SHR Comments On Reason Behind Crew Chief Swap, 2015 Plans

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Things started out great in 2014 for Stewart-Haas Racing. Drivers Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch won races early and as a result locked themselves into the chase. Stewart got off to a slow start but that was expected coming off of a broken leg and Patrick looked better this season than she did early on last season. Well, that was then and this is now and in the present SHR is not trending in the direction that they want to be. Friday at Martinsville Speedway Greg Zipadelli of SHR talked to the media about the forthcoming changes in which the crews of the No. 10 and No. 41 will switch.

Reporters on had asked for Zipadelli to explain the thought process behind why the move was made. Zipadelli also took the time to address whether or not Patrick and the No. 10 team have their 2015 crew chief or if they might still be looking for one when the 2014 season comes to an end in November.

"This week obviously we have made some changes for Texas between the #10 and the #41. We are just basically looking to try to get both teams to be a little more consistent. They have had speed throughout the year, but haven’t necessarily put the whole season together all the races at the level that we expect from them. Tony Gibson has got a lot of experience. That group has been with a lot of veteran drivers. We just felt like it was worth moving him over to Kurt (Busch). We feel like his experience and things will help put that group together and get the finishes that we need out of that team. As far as Daniel (Knost) he is a young aggressive, very smart engineer. Danica (Patrick) is used to more of that dealing with the engineers from her background. She actually, a while ago, talked about having the opportunity to work with a younger engineer and build the relationship over time. I just kind of feel like it was the time to do it. We have three races with us not sure what the testing policy is for next year. This is a good opportunity for us to switch things up for Texas. The last three races and just see how things go."

As far as Daniel Knost remaining with the No. 10 team after 2014 or the final three races being an interview for that job.

"No, we just have a lot of things going at Stewart-Haas. We have a lot of people moving here this fall. I would like to believe that Daniel will have that position. I think it is just kind of wait and see, Danica how she works with him and how they get along. Then with Haas F1 Matt (Borland) moving over there we have got a lot of things moving in our company. Daniel is going to be with SHR for a long period of time. It’s not a matter of whether he doesn’t do a good job there. He has done a great job. We really fed him to the wolves. He was a guy without a lot of experience. He won a race, made the Chase, it’s just been and up and down year. I think he has a lot of potential, we put him with Danica. I think they have got the opportunity to learn and grow together as Danica continues to grow every week. Like I said Kurt and (Tony) Gibson have a lot of experience in the past and hopefully the experience the two of them have we can put that together and make a pretty solid team."

2015 is going to be a critical year for Patrick and the No. 10 team. With two full years under her belt in the Sprint Cup Series come 2015, Patrick should be at a stage where she is ready to take the next step. Many Patrick fans thought that next step was going to be with Tony Gibson at the top of the box but now we know that will not be the case. If Patrick is not able to form a bond with Knost or whoever her crew chief is in 2015 it will most likely hinder the team from being able to become better. The last thin that Patrick needs is a season where she and her team takes a step backwards. SHR is rolling the dice by shaking things up and only time will tell if it was the right move to make.

Do you think that SHR should have pulled Gibson from the No. 10 team? Be sure to comment below and let us know!

Christopher Olmstead is the Editor of BeyondTheFlag.com on the FanSided Network. Follow us on Twitter @Beyond_The_Flag and “Like” us on Facebook.

~Unless otherwise noted any quotes in this article were obtained from press releases via the driver or the team.~