Busch would love two wins at Darlington for Palmetto State crew chiefs

Kyle Busch knows how important two wins at Darlington Raceway would be this weekend.

Busch, who will be driving in the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series, wants to win for his two Joe Gibbs Racing crew chiefs, Steve Addington and Jason Ratcliff, who both have ties to the Palmetto State.

“I’m looking forward to going back there and winning a race for Steve Addington and Jason Ratcliff,” Busch said during NASCAR’s weekly teleconference. “So hopefully if we don’t get two, we get at least one.”

Addington, a Spartanburg native, got his win last season in the Dodge Charger 500. It was one of Busch’s series-high eight Cup victories, but the first one at Darlington for Addington, who came close on several occasions when he was crew chief for Jason Keller in the Busch Series.

“Kyle said in Victory Lane, ‘This one’s for you Steve.’ That was a pretty special deal,” Addington said this week. “I always wanted a victory there and everybody did such an awesome job.”

Now, Ratcliff hopes it’s his turn.

The 41-year-old has ties to the Pee Dee and lived in Bishopville, where his father George was a pastor at Bishopville Church of God, until he was 5 years old.

Ratcliff said his father attended several races at the Lady in Black and was there for Richard Petty’s big crash in the 1970 Rebel 400.

“He always told me stories about Darlington and had a lot of good memories there,” Ratcliff said.

Ratcliff didn’t attend his first Darlington race until he was a crew member because his family moved to Louisiana, where he spent most of his life.

Still, a win at Darlington would be special.

“Darlington is a tough track. It hasn’t treated me well personally in the past so I would like to get a win there,” Ratcliff said. 

Addington and Ratcliff have paid their dues, working for small operations in the Busch Series before landing at JGR, one of NASCAR’s powerhouse teams.

Addington worked with Keller, a Greenville native, at KEL Racing and later with the Greg Pollex-owned PPC Racing before moving to Gibbs’ team in 2004.

Ratcliff, who worked at LAR Motorsports and Brewco Motorsports, landed at JGR to work with Mike Bliss a year later after Addington recommended him for an interview.

“He was my first choice to get in the organization,” Addington said. “I have known him for a while and really thought he would do a good job here.”

The duo works close together during the week and shares information on race weekends as much as they can because of the differences between the Cup and Nationwide cars.

“We kick ideas around about things such as air pressure and different trends,” Ratcliff said. “We do what we can to communicate and help each other out.”

The two also have their different ways in dealing with Busch, who is known for his fiery temper told his crew over the radio “y’all (stink)”  following a mistake that cost him the Nationwide race at Bristol earlier this year.

Addington said he keeps his thoughts to himself, while Ratcliff isn’t afraid to express his feelings.

“If I have something on my mind, I’m going to say it,” Ratcliff said. “But we never have butted heads. We just talk about things and try to get better each week.”

But Addington and Ratcliff say they wouldn’t change Busch’s personality. The driver’s efforts have yielded 24 victories in the Cup and Nationwide Series combined in the last two seasons.

“He, in my opinion, is on top of his game and is on the top of the list as far as drivers,” Ratcliff said. “I have worked with a lot of great drivers but to get a chance to work with him is a dream come true.”

NOTES
Martin to race full-time Cup schedule next year

Mark Martin will again be racing full time in the Cup Series for Hendrick Motorsports next season.

Martin’s original deal called for him to race full time this season and 26 races next season, but he signed the revised deal this week.

Yarborough, Waltrip added to monument list

Monuments of Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip will be added to the Darlington Legends Walk this weekend.

The Walk is located behind the Tyler Tower grandstand behind the frontstretch.

Each marker is made of granite and marble, resembles a Goodyear racing tire and old-style pit board and weighs nearly 2,300 pounds.

Paint scheme to honor Inman

Valvoline will pay tribute to former crew chief Dale Inman and other crew chiefs of teams that use Valvoline as a sponsor with a special paint scheme on the No. 43 Dodge Charger for Saturday’s Southern 500.

The car will feature the names of Valvoline crew chiefs from both NASCAR and NHRA, and a crew chief-tribute logo on the hood.