“After 30+ years, I got it done”: Former SHR crew chief reflects on winning ‘extremely hard’ race with NASCAR champion Kurt Busch 

Former NASCAR Cup Series champion Kurt Busch's coach, Tony Gibson, was recently featured in an episode of stock car legend Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s podcast, "Dale Jr. Download." Gibson recalled the challenges of winning the "extremely hard" Daytona 500 with Busch, marking a significant achievement in his career.

Gibson began his career in stock car racing by working on car bodies for NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series teams. During his time working on the bodies, he met Alan Kulwiciki, leading him to an opportunity to work in Kulwiciki's workshop. This experience helped the former crew chief solidify his name in the series and led to his first major breakthrough in 1992.

Throughout his career, Tony Gibson served as a crew chief for multiple drivers, but his time with Tony Stewart's team at Stewart-Haas Racing brought him great success. Gibson joined the team in 2009 as Ryan Newman's crew chief and won his first race as a crew chief. Nearly a decade later, in 2017, the former crew chief reached a career milestone by leading Kurt Busch to the victory lane at the Daytona 500.

Reflecting on this achievement, the former crew chief emphasized that he struggled for years before finally securing the win, noting it took him more than 30 years to accomplish this feat.

"My whole entire life to be in that position to win that race, that's that's it. That's what you dream about. all the struggles you go through to get that done. with my mom, my dad, and all my friends at your home track right there in your backyard, yeah. And you know, as well as anybody, to win that race is extremely hard. Everything has to go perfect After 30-plus years, I finally got it done. I looked at Rodney Childers and I said, I did it, like I did it, man,’" stated Kurt Busch's coach.

The 2017 Daytona 500 ended in a thrilling finish, featuring the 2023 Cup Series champion, Ryan Blaney. Busch crossed the victory line just 0.288 seconds ahead of the Team Penske driver. This was the #41 Ford driver's only victory at the "Great American Race."

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"I leaned on him a lot": When Kurt Busch expressed his gratitude to Matt Kenseth for influencing his career

The former Roush Fenway Racing driver Kurt Busch once opened up about his close relationship with former teammate Matt Kenseth, sharing insights into how their partnership helped them achieve success.

Busch debuted in the Cup Series in 2000 with Roush Racing, driving the #97 Ford for six seasons. After switching teams several times, he announced his retirement from full-time NASCAR racing on August 26, 2023. Nevertheless, he maintained an impressive record in the series, with 34 wins, 339 top-ten finishes, and 28 pole positions. He also won the Cup Series championship in 2004 with RFK Racing.

During an interview with SB Nation, Kurt Busch stated:

"He [Matt Kenseth] and I developed a great rapport early in our careers. At Roush Racing, the 6 car was the primary car and the 99 was the second car (in one shop), and at the other shop it was the 17 guys and the 97 guys. In 2002, it was a breakthrough year for me, and I leaned on Matt a lot; he won the championship in '03, and then '04 was my championship run."

Both drivers enjoyed their time with Jack Roush's team. Matt Kenseth remained with the team for 13 full-time seasons, while Kurt Busch departed in 2006 to join Team Penske.