As Jeff Gordon's Chevrolet continued to misbehave in the early portions of Sunday's Sprint Cup race at Kansas Speedway, crew chief Steve Letarte had a job to do.
In addition to figuring out what adjustments to make to the car, he also had to manage the emotions of his driver.
"I'm telling you, I didn't think any communication skills in the world were going to fix that thing," said Gordon, who admitted to acting like a "bear" while conversing with Letarte on the radio. "I thought we were going to have to come down and change four spring shocks and sway bars.
"I definitely give Steve a lot of credit for not panicking."
After Letarte figured out what needed tending to, Gordon finished second.
As the Chase for the Sprint Cup hits the meat of its schedule -- heading to the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., for Sunday's Pepsi 500 -- the bond between a team's two most important components becomes all the more crucial.
"Whether it's a new group just getting together or a group that's been together for a long time, it just gets back to the relationship you have with the crew chief in handling heat-of-the-moment battles," Kurt Busch said.
Some of those relationships are in a state of flux around the Cup garage. Busch's crew chief, Pat Tryson, has helped the No. 2 Dodge team to fifth in the Chase standings, but he has already announced he'll leave the team at the end of the season to work for Michael Waltrip Racing.
And who knows what's happening with driver Greg Biffle and his crew chief Greg Erwin, after Biffle overruled Erwinon a crucial tires decision late in the race at Kansas? That choice of four tires instead of two likely cost Biffle a chance to win the race.
Darian Grubb, who is in his first season as Tony Stewart's crew chief, said he overheard Erwin and Biffle going back and forth about the decision on the radio.
Grubb and Stewart were of the same mind and elected to change two. It was a winning decision and an example of the kind of synergy between them that helped them to the top of the standings for much of the season (they're now fourth).
Stewart hired Grubb last winter as he prepared for his first season as an owner-driver with Stewart-Haas Motorsports.
"Honestly, when we started this thing in the spring, I mean, there were times when I was sitting in the car, and I told him what my balance was, and he told me what we were going to change, and I was like, wow, is that the right way to go?" said Stewart, who won two titles with Joe Gibbs Motorsports and crew chief Greg Zipadelli. "I told him that, too. It's just learning each other."
It doesn't appear that Busch and Tryson are at full strength as they try to win a second championship for Busch.
Tryson is only in the team's Penske Motorsports headquarters one day a week - Tuesday, when he meets with Busch and the organization's department heads. He doesn't see Busch again until they unload the car from the hauler at the race track.
But Busch said the arrangement is working out all right.
