\Roswell, GAÂ (October 19, 2011) – Jimmy Fennig, crew chief for the No. 17 Fluidmaster Ford driven by
Matt Kenseth, has been named the WYPALL* Wipers Crew Chief of the Race following Saturday night’s Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Fennig and his Roush-Fenway Racing crew provided Kenseth with a near flawless car, and pit stops throughout the night. Kenseth remained in the top-10 all race, and was never lower than fourth over the final third of the event.
He led three times for 46 laps, including the last 25, then held off Kyle Busch by less than a second during a 12-lap run to the finish after the race’s final restart. The win vaulted him to third in the title chase, just seven points out with five races to go.
“I appreciate being with a winning organization, with a winning team, with Jimmy on top of the box calling the races and working so hard to bring me fast race cars every week,” said Kenseth, who celebrated his 21st career triumph. “I never thought I would be racing at this level, much less be competitive and win a few championships along with way (won the 2003 title). Just appreciate being able to drive that car.”
“Great pit work all night and solid calls by Jimmy proved to be the difference,” said WYPALL Wipers crew chief representative and FOX/Speed analyst Jeff Hammond. “Jimmy made the right adjustments needed to get Matt up front at the end of the race.”
WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief Results
Steve Addington, Kurt Busch and the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ultra Dodge team finished 13th after scratching and clawing their way from middle of the pack. Throughout the event, the team experienced a tight and loose condition, coupled with untimely caution periods.
“It was a frustrating night,” said Busch, who now sits seventh in the championship hunt, 27 markers out of the lead. “We were tight in (the corner) and loose off (the corner) all night. We at least came away with a respectable finish.”
Paul Wolfe and the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge of Brad Keselowski finished 16th after getting pinned down two laps when the caution flag flew just after the team made a green flag pit stop with 100 laps to go.
“We were a 10th to 15th place car,” said Keselowski, who is 25 points out of the championship lead, sitting sixth. “We just got behind on track position,” but was able to get the wave around during a caution and wound up one lap down.
WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief Voting Team
Addington and Wolfe, along with Hammond and Sirius NASCAR Radio’s Claire B. Lang, serve as the panel for the WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief Challenge and vote for the weekly crew chief winners.
Each weekly WYPALL Crew Chief Challenge winner will be a guest on Lang’s “Dialed In” program on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) at 8 p.m. EST on Wednesdays throughout the season.
The crew chief with the most weekly top wins will be honored as the WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief of the Year and will be presented a $10,000 check during the weekend of the WYPALL 200 Presented by Kimberly-Clark Professional Nationwide Series race at Phoenix International Raceway on Saturday, November 12, 2011.
About WYPALL Wipers
Since 2004, Kimberly-Clark Professional’s WYPALL Wipers brand has been affiliated with some of racing’s top teams. Offering heavy-duty to versatile light-duty towels, WYPALL Wipers provides race teams with a number of products providing strength and durability. Defeating the toughest of challenges, from absorbing tough grease and oil to wiping down windshields without leaving residue behind, WYPALL Wipers continue to offer performance and versatility.
The WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief Challenge will continue throughout the remainder of the 2011 season and spotlight the men behind the machines. For more information, log onto www.wypall.com.
About Penske RacingPenske Racing is one of the most successful teams in the history of professional sports. Competing in a variety of disciplines, cars owned and prepared by Penske Racing have produced 332 major race wins, 396 pole positions and 23 National Championships. The team has also earned
15 Indianapolis 500 victories. For more information about Penske Racing, please visit www.penskeracing.com.
