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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
PEMBERTON: Adding Addington
It takes a certain type of person to serve as the crew chief for both of the infamous Busch brothers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series...
Randy Pemberton  |  Posted December 18, 2009   Charlotte, NC
Randy Pemberton on SPEED. (Photo: SPEED)

It takes a certain type of person to serve as the crew chief for both of the infamous Busch brothers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and we’re about to find out if Steve Addington has what it takes to pull off this challenging feat.

Addington, Kyle Busch’s former crew chief at Joe Gibbs Racing, recently was named the 2010 head wrench for his older brother, Kurt Busch, at Penske Racing. The interesting twist is that Addington moves from Kyle, whom many consider to be the most volatile driver in the garage, although arguably the most talented, to his older brother, who is perhaps equally as volatile, at least from what we hear on his team radio. So, to a certain degree, Addington should feel as much at home with the No. 2 Dodge team as he did with the No. 18 Toyota gang because the brothers are very similar in their talent level and personality.

Each easily ranks among the top 10, if not the top-five best drivers in NASCAR. As far as personalities go, they appear rather analogous with the exception that Kurt has learned how to toe the company line in the media. Both guys wear their emotions on their sleeves, sometimes to the detriment of their teams and themselves, but Kurt has made a marked change in the past couple of years in the way he publicly conducts himself, better containing his temper and outbursts. Kyle is still working on that.

While functioning as the crew chief for either Busch is a prestigious position in NASCAR, not everyone would jump at the chance simply for the fact that working with these two men can pose such a challenge. In fact, I’d say it requires a particular brand of crew chief to successfully manage and work with these siblings. A crew chief that can conquer these obstacles has to be a winner and must have the support of his team and management who will back him up when the going gets rough.

Addington is one of the meekest and most mild-mannered guys you’ll ever run across and he interacts well with his peers. For that reason, I think he’ll do just fine at Penske and will fit right in. In fact, as soon as he and Kurt get the communication down, I think they’ll win several races.

While it appears Addington was pushed out of Joe Gibbs Racing, the fact that his next venture is with Kyle’s brother serves as a ringing endorsement from Kyle for his former crew chief with whom he won 12 races. I would be shocked if Kyle and Kurt had not discussed Addington before Penske brought him on board. Obviously, whatever explanation Kyle gave regarding any issues the two had was more than sufficient to satisfy any questions Kurt may have had.

Addington guided Kyle to The Chase in 2008 and four wins in 2009. He has the credentials but will he and Kurt gel? The off-season is barely in gear but I think they’ve already got a lot on their side.

One thing in Addington’s favor is how well Kurt’s team ran in 2009, even following the announcement that crew chief Pat Tryson was leaving at the end of the year. They’ve obviously got a strong group in place, so Addington likely won’t need to make many changes, which should be beneficial. Their cars ran well and even dominated a couple of times. Teammate Sam Hornish Jr. has improved by leaps and bounds and Penske just signed Brad Keselowski. The pieces are all in place for success with the No. 2 team in 2010 and I would be surprised if it took long for Addington and Kurt to start hitting on all cylinders together.

You never know – Kurt could be the next driver to win six or eight races. He certainly was a contender in 2009 and I have no reason to think he won’t be next season unless something unforeseen goes terribly wrong.

There’s no question in my mind that Addington has something to prove in his new role. He wants to prove that he deserved to remain as Kyle’s crew chief after building that team and guiding it to periods of sheer dominance. His ousting from Gibbs could turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to him, but he’d still relish proving his detractors wrong. And running strong out of the gate with Kurt Busch would be a gigantic step toward that goal.
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