Osborne wins Crew Chief award

After the Sharp AQUOS 500 at California Speedway, the No. 99 Office Depot team really does have something to flip about. After another top five finish, their crew chief, Bob Osborne, was awarded the WYPALL* Wipers Crew Chief of the Race for the second week in a row. After winning last week on the half-mile track at Bristol, Osborne changed focus for the three-wide racing at California Speedway where numerous wrecks, lead changes, and cautions dominated the race. Carl Edwards brought the No. 99 Ford to the front, finishing second to Jimmie Johnson, clinching the honors for Osborne.

“Had the race gone another 10 laps or so, Carl would have caught Johnson," stated Osborne. “I am sure of it. I had a clock on both cars and we were catching the No. 48. I could get very use to these checks each week from the WYPALL* Wipers people. I’m honored to be chosen again this week but I have to share the award with my crew. They never gave up all night and our pit stops were real fast." Edwards got out of the car after the race ended and thanked Osborne and crew for the great effort.

“I thought we were out of contention when the No. 42 car clipped me in my right front in the pits," said Edwards. “But Bob and the crew kept working on the car to fix the damage and kept me from going down a lap. I worried that the car wouldn’t handle well or that we would have problems cutting a tire, but we had the car to beat."

Carl Edwards did not qualify well with a 19th starting position and following the pit road incident had the team as far back as 38th. Staying on the lead lap and fantastic pit stops allowed Edwards to drive through traffic and finish a very impressive second. “Carl drives hard each and every week and the crew gave him a chance tonight to finish as well as he did," said WYPALL* Wipers spokesman Robbie Reiser. “They banged out the right front and stopped tire problems that could have put him out of the race."

A panel of voters, including a member of the local media, Kenny Francis, Tony Eury Jr., Robbie Reiser and a WYPALL* Wipers representative, were unanimous in selecting Osborne as the WYPALL* Wipers Crew Chief of the Race. Osborne received $1,000 and earning his second crew chief of the race award puts him second in the overall standings. Mike Ford and Robbie Reiser are currently tied for first, while Tony Eury Jr., Larry Carter, Bob Osborne, Donnie Wingo, and Chad Knaus are all tied for second, with two wins. Pat Tryson, Jimmy Elledge, Tony Gibson, Steve Letarte, Mike Nelson, Darian Grubb, Alan Gustafson, Chip Bolin and Ryan Pemberton each have one win. At the end of the season, the crew chief with the most wins will receive $20,000 and be crowned WYPALL* Wipers Crew Chief of the Year.