RICHMOND, Va. -- Suddenly, Kurt Busch has something to worry about besides just vying for the Sprint Cup title.

The Penske Racing driver confirmed Friday that crew chief Pat Tryson, instrumental in returning the No. 2 car to championship form, will leave after this season to take the same position with Martin Truex Jr. at Michael Waltrip Racing. Tryson and Busch have worked together since midway through the 2007 season, winning four races. Busch, currently seventh in points, can clinch his second Chase berth with Tryson if he finishes 20th or better Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway.

"It's a change that's going to happen," Busch said. "It's unfortunate Pat made that type of decision. It seems as if our focus right now should be really on the Chase