Remember just like a lot of fans I listen to the NASCAR scanner every weekend and my main scan last season was with Trevor Bayne and Bob Osborne. I think you have to go back to several races when Bayne was really struggling with the handling in his car and notice that Osborne wasn't making correct calls for him.
There are already a lot of skeptic fans on this move since Biffle and Puccia did not generate a lot of success together, however, there are times where the pairings with a different driver can result in better results. Jimmy Fennig and Mark Martin parted ways in 2003 and a year later Fennig went onto win a championship with Kurt Busch. Both the driver and the crew chief have a lot of hard critics going into this season as many in the media have already written down this is Bayne's do it or go season.
Puccia was set to be crew chief for Bubba Wallace in the NASCAR Xfinity Series until the departure of Scott Graves to Joe Gibbs Racing. There were only a few options open for who would replace Graves with Chris Buescher and in my opinion the organization felt that Osborne would be a better fit with Buescher since Graves worked under Osborne before becoming a crew chief.
My insight in this move also comes from things I gathered during the 2015 season listening to Trevor Bayne and Bob Osborne on the scanner during the entire season. I would listen to the scanner and hear Bayne make a statement on how the race car was handling loose in and tight off, and Osborne would come back "You've got what you got, deal with it." It was not just a one time occurrence was this recurred several times throughout the year as the handling issue on Bayne's cars were a steady issue of the same ingredients throughout the year.
To me, as a crew chief you don't make that statement over the radio to your driver and expect great results. While I don't know the whole problem that went on with Biffle and Puccia in 2015, I heard it was just time for a new guy for Biffle.
It leaves something for both Bayne and Puccia to feed off. Something to prove that they can win if the cars are better in 2016!
My insight in this move also comes from things I gathered during the 2015 season listening to Trevor Bayne and Bob Osborne on the scanner during the entire season. I would listen to the scanner and hear Bayne make a statement on how the race car was handling loose in and tight off, and Osborne would come back "You've got what you got, deal with it." It was not just a one time occurrence was this recurred several times throughout the year as the handling issue on Bayne's cars were a steady issue of the same ingredients throughout the year.
To me, as a crew chief you don't make that statement over the radio to your driver and expect great results. While I don't know the whole problem that went on with Biffle and Puccia in 2015, I heard it was just time for a new guy for Biffle.
It leaves something for both Bayne and Puccia to feed off. Something to prove that they can win if the cars are better in 2016!
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