Truex, crew chief at odds on final stop

admin · 11-12-2007, 06:32 PM

AVONDALE, Ariz. - It appears there may be a strain in the relationship between driver Martin Truex Jr. and his crew chief, Kevin Manion.

Truex was extremely critical of Manion’s decision on the final pit stop with 40 laps remaining to stay out on the track and not pit. Most of the lead-lap cars pitted for two or four tires and Truex faded to seventh.

“It is my decision. I wanted to stay out. I thought out of 24 cars (on the lead lap) and the car was at the best and only had 26 green flag laps on it, I thought that was our best chance. I absolutely thought more guys would stay out,” Manion said.

“We just have to get our communication down to understand that we make calls on the pit box to win races. We don’t make calls to run seventh. We don’t make pit decisions to run us out of gas.

“No matter what pit sequence we decide on the pit box, we get ridiculed and criticized by the driver on the race track. It is tough to swallow.”

Truex said the decision to stay out left him “a sitting duck.”

“It was unfortunate at the end. We stayed out. We were taking a gamble. If we pit, I don’t think we could have won so we stayed out and tried to do what we could do.”

That's Racin' | 11/11/2007 | Truex, crew chief at odds on final stop

admin · 11-12-2007, 06:34 PM

It bother's me that this team isn't getting along and taking the good with the bad, together....IMO this will only hurt them in the long term.

wopher · 11-12-2007, 06:40 PM

I agree admin, IMO also it will only hurt them.........this is not the first time

that they have dissagreed on the call of Manion's decision to stay out.

Scooters · 11-12-2007, 07:43 PM

And lately Truex has been right in what he knows he needs to do.

blueyedfairy_1 · 11-12-2007, 08:03 PM

IMO I think it should be the drivers decision to pit.. I believe that the crew chief should give his driver the options.. The CC isnt out there driving the car .. But I think that Truex is getting aggravated because Manion has made some bad calls, Truex has had some awesome runs this year only to be screwed out of them by some messed up calls by Manion

revvinjim · 11-13-2007, 06:26 AM

This seems to be a problem that the entire DEI organization has been having this year, not just Truex's team. Their management has to look at the way their CCs and drivers are communicating.
Truex is a very smart man when it comes to racing. He knows better what his car is doing on the long runs better than his Crew Cheif, so he has a legitimate beef here.

Schwartz Fan · 11-13-2007, 11:51 AM

Truex: Don't blame 'Bono' for PIR result
MARTIN TRUEX JR.
FOXSports.com, Updated 22 hours ago

Aaarrrggghhh!

That's the sound of me yelling in frustration. Once again, we had a great car this weekend but we just can't win the dang race. We finished seventh Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway, but everything was pointing to a victory once the race started.
I was a little worried during our first practice on Friday. We struggled with the handling on the car and were something like 32nd in the first practice. Our tire guy, Russell Simpson, suggested an air pressure adjustment before qualifying and it worked! We qualified on the outside pole beside Carl Edwards.

Both practices went well on Saturday so we knew we'd be tough to beat on race day. Once the race started, Carl and I seemed to be the class of the field. Unfortunately for Carl, he developed some engine problems and dropped out of the race. I really think he would've been in contention at the end if that hadn't happened.

We ran in the top five for the majority of Sunday's Checker Auto Parts 500 and seemed to be in good shape. Then, the caution flag came out on lap 269 of 312. I was running third at the time and my crew chief, Kevin "Bono" Manion, told me not to pit. The call made sense at the time because we only had 26 green-flag laps on our tires. Plus, this is Phoenix. It's a short track. If you pit and no one else does, then you lose all that track position with not many laps left to get it back.

Based on that info, we decided to stay out. Unfortunately, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth and a few other guys pitted for fresh tires. I restarted the race in the lead, but I was a sitting duck. Jimmie passed me about 15 laps later and then a few more guys got by me. I just couldn't hold them off on old tires, so I ended up finishing seventh.

This morning I read where there's some rift developing between me and Bono. HA! We just climbed out of a tree stand together this morning...we're hunting together in Missouri! How's that for a rift?!?!

Look, it's simple. The crew chief gets paid to make those types of decisions. Sometimes they work out, sometimes they don't. If we had won the race, everyone in the media would've been saying how smart he was to keep me out there while the other guys pitted. He made the call that he thought gave us the best chance to win the race. Unfortunately, it didn't work out for us. He's still the guy that I want making those decisions and, more importantly, he's still my friend. However, I will say that I am a much better hunter than he is ... ha!

How cool is it that we're disappointed because we finished seventh? At this time last year, we would've given our right arms to finish in the top 10. Now, we expect to finish in the top 10 and contend for victories. That just shows how far we've come as a team.

Well, it's off to Miami for the last race of the season. We finished second there last year, so keep an eye out for us on Sunday.

