Kurt Busch, crew chief Tony Gibson a good blend

THE RIGHT crew chief at the right time. That's the Tony Gibson-Kurt Busch pairing.

Although he's only 50, Gibson is one of the few remaining old-school crew chiefs in NASCAR. He has been crew chief for Danica Patrick, Ryan Newman, Mark Martin, Michael Waltrip and Bill Elliott.

Gibson's NASCAR career goes all the way back to 1992 when he was car chief and mechanic for the late Alan Kulwicki, the '92 Cup series champion.

With three races remaining last season, Gibson moved from Patrick's team to Busch's. They immediately clicked, as Busch collected two top-10 finishes and an 11th.

Following Busch's suspension for this season's first three races while awaiting a decision on his domestic-abuse case, Busch posted top-five finishes in his first two races. Last Sunday, he dominated at Richmond, leading 291 of the 400 laps for his 26th career victory.

Despite missing the three races, Busch has led the second-most laps this season (520). Reigning Cup champion Kevin Harvick has paced the most laps (952).

Explaining the success he and Busch are having, Gibson said: "I think it's old-school racing. That's where I'm brought up, in old, redneck racing and tape measures and strings, and it's still four tires and a hunk of steel that's got to meet the racetrack. And I know Kurt. He feels the same way."

Gibson's father owned a race shop in Daytona Beach, Fla., and raced regionally.

Referring to Jimmy Fennig, another veteran crew chief who guided Busch to the 2004 Cup championship, Gibson said: "Me and Jimmy Fennig have a lot in common. We're great friends, and I lean on him now, too. We talk every weekend. He's a big influence on my career.

"And I know Kurt, he's driven that same way. He believes in engineering just like I do, but sometimes you've got to go with your gut, and you've got to go old-school, and I think that's why me and him, me and Kurt hit it off so well. We share the same passion of racing. We don't want to run second. We're hard on ourselves when we've got to be to be better.

"I think he makes me be better, and hopefully I make him be better. Moving forward, I think if we push one another and believe in one another like we're doing right now and our team, we've got a shot to win the championship just as well as anybody."

While Gibson is serious about his job, he also maintains a sense of humor. Busch was in contention with a few laps remaining in the race at Fontana, Calif., March 22 when Gibson faced a decision on how many tires to change on Busch's No. 41 Chevrolet.

"I'm too old for this [pressure]," a sighing Gibson was heard saying on the telecast. Brad Keselowski passed Busch on the final lap to win. Busch was third.

Both Busch and Gibson think depth is a key for their Stewart-Haas Racing team.

"Like Kurt said, it's about having depth in our team, and we believe in one another," Gibson said. "When I had to bail there after the drivers' meeting at Bristol [with kidney stones], I called Kurt and told him, 'Look, I'm not going to make it, so it's up to you and Johnny [Klausmeier] and Zippy [Greg Zipadelli] to make this deal happen.' "

Klausmeier, a race engineer, filled in for Gibson; Zipadelli is competition director for Stewart-Haas Racing.

"Johnny did a fantastic job," Gibson continued. "He's going to be a crew chief one day. I'm getting old, and he's going to be moving in pretty soon."

Busch finished 15th at Bristol.

"Kurt is so involved in our changes that we do. He's in the loop 100 percent, and we don't do anything unless we discuss it with him. I think that's the bond that we share with Kurt that a lot of drivers don't have with their teams . . . how involved the driver is in our setups and the way we're going to move forward. Hopefully, we can win four or five more."

Busch is still seeking his first victory at Talladega, the site of Sunday's Cup race. In 28 career starts at the Alabama superspeedway, his best finishes are third four times.

GoDaddy.com will not be the primary sponsor for Danica Patrick's Sprint Cup team after this season. However, GoDaddy, a technology provider for businesses, hopes to retain Patrick with a personal-services contract. She signed with GoDaddy in 2007 when she was an IndyCar driver. Her Cup series career began in 2012.

"We love Danica and all she does to empower and inspire people, especially women, which is why we are working to keep her in the GoDaddy family," said chief marketing officer Phil Bienert. "NASCAR has been a tremendous domestic platform to help us achieve an 81 percent aided brand awareness domestically, but at this stage, we need a range of marketing assets that reach a more globally diverse set of customers."

In recent years, Patrick has worked to promote GoDaddy's online services for small business owners, as well as helping with campaigns to fight breast cancer and attract more young women to study science, technology, engineering and math, also known as "STEM."

She has two top-10 finishes this year and is 16th in points.

Geico 500

Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, Ala.

When: Sunday, 1 p.m.

TV/Radio: Fox/WNPV (1440-AM)

Course: 2.66-mile oval

Distance: 188 laps/500 miles

Forecast: scattered thunderstorms, mid-80s

Last year's winner: Denny Hamlin

Last year's pole: Brian Scott, 198.29 mph

Track qualifying record: without restrictor plates, Bill Elliott, 212.809 mph (April 1987); with restrictor plates, Elliott, 199.388 mph (May 1990)

Track facts: Denny Hamlin led six of the final eight laps to win last year's race. Twenty-two other drivers also led the race. Greg Biffle paced the most laps (58) and finished second. Clint Bowyer was third ... Jeff Gordon has the most wins (six) at Talladega among active drivers. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a five-time winner at the track, but his last "W" there was in 2004. Gordon has collected six consecutive top-10 finishes this season, vaulting him to 10th in points after a slow start. Gordon will drive a Corvette pace car for the 99th Indianapolis 500 May 24, then head to Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600 ... Brian Scott's pole position in last year's Talladega race was his first in a Sprint Cup race. He finished 42nd ... As expected, David Ragan will shift to the No. 55 Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing, starting with the May 9 race at Kansas. Ragan will replace Brent Moffitt, who drove the car as a fill-in for Brian Vickers, who is undergoing treatment for blood clots. Waltrip will drive the No. 55 Sunday at Talladega. Ragan, who has been subbing for Kyle Busch in the No. 18 Toyota, is 19th in points. Erik Jones, a development driver for Joe Gibbs Racing, is expected to get the No. 18 ride until Busch returns.

Wins: Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson, 2 each; Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch,1 each.

STANDINGS

1. Kevin Harvick 357

2. Joey Logano 324

3. Martin Truex Jr. 315

4. Jimmie Johnson 299

5. Brad Keselowski 283

6. Kasey Kahne 275

7. Matt Kenseth 273

8. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 271

9. Jamie McMurray 264

10. Jeff Gordon 263

11. Aric Almirola 250

12. Denny Hamlin 245

13. Paul Menard 239

14. Clint Bowyer 235

15. Ryan Newman 234

16. Danica Patrick 230

17. Carl Edwards 228

18. Kurt Busch 222

19. David Ragan 218

20. Kyle Larson 205

Up next: SpongeBob Square Pants 400, May 9, Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kan., 7:30 p.m.; TV: Fox Sports 1; last year's winner: Jeff Gordon.