Kurt Busch and Penske Racing have announced that Steve Addington will replace Pat Tryson atop the elder Busch brother’s pit box.  Addington had previously been the crew chief for Kurt’s younger brother Kyle in the no. 18 M & Ms Toyota at Joe Gibbs Racing.

Team owner Roger Penske made the announcement today.  "Steve Addington has a proven track record of success in NASCAR and we are excited to welcome him to Penske Racing," Penske said.  "By adding Steve to the winning Miller Lite team and working closely with Kurt, we believe we have the combination in place to compete for a championship as we head into the 2010 season."

Busch was also pleased with the long-awaited announcement of his crew chief.  "With Steve on board, I am confident we can build on the momentum from 2009 and compete for wins and the series title,'' Busch said.

Addington’s 2009 season as crew chief with younger brother Kyle Busch was tumultuous at best.  While the two had 12 Cup wins in the past two seasons together at Joe Gibbs Racing, their relationship became rocky when Kyle Busch failed to make the championship chase.

To Addington’s surprise, he was released as Kyle Busch’s crew chief late in the 2009 season and reassigned within the JGR organization. 

"We evaluate all of our teams on an ongoing basis and believe this is a change that will make the 18 team stronger as we prepare for next season,'' JGR President J.D. Gibbs said of Addington’s release.”We think highly of Steve and the job he has done and we look forward to him remaining a part of the JGR family."

Rather than staying with the JGR family, Addington made no secret about his desire to crew chief for another top NASCAR Cup team.  While he was contacted by various teams in the sport, Addington’s wish has now come true with the announcement of his move to the no. 2 team and Penske Racing.

"I am really looking forward to working with Penske Racing, Kurt Busch and the Miller Lite Dodge team," Addington said. "This a championship-caliber team with a great driver and with the resources and experience at Penske Racing, we have the opportunity to add to the team's success starting next season."