Gustafson Wins Crew Chief of the Race Award

In a down-to-the-wire finish, Alan Gustafson led Kyle Busch to a defining victory in the 15th annual Food City 500. Persevering through 500 laps of unpredictable racing on "the world's fastest half-mile," the young duo held off a late charge from Jeff Burton in a three-lap overtime sprint to the checkered flag. By the end of the green-white-checkered finish, the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team was rejoicing in its 21-year-old driver's 4th career NEXTEL Cup win and celebrating Chevrolet's 600th career NASCAR victory. Leading the way, Gustafson used every one of the race's 15 cautions to move the Kellogg's/CARQUEST Chevrolet to the front of the pack. His strategic decisions gave his team the competitive advantage and earned him the WYPALL* Wipers Crew Chief of the Race.

Following the race, Gustafson proudly posed in Victory Lane. Standing next to the winning trophy, he jokingly replied that he was "just a little nervous" in response to a question of his emotions in the final, gut-wrenching laps. With a smile brimming from ear-to-ear, his focus always remained on his team. Minutes later during a post-race press conference, he wanted the media to know how hard his crew worked after a disappointing finish in Atlanta the previous weekend. Gustafson confidently expressed that "the pit crew guys came back with a chip on their shoulder, and I am really proud of them."

A panel of voters, which included a member of the local media, Tony Eury Jr., Robbie Reiser, Kenny Francis and a WYPALL* Wipers representative, agreed that Alan Gustafson made the best calls and adjustments during the race. As the WYPALL* Wipers Crew Chief of the Race, Gustafson received $1,000. With the victory, he has moved into a tie for first place with Chip Bolin, Chad Knaus, Ryan Pemberton and Donnie Wingo, each with one win. At the end of the season, the crew chief with the most weekly wins will receive $20,000 and be crowned WYPALL* Wipers Crew Chief of the Year.