FOX Sports on MSN - NASCAR - Truex: Don't blame 'Bono' for PIR result

wopher · 11-13-2007, 12:34 PM

Well that sounds better.............

revvinjim · 11-13-2007, 01:30 PM

We shouldn't be surprised that the media

will make up a good story when they see one.

wopher · 11-13-2007, 02:01 PM

on that one revvin

11-12-2007, 06:32 PM	#1 (permalink)
admin Administrator Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 4,364	Truex, crew chief at odds on final stop AVONDALE, Ariz. - It appears there may be a strain in the relationship between driver Martin Truex Jr. and his crew chief, Kevin Manion. Truex was extremely critical of Manion’s decision on the final pit stop with 40 laps remaining to stay out on the track and not pit. Most of the lead-lap cars pitted for two or four tires and Truex faded to seventh. “It is my decision. I wanted to stay out. I thought out of 24 cars (on the lead lap) and the car was at the best and only had 26 green flag laps on it, I thought that was our best chance. I absolutely thought more guys would stay out,” Manion said. “We just have to get our communication down to understand that we make calls on the pit box to win races. We don’t make calls to run seventh. We don’t make pit decisions to run us out of gas. “No matter what pit sequence we decide on the pit box, we get ridiculed and criticized by the driver on the race track. It is tough to swallow.” Truex said the decision to stay out left him “a sitting duck.” “It was unfortunate at the end. We stayed out. We were taking a gamble. If we pit, I don’t think we could have won so we stayed out and tried to do what we could do.” That's Racin' \| 11/11/2007 \| Truex, crew chief at odds on final stop

11-12-2007, 07:43 PM	#4 (permalink)
Scooters VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 5,444	And lately Truex has been right in what he knows he needs to do. __________________ Have you ever felt like doing this to someone?

11-12-2007, 08:03 PM	#5 (permalink)
blueyedfairy_1 VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Upstate SC Posts: 3,779	IMO I think it should be the drivers decision to pit.. I believe that the crew chief should give his driver the options.. The CC isnt out there driving the car .. But I think that Truex is getting aggravated because Manion has made some bad calls, Truex has had some awesome runs this year only to be screwed out of them by some messed up calls by Manion __________________

11-13-2007, 11:51 AM	#7 (permalink)
Schwartz Fan Co-Administrator Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: The flatlands...Where dirt is for farming, clay is for racin' and asphalt is for gettin there!!! Posts: 7,444	Truex: Don't blame 'Bono' for PIR result MARTIN TRUEX JR. FOXSports.com, Updated 22 hours ago Aaarrrggghhh! That's the sound of me yelling in frustration. Once again, we had a great car this weekend but we just can't win the dang race. We finished seventh Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway, but everything was pointing to a victory once the race started. I was a little worried during our first practice on Friday. We struggled with the handling on the car and were something like 32nd in the first practice. Our tire guy, Russell Simpson, suggested an air pressure adjustment before qualifying and it worked! We qualified on the outside pole beside Carl Edwards. Both practices went well on Saturday so we knew we'd be tough to beat on race day. Once the race started, Carl and I seemed to be the class of the field. Unfortunately for Carl, he developed some engine problems and dropped out of the race. I really think he would've been in contention at the end if that hadn't happened. We ran in the top five for the majority of Sunday's Checker Auto Parts 500 and seemed to be in good shape. Then, the caution flag came out on lap 269 of 312. I was running third at the time and my crew chief, Kevin "Bono" Manion, told me not to pit. The call made sense at the time because we only had 26 green-flag laps on our tires. Plus, this is Phoenix. It's a short track. If you pit and no one else does, then you lose all that track position with not many laps left to get it back. Based on that info, we decided to stay out. Unfortunately, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth and a few other guys pitted for fresh tires. I restarted the race in the lead, but I was a sitting duck. Jimmie passed me about 15 laps later and then a few more guys got by me. I just couldn't hold them off on old tires, so I ended up finishing seventh. This morning I read where there's some rift developing between me and Bono. HA! We just climbed out of a tree stand together this morning...we're hunting together in Missouri! How's that for a rift?!?! Look, it's simple. The crew chief gets paid to make those types of decisions. Sometimes they work out, sometimes they don't. If we had won the race, everyone in the media would've been saying how smart he was to keep me out there while the other guys pitted. He made the call that he thought gave us the best chance to win the race. Unfortunately, it didn't work out for us. He's still the guy that I want making those decisions and, more importantly, he's still my friend. However, I will say that I am a much better hunter than he is ... ha! How cool is it that we're disappointed because we finished seventh? At this time last year, we would've given our right arms to finish in the top 10. Now, we expect to finish in the top 10 and contend for victories. That just shows how far we've come as a team. Well, it's off to Miami for the last race of the season. We finished second there last year, so keep an eye out for us on Sunday. FOX Sports on MSN - NASCAR - Truex: Don't blame 'Bono' for PIR result __________________

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11-12-2007, 06:34 PM	#2 (permalink)
admin Administrator Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 4,364	It bother's me that this team isn't getting along and taking the good with the bad, together....IMO this will only hurt them in the long term.

11-12-2007, 06:40 PM	#3 (permalink)
wopher Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 3,178	I agree admin, IMO also it will only hurt them.........this is not the first time that they have dissagreed on the call of Manion's decision to stay out.

11-13-2007, 06:26 AM	#6 (permalink)
revvinjim Resident Old Fart Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Colorado Springs, CO Posts: 1,973	This seems to be a problem that the entire DEI organization has been having this year, not just Truex's team. Their management has to look at the way their CCs and drivers are communicating. Truex is a very smart man when it comes to racing. He knows better what his car is doing on the long runs better than his Crew Cheif, so he has a legitimate beef here.

11-13-2007, 12:34 PM	#8 (permalink)
wopher Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 3,178	Well that sounds better.............

11-13-2007, 01:30 PM	#9 (permalink)
revvinjim Resident Old Fart Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Colorado Springs, CO Posts: 1,973	We shouldn't be surprised that the media will make up a good story when they see one.

11-13-2007, 02:01 PM	#10 (permalink)
wopher Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 3,178	on that one revvin

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