Get to know Dave Rogers, Kyle Busch's new crew chief

We all know Kyle Busch's team is running with a new crew chief. Seemed the perfect time to make the swap, considering the old one, Steve Addington, had just won the Wypall Crew Chief of the Week Award by helping Kyle come from 41st to finish fourth at Martinsville.

So who's the new kid in town, this Dave Rogers? Like most of the people working in NASCAR, Dave got stars in his eyes as a small child, going to local races with his dad and reveling in the thunder and excitement. Having worked hard most of his life without a whole lot to show for it, Dave Sr. wanted his boy to get a "real job." So Dave Jr. attended college and got himself a mechanical engineering degree.

But the "real jobs" out there just didn't do it for him. He went back to school and got his Master's in Mechanical Engineering from General Motors Institute in Flint, Michigan. Shortly afterward he landed a job with Joe Gibbs Racing, apprenticing under the great Greg Zipadelli. He may have taken a page or two out of Chad Knaus' playbook as well, since it was Dave who was responsible for the truly inspired magnet-trick played with the JGR Nationwide cars last year. It almost seems like a shame that he got caught. But he 'fessed up and took his lumps, and still managed to take the championship in owner's points while juggling four different drivers in the #20.

Kyle and Dave made a pretty impressive showing their first week out of the box in Sprint, leading over 230 laps at Texas Motor Speedway, but ultimately falling short when Texas became a fuel-mileage race. Nascar Now did a cool interview with Dave after that race, watch it here.  And the team remained consistent at Phoenix, taking home a top 15 finish.

Maybe this will be the team that can show its heels to the 48 in 2010. Any takers?