Reiser wins Crew Chief of the Race award

Heading into the USG Sheetrock 400 at Chicagoland Speedway, crew chief Robbie Reiser knew his team’s No. 17 USG Sheetrock Ford had the potential to perform well. Strategizing to keep his driver, Matt Kenseth, in the front group for the running of the race became Reiser’s main focus. While the debate among crew chiefs wavered around two tire stops, fuel mileage and finding the right line to run around the 1.5 mile tri-oval track, Reiser did his homework and stuck to the plan, earning the crafty veteran crew chief and team their seventh top-five finish for the season. For his precise planning and strategy execution, Reiser was awarded the WYPALL* Wipers Crew Chief of the Race.

After a qualifying run that placed the No. 17 team 10th on the starting grid, Reiser’s plan to keep Kenseth up front began to unfold on pit road. During the first green flag pit stop, while most of the leaders took two tires, Reiser called his crew to change all four. His strategy was to give his driver the ability to work both low and high on the track, while knowing that he could also hunt down the leaders during long runs. Reiser kept to his planning and with the added advantage of his crew providing outstanding serves on the car, had Kenseth running in the top-five for the majority of the race. As the final laps were run, Kenseth made a desperate serge for the lead, only to be denied by some cunning blocking by eventual winner Tony Stewart. Reiser and his No. 17 Roush / Fenway Racing team finished the day second after a solid and gratifying performance.

At the conclusion of the race, Reiser commented on his team’s performance. “We had a top-five car for sure today, however, just didn’t quiet have enough for the No. 20," said Reiser. “We wanted to give Matt the ability to drive at the bottom so we went for four tires while others went for two. I asked my guys to give me great pit stops today and they did."