2nd Quarter Report Card

When all else fails, what do you need? A strong backup. And not a backup car, either.

After winning the Coors Light Pole Award on Friday, Team Penske fans were delivered with unfavorable news. Crew Chief Paul Wolfe would not be able to sit atop the pit box. After becoming quite the fixture among the #2crew, Wolfe is one of the most vital elements of the winning combination.

As of Saturday morning, this backup was named. The backup needed would have to fill Wolfe’s massive shoes as Crew Chief to one of the sports most popular drivers, Brad Keselowski. Greg Erwin, former Crew Chief to Greg Biffle in the Sprint Cup Series, and to Sam Hornish, Jr. in the Nationwide Series will step up to the top of the No.2 pit box, along with some help from Race Engineer Brian Wilson.

As those weeks were the only time Keselowski has been separated from Wolfe, it made me realize and have a deeper appreciation for what Wolfe does, and how he does it. 

While on suspension last year, interim Crew Chief Kevin Buskirk filled in for Wolfe at Darlington, and both Charlotte weekends. And while I agree that it’s not an easy task to hop up to the most challenging position outside of the racecar, all three of his races did not go as planned, ending with consecutive finishes outside of 30th place. As those weeks were the only time Keselowski has been separated from Wolfe, it made me realize and have a deeper appreciation for what Wolfe does, and how he does it. It also made me nervous for Sunday’s 312 lap race in the desert.

As it turns out, I shouldn’t have been nervous at all. With a total of five wins, and 39 Top 5 finishes calling the shots, Erwin is no novice as a Crew Chief. And come to think of it, this wasn’t like Wolfe’s suspension where he wasn’t permitted any communication to the race team. Wolfe was still able to share his ideas and strategies with Erwin via text messaging. Outside of the one jumbled up pit sequence towards the ¾ mark of the race, Erwin’s calls and Keselowski’s driving allowed the Deuce to remain in the Top 5 for a majority of the event. It seemed as if right off the bat, that both of their personalities meshed so well, almost up to par with Keselowski and Wolfe.  Although the car wasn’t quite up to where BK wanted it all race, there’s no doubt that Erwin was able to steadily improve the handling of the 3400 pound beast machine. And it was proven on the final restart where we saw Brad make a march through the field, even taking second place at one point.

I cannot finish this without congratulating Paul & Aleah Wolfe on the birth of their son. Like Darrell Waltrip mentioned during the race, that moment of his life is one that will mean more than any race win or championship out there. The real question is how long until we see baby Caden with some #2crew gear on?