’re going to do whatever it takes to get more bonus points to start the Chase. That’s all that matters to us right now – getting bonus points.

Richmond has been a good racetrack for us. I think the short-track stuff kind of fits Ryan’s driving style. He can be more aggressive under braking and under throttle. It’s the side-by-side, multi-groove racetrack that he likes.

I’ve always liked Richmond and I’ve had a lot of success up there. Honestly, I wouldn’t build any other racetrack but that style of racetrack. It really just kind of fits this team. We like it and we have a lot of confidence going in there. The driver has confidence going in there. We know we can go into Richmond and run strong and have a shot to win the race. It’s all about confidence. When we go to a track where we know we can run well, we go in there with confidence and that means everything in racing. Hopefully, we can go in there this weekend and get another win.

If we don’t get a win, it’s important to get a good finish for momentum. But we know a win is at the top of our list. If we go into the race with the mindset of, “Go big or go home,” the team knows going into the race that we’re going to take chances to win the race. We want to run well and have a good finish, but we want to win. We want the extra bonus points.

In addition to the bonus points, we have another reason we want to win this weekend. Our No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet pays tribute to the 10th anniversary of 9/11 this weekend and to the 75 U.S. Army personnel who lost their lives on that day at the Pentagon.

This is an important weekend for the entire country, and I think this special paint scheme is a sense of pride for all of us. We’re paying tribute to the United States and to people who have lost their lives for no reason. It shouldn’t have happened. It didn’t need to happen. And it’s just a way for us to pay tribute to them and their families. So it is an emotional weekend. It puts a little extra pressure on us because we want to make them proud. It’s just another reason for us to go up to Richmond and run well this weekend.

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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