Man behind the curtain
In every great racing organization there are both high-profile players and behind-the-scenes individuals who are, for the most part, the real reason for the team's success.
While Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and their crew chiefs often get much of the attention, Hendrick Motorsports' Nos. 5 and 25 cars driven by Kyle Busch and Brian Vickers, respectively, also have made waves this season.
When it comes to those two teams, Hendrick Motorsports team manager Brian Whitesell is one of those key behind-the-scenes guys. But Whitesell, – first as the high-profile crew chief for Jeff Gordon following the departure of Ray Evernham, and then as a team manager – has seen both sides.
Whitesell formerly held the team manager post for both Gordon's No. 24 team and Johnson's No. 48 team, which last season combined for 13 wins, 36 top-fives, 48 top-10s and 10 poles. Johnson finished second in the championship standings while Gordon was third.
Last fall, a major expansion at the Hendrick campus in Concord, N.C., moved Whitesell into a new role as team manager for the No. 5 Chevy team of rookie Busch, the No. 25 Chevy of sophomore driver Vickers and the part-time effort by two-time Cup champion Terry Labonte in the No. 44 car.
 Whitesell |
Nearly two-thirds of the way through the season, both Busch and Vickers are having solid years. Busch leads the Rookie of the Year standings and has a pole and eight top-10s to his credit. And each week brings Vickers, who also has one pole to go with his seven top-10s, closer to scoring his first career Cup victory.
It seems as though everywhere the Virginia-born Whitesell goes, success follows.
"It's certainly not magic," Whitesell said. "It's having been at Hendrick Motorsports for 13 years, and knowing the system and how the shops work and what needs to be happening.
"When we built the building for the 5 and 25 teams we knew exactly what we needed from what we learned from the 24 and 48 shop. So maybe I did have an unfair advantage when we went into this new deal, because we knew what we needed to do. It was definitely an advantage."
Whitesell started in NASCAR with Alan Kulwicki Racing and was a part of Kulwicki's Winston Cup championship team in 1992 before moving over to Hendrick Motorsports to work with Jeff Gordon in his 1993 rookie season.
Over the next five years, Whitesell had several jobs; first as the transporter driver, then as timer/scorer and eventually as a chassis technician for the No. 24 team, which won three Cup titles during that period.
When Ray Evernham left Hendrick to start his own team and spearhead Dodge's return to the sport, Whitesell was promoted to crew chief in September 1999. The team won twice in the season's remaining seven races.
At the end of that season, Whitesell was promoted to team manager for the No. 24 team, which went on to win a fourth title in 2001 with Robbie Loomis as crew chief.
The following season Hendrick Motorsports saw the addition of the No. 48 Chevrolet driven by Johnson. Whitesell added that team to his responsibilities, guiding the growth and development of the new team and playing a key role in both the 24 and 48 finishing in the top five in the points that year.
In his current position overseeing the Nos. 5, 25 and 44, Whitesell works with crew chiefs Alan Gustafson (Busch), Lance McGrew (Vickers) and part-timer Peter Sospenzo (Labonte), making sure all three are as prepared as possible.
As team manager, Whitesell organizes the operations of the shop, working closely with both upper management and crew chiefs. With so many details for an owner and crew chief to deal with, the team manager is the go-to guy both parties can rely on to solve problems and motivate the staff. An experienced team manager can get people working together while at the same time making sure each individual person is doing his or her own job.
Whitesell is one of those detail guys, the kind who keeps his sock and underwear drawer in perfect order.
"There is nobody in this garage that is as organized as he is and as detail oriented," Loomis said. "There is so much knowledge inside of him, if you can get him to open up and talk, it will amaze you."
Whitesell didn't disagree.
"Yeah, I'm pretty much that way," Whitesell said. "I'm an engineer and I like things to be a certain way, even to a fault. But I try and use that to an advantage because there are a lot of guys in the shop that aren't that way."
Whitesell asserts that in NASCAR, everyone has the same technology available to use as they may, and it's the team that makes the best use of the technology that comes out on top.
"You can't just go and design the best widget and blow everybody away," Whitesell said. "You've got to beat them week after week after week by not making any mistakes. That comes from having good systems and good procedures in place and using the equipment you can use and not wasting it."
Although his focus is on the teams on his side of the building, Whitesell says that the sharing of information between all five teams is the key to the strength of the Hendrick organization. All Hendrick teams use the same equipment, so when one team is having an issue, it makes it easier to pinpoint the problem.
Of course, this season has shown that everyone using the same equipment can also have a downside.
At California, an engine problem plagued the Hendrick cars. At Infineon, even though the problems were not identical, the Hendrick teams suffered through transmission woes.
"Yes, it is a double-edged sword, but it strongly favors on the side of running well," Whitesell said. "There are going to be those one or two weekends a year when everyone is going to get bitten by a similar problem, but week in and week out, it's much more advantageous to have everybody on the same page."
When he left the 24 and 48 teams, he was replaced by two people – Mark Thorson, who stays at the shop on race weekends, and Darrien Grubb, who travels on the road.
Does that mean he had previously been doing the job of two people?
"Not really," he laughed. "It will actually help the 24 and 48 do better in the future because it was difficult to do both jobs. The intention was to leave that situation stronger than I left it."
While the Nos. 5 and 25 teams are having a solid season, they aren't in the championship hunt. Hendrick's title hopes hinge upon the performances of Johnson – and possibly Gordon.
"Jimmie is having a great year and I expect he'll be in the hunt until the end," Whitesell said.
As for Gordon, who currently is outside the top 10 in points?
"It makes a good story now: 'Can Jeff Gordon make the Chase?'" Whitesell said. "There is a possibility that he might not be able to make the Chase. But you can put two or three races together and make a tremendous move in the points."
Loomis, who is trying to lead the No. 24 team back to the Chase, misses having Whitesell as part of his day-to-day routine.
"It's been different since he's gone," Loomis said. "His relationship with the technical side and the technical people that he dealt with was a good mixture. If you take someone of Brian's demeanor, focus and attention to detail, it's second to none."
But, he adds, behind his conservative engineer's veneer, Whitesell really is just one of the guys.
"Just take him out on a test [session] and get him out on the town," Loomis said. "Oh yeah."
