(Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Together, the sons of racing legends Ned Jarrett and head-wrench Buddy Parrot finished third, second, third, first, fourth, and fifth in the championship standings.
Crew chiefs are absolutely instrumental in a driver's success on the track. Witness:
Kyle Busch may not be the fiery competitor on the track on the Cup circuit if he did not have the leadership of Steve Addington.
Addington's steady manner plays a wonderful counter-behavior role to his "all-or-nothing" driver, which may attribute to the Shrub's conquest of some of NASCAR's toughest circuits like Darlington, Dover, and the road courses of Sonoma and Watkins Glen.
Today's "Evernham and Gordon" would arguably be Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus. Their success on the track includes 22 race wins during those championship years of 2006-'08, including two Brickyard 400 wins.
Their success on the track are either praised or dismissed by some fans, who feel the pair have found some "grey" areas in fair play.
No matter the reason, Knaus and Johnson are certainly NASCAR's greatest "coach and player," right up there with Jackson's Los Angeles Lakers teams of the decade.
Measuring one's successes, whether it be on the baseball diamonds of America or the grand football stadiums across Europe, can be a damn tricky proposition. Just how much success should be attributed between a coach and their team?
One thing's for certain: without either working in unison, wins and championships can be written out.
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