Danica Patrick swapping crew chiefs, teams with Kurt Busch
Danica Patrick and Kurt Busch will swap crew chiefs and race teams beginning with the Nov. 2 race at Texas Motor Speedway, Stewart-Haas Racing announced Wednesday afternoon.
Busch gets crew chief Tony Gibson, whose nurturing and encouraging personality guided Patrick through the last two seasons and helped her improve results on a weekly basis. Gibson signed a new deal to stay at SHR last week.
Patrick gets first-year crew chief Daniel Knost, who had a disappointing season with Busch and was the object of Busch's ire many weeks on the team radio. Unlike Gibson, Knost was given an "interim" label in his new role.
The No. 10 and No. 41 teams will also switch, but the pit crews will remain with the drivers.
"We made this change to evaluate our program and to get a head start on 2015," SHR vice president of competition Greg Zipadelli said. "With the ban on testing next year, the last three races of this season take on even greater importance.
"For Tony Gibson and Kurt, they'll get three races together that will provide direction for next year. And for Daniel Knost and Danica, this is an opportunity for them develop a rapport that could potentially continue into 2015."
Knost and Busch won the spring race at Martinsville Speedway, which gave the team a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. But Busch was eliminated after the first round.
Patrick is 27th in the point standings -- the same as she finished last year -- but her average finish has improved from 26.1 to 23.2 this season.
PHOTOS: DANICA PATRICK'S NASCAR CAREER