Steve Addington must enjoy challenges: he's taking on another Busch

  Crew chief Steve Addington, who has won more Cup races the past two years than anyone but Chad Knaus (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)

   By Mike Mulhern
   mikemulhern.net

   In a curious twist of fate, the man who keyed Kyle Busch to more victories than anyone but Jimmie Johnson over the past two years – crew chief Steve Addington – will now head older brother Kurt Busch's team in 2010.
   The move was not totally unexpected, since Addington's credentials with Kyle Busch and Toyota car owner Joe Gibbs have been outstanding...so much so as to raise serious questions about why the 24-year-old Busch wanted a crew chief change.
   On the other hand, Dodge's Kurt Busch,  at 31, was stunned in September to learn that his own crew chief, veteran Pat Tryson, would be leaving at the end of the year and moving to Michael Waltrip's operation. Nevertheless, Busch and Tryson did quite well down the stretch, making the most of their championship chase opportunities, finishing fourth – "best in class" behind Rick Hendrick's top three Chevrolets. The elder Busch, the 2004 tour champion, but bouncing back after a couple of tough years with team owner Roger Penske, scored two wins and had 21 top-10s.
   The Busch brothers, though quite talented, have a reputation for prickly personalities, which may be part of the reason for Tryson's departure.
   And Dave Rogers, Kyle Busch's new crew chief, although a quite talented engineer, may have his hands full dealing with the issue of team chemistry with the volatile Busch.
   Addington, on the other hand, did remarkably well working with Kyle Busch, so his transition to Kurt's team might be smoother.
   Addington, 45, won 12 Sprint Cup events with Kyle Busch the last two years, but this season they failed to make the playoff cut, though by only eight points.
   The bigger question in the Penske camp may be Penske himself, whose teams haven't been that impressive the last few years, until Kurt's run this past season.
   Still, the Penske lineup for 2010 is quite interesting: Kurt Busch, now with Addington; Indy-car star Sam Hornish, up-and-down during his two years on the tour; and hard-driving newcomer Brad Keselowski.
  
  

  So if crew chief Steve Addington won 12 Cup races the past two seasons with Kyle Busch (L), how many races can he win with older brother Kurt (R)? (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)