Beginning with next week’s race at Texas, Danica Patrick and teammate Kurt Busch will switch crew chiefs and teams.
Danica Patrick is getting a new crew chief and team for the final three races of the 2014 season, according to the Charlotte Observer.
Stewart-Haas Racing will swap the crews of Patrick and Kurt Busch beginning with the Nov. 2 Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. Patrick will inherit Busch's team led by crew chief Daniel Knost, while Tony Gibson, Patrick's current crew chief, and his team will move over to guide Busch's No. 41 car.
The exchange of teams is both unforeseen and expected.
SHR is breaking up what has been an effective pairing of Patrick and Gibson. The two have developed a natural chemistry with the 50-year-old crew chief often acting as a comforting father figure to Patrick, who is in her third full season of NASCAR and second full year in Sprint Cup.
Although Patrick's is 27th in the standings -- the same position she finished in what was a disappointing 2013 rookie campaign -- there has been marginal improvements this season. Patrick has three top-10 finishes compared to one last year, including a career-best sixth Aug. 31 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
As for the Busch part of the equation, he and Knost, a first-year crew chief, never seemed to gel. With the exception of a March victory at Martinsville Speedway, 2014 has been a struggle.
Busch recorded 12 finishes of 25th or worse and more pronounced, was how often the No. 41 car got worse, not better, towards the end of races. That speaks of a driver and crew chief not on the same page.
Not helping matters is Knost's lack of experience as a crew chief and Busch's notorious reputation for being demanding. Throughout his career, the former series champion has been at his best when working with a veteran crew chief. A full-time crew chief since 2008, Gibson has worked with a multitude of drivers including Ryan Newman, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin,
This marks the second time SHR has jockeyed personnel around this season. Before the start of the Chase for the Sprint Cup, the pit crew for Tony Stewart was switched with Kevin Harvick's underperforming crew to give Harvick a better chance to win the championship.
Stewart and Patrick did not qualify for the playoffs. Busch was among the four drivers eliminated after the Chase's first round.
The impetus for making the change now and not at the end of the year is due to NASCAR's testing ban, which goes into effort for the 2015 season. This gives Busch - Gibson, Patrick - Knost time to get a jumpstart and become better acclimated.
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