Veteran crew chief Tony Gibson has some lofty goals as he returns to his home track for Saturday’s Coke Zero 400. The Daytona Beach native, who now leads the crew of the No. 10 Chevrolet driven by Danica Patrick, laid them out on this week’s NASCAR teleconference.
“Goals for July are the same as they were in February when we went to Daytona,” he said. “We want to go down there, and we want to make a statement. We want to try to sit on the pole again, obviously, and this time come up a few spots further up.”
In February, Patrick was the talk of the racing world after she won the pole for the Daytona 500, ran up front in NASCAR’s premier race, led five laps and finished eighth.
“We felt like we had a shot to win it,” Gibson said. “Ran in the top three or four all day and had a fast car, and it came down to the last lap and kind of got snookered a little bit there at the end.”
It would seem that being the crew chief for a closely watched driver like Patrick might be a bit uncomfortable at times, but for Gibson it’s business as usual. He was the car chief for Jeff Gordon from 1998-2002, and he was at Dale Earnhardt Inc. working with Dale Earnhardt Jr. during his best years.
“Most of my guys were with me when we were with Dale Jr. at DEI, and we’ve been through some of the microscope deal with a high-profile driver,” he said. “So we were kind of used to it. At least we thought we were.”
He said Patrick’s following is different that Earnhardt’s.
“The fan base is a little more spread out,” he said. “There are kids and little girls and boys and women and men, and she has a huge fan base now. You’re dealing with a lot of different folks at the race track and talking to different people and things like that.”
Gibson said Patrick’s fan following motivates him and his crew.
“You want your performance to be good because you don’t want to let your fans down,” he said. “When you’ve got to look a little girl in the eye and she asks you what happened last week or why didn’t Danica win, it’s pretty hard to come up with an answer that’s going to satisfy a little girl.”
Junior's gains: Dale Earnhardt Jr. is generally is regarded as one of NASCAR's better drivers when it comes to restrictor-plate racing at Daytona and Talladega.
But in recent seasons he hasn’t had the results to back that up. He has two career wins at Daytona, but none since the 2004 Daytona 500. At Talladega, he has five wins, including four in a row from 2001-03, but none since the fall of 2004. All of his restrictor-plate victories came while driving for the defunct Dale Earnhardt Inc.
But he does seem to be making gains with his No. 88 Chevrolet at Hendrick Motorsports. He has two runner-up finishes in the past three races at Daytona.
“I really enjoy racing at Daytona,” Earnhardt told reporters recently. “I’m really excited about what the racing is going to be like. We saw a unique way the race played out at Daytona for the 500. I’m interested to go back and see what, if any differences there are or if we have a similar race.
“I love the race track and love going down there, so I look forward to it.”
Rain damage: Several local short-track events were among those affected by heavy rains this week.
The Slack Auto Parts World Crown 300 at Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson was set for Thursday night, but track officials called off the show Monday. The race, which is part of the Southern Super Series, was expected to draw fans and drivers from across the Southeast.
“We know that many of them travel a long distance and their safety is our concern,” track manager Dan Elliott said in a statement on postponing the race. “We felt that rescheduling this race would be the best option for all participants and fans.”
No makeup date has been determined.
Atlanta Motor Speedway postponed its Fourth of July activities because of rain. The Fireworks Extravaganza now is set for July 25.
Senoia Raceway’s Thursday racing program, which included a fireworks show, was rained out and rescheduled for Saturday night.
Lavonia Speedway plans to host the Fastrak Dirt Late Model Series Friday night, with a rain date of Saturday night.
Toccoa Speedway postponed its Thursday race until Sunday night, and that event will include a tribute to Randall Jordan, a long-time competitor who passed away suddenly June 27, just five days after winning the Hobby feature at Toccoa.
Dixie Speedway in Woodstock is set to hold a full racing program Saturday night.
About the Author
