FanHouse Joe Gibbs Racing

Despite turning in a four-win 2009 season and leading Kyle Busch to a series best eight victories last year, Steve Addington (far right, with Busch) is being replaced by Dave Rogers as crew chief of Busch's No. 18 Toyota beginning with the Nov. 8 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway.

Addington, 45, who has served as crew chief of the No. 18 car for five years, will be reassigned within the Joe Gibbs Racing organization, according to a news release from the team on Tuesday.

"We evaluate all of our teams on an ongoing basis and believe this is a change that will make the 18 team stronger as we prepare for next season,'' said JGR President J.D. Gibbs. "We think highly of Steve and the job he has done and we look forward to him remaining a part of the JGR family."

NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Joey Logano walked away unscathed from a nasty, tumbling crash on Lap 31 of Sunday's AAA 300 at Dover International Speedway.

---

---

Logano, 19, was startled and later called it the "wildest ride" that he's ever been on.

RICHMOND, Va. -- With all the publicity surrounding allegations of cheating and race fixing in Formula One and drag racing this week, it begs the question, would NASCAR drivers ever purposely "help" a teammate win a race, improve a position or gain in the championship standings?

Is it even wrong? Or is it simply a long-practiced element of competition?

"I've already thought about that in regards to my teammates and if there's anything I can do to help my teammates, I'd do it," said Carl Edwards, who has two Roush Fenway teammates still trying to clinch a spot in the Chase for the Championship in Saturday's Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway.

Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin took a break on his way to Wednesday's Gillete Prelude to the Dream charity race (HBO pay-per-view) to chat with FanHouse about a few things you may not know about the Virginia driver.

1) If Denny Hamlin wasn't a Sprint Cup driver, he'd be...

"I'd be working on trailers at Chesterfield Trailer & Hitch in Richmond (Va.). It was a family business that we had."

2) Tell me, what's the one trophy you want to have?

"For me, it'd be this weekend at Richmond. That's just such a big race for me personally because I have all of my family and friends there."

A 50-race winless streak may well have been 500 for Denny Hamlin.

Fuel pump issues, late-race passes and even a transmission that broke so violently that the shifter split in half while he was holding it have been the chapters of Denny Hamlin's long, harrowing and extremely frustrating Sprint Cup novel since March of 2008.

But the Virginia driver sped to his fifth career win Monday at Pocono Raceway to dispatch of those demons while he had some "angels" by his side.

---

---

INDIANAPOLIS -- Judging by Kyle Busch's comments and demeanor this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, maybe the 24-year-old has had a bit of an attitude epiphany.

When it comes to dealing with a bad day on track, Busch conceded, "I haven't done a good job at that."

"I've got some things that I've got to try to work on to make ourselves better and ultimately more championship caliber."

It was a revealing and introspective side of Busch at odds with the petulant nature he has often shown this season -- an attitude that some observers caution may be the difference in the super-talent winning a championship or not.

Mopping up from a wet finish, here's this week's teenage wasteland edition of Sprint Cup Notes & Quotes. They're Logano-rific!

No. No. No. Rain Tires. No.

Because this is the third time in 2009 that a Sprint Cup race has been halted by rain [congrats, Lincoln Log-ano!], the thoughts of "Why can't NASCAR use rain tires?" are creeping back again.

Well, you want the answer? It's way too simple: the racing would plain suck.

If we celebrated David Reutimann's win at Charlotte last month and Matt Kenseth's February Daytona 500 victory -- both races called off early because of rain -- then no one can begrudge rookie Joey Logano his maiden win Sunday at rain-soaked New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

However, we can question NASCAR's schedule. And we're entitled to bristle just a bit at Sunday's finish.

---

---

LOUDON, N.H. (AP) - There were questions about the judgment of team owner Joe Gibbs when he decided to replace departing two-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart with a 19-year-old rookie this season.

Even a rookie considered a phenom.

The former NFL coach, head of Joe Gibbs Racing, admitted Sunday he tried not to put too many expectations on the talented, but woefully inexperienced Joey Logano.

---

---

LOUDON, N.H. (AP) -- Kyle Busch figured out a way to win again in NASCAR's Nationwide Series.

After two straight frustrating runner-up finishes in the second tier series, Busch passed Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Joey Logano near the end of the Camping World 200 on Saturday and held off the precocious 19-year-old to get the victory at New Hampshire International Speedway.