Tryson Wins Crew Chief Award
With the extended two day rain delay for the running of the 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway, crew chiefs were required to wait patiently, recalculating and planning their strategies for the all important 400 mile race. For the No. 2 MillerLite Dodge crew chief, Pat Tryson, it was more than planning for the possibility of a rain affected shortened race, varying track conditions or a complete 200-lap event. Tryson needed to plan a race strategy, as well as, a points strategy, as his Penske Racing team sat 12th in the points standings, just inside the cut-off for the chase. His various strategies paid off, as a call to his driver, Kurt Busch, on lap 177 during the second last caution of the race to stay out and not pit, maintained his leader’s position, keeping Busch up front for the remainder of the race. For his calculated race strategy and race day calls, Tryson was awarded the WYPALL* Wipers Crew Chief of the Race.

Starting from 15th position, Tryson and Busch combined to have their Dodge in the top ten early in the race. On lap 102, Busch had made his way to the front, earning the valuable five bonus points for leading a lap. As the race unfolded, it became obvious that Tryson had given Busch a car deemed the one to beat, as no other in the field could catch the Dodge. As Busch crossed the finish line to take the checkered flag, the team not only finished with the five bonus points for leading a lap, but also five bonus points for leading the most laps in the race. Tryson’s decision to keep his driver on the track to maintain solid track position, which eventually led to winning the race, solidified their top 12 position in the standings.

“We hoped the tires would hold up at the end there,” commented Tryson on the race. “I knew the No. 1 also stayed out and was on old tires so I was confident he [Busch] would hold them off. I can’t say enough about the No. 2 MillerLite team. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the year.”

A panel of voters, including a member of the local media, Kenny Francis, Tony Eury Jr., Robbie Reiser and a WYPALL* Wipers representative, were unanimous in selecting Tryson as the WYPALL* Wipers Crew Chief of the Race. “Pat has done an awesome job since joining up with the No.2 team back in June,” said Eury Jr. “This team has definitely turned it up a notch and are going to be tough to handle.”

As the WYPALL* Wipers Crew Chief of the Race, Tryson received $1,000. Earning his first crew chief of the race award puts Tryson third in the overall standings. Mike Ford and Robbie Reiser are currently tied for first, while Tony Eury Jr., Larry Carter, Donnie Wingo, and Chad Knaus are all tied for second, with two wins. Pat Tryson, Jimmy Elledge, Tony Gibson, Steve Letarte, Mike Nelson, Darian Grubb, Alan Gustafson, Chip Bolin and Ryan Pemberton each have one win. At the end of the season, the crew chief with the most wins will receive $20,000 and be crowned WYPALL* Wipers Crew Chief of the Year.

Finally ~ Kurt Busch Wins At Michigan
Michigan International Speedway and NASCAR fought rain all weekend, postponed the 3M Performance twice, from Sunday to Monday and then Monday to Tuesday. It was the first time in 37 years that a Nextel Cup race had been run on Tuesday. For the loyal fans that stayed to watch the contest, they saw a good race, and in the end it came down to a green-white-checkers finish with Kurt Busch winning the race in near total domination. Busch led 92 of the 200 laps. It was the second victory of the season for Busch, he also dominated the Pocono track two races ago. It was the 17th career win in 243 races for Busch and puts his Miller Lite Dodge a little deeper in contention for the Chase for the Championship.

Martin Truex Jr. started last on the field and finished a strong second with Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth in tow. Denny Hamlin, who became the second driver to get locked into the Chase, finished fifth followed by Dave Blaney, Carl Edwards, Brian Vickers, Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart to round out the top ten.

It couldn't have been much worse for NASCAR's most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., finishing 12th on the day. He was running fifth late in the race but on the final pit stop, he made a rookie mistake and slid through his pit. It took a few seconds to get backed up and positioned but it cost him five or six positions on the track. He has been accused in the past of not having his head in the race come late in the season and today's incident seemed to illustrate the problem. Earnhardt is now 163 points behind 12th place Kurt Busch and a place in the Chase with three races to go before the final ten begins. If it had not been for the 100 point penalty for an unproved wing support, earlier in the year, he would be sitting in a better spot -- only 63 points out of the Chase. The Nextel Cup Series moves to Bristol Motor Speedway on this coming Saturday night for the Sharpie 500.
To read the full article...     (Insider Racing News)
For full final race results...     (Insider Racing News)
For top-40 Nextel Cup drivers points...     (Insider Racing News)

Make-Up Test Scheduled
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series teams will test at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Oct. 29-30 (Monday-Tuesday). The two-day test will be with the Car of Tomorrow only and will run the two days following the Pep Boys Auto 500, scheduled for Oct. 28 at the speedway.

Teams will test from 9 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m. on both days. Media availability with selected drivers will also be scheduled on both days. The test fills in for the previously scheduled May 14-15 test at Dover International Speedway that was cancelled. The cancellation resulted from the Darlington Raceway event scheduled for May 12 being postponed until May 13 due to inclement weather.

The next scheduled NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series test is Sept. 10-11 at Talladega Superspeedway.

RWI To Field 2nd Car
Rusty Wallace Inc. officials announced the team would field a Busch Series car for development driver Chase Austin alongside regular driver Steve Wallace in the Sam's Town 250 at Memphis Motorsports Park on Oct. 28.

Austin turns 18 on Oct. 3, making him eligible to enter a race in one of NASCAR's top three series. Austin drives in the Busch East Series for RWI, with six top-15 finishes in eight starts.

"The decision to enter Chase in these events was made in preparation for next season," team owner Rusty Wallace said in a statement. "Like we've said before, our team will have a second Busch Series entry in 2008, in addition to Steve again being full time in the No. 66. We're planning on Chase driving in approximately 15 of the races for the new team, with a Cup series veteran competing in the remaining 20 or so events.

"We're hoping to put together a development schedule for Chase in 2008 that looks a lot like the one we ran with Steve last year, in which he'll run both limited Busch Series and ARCA schedules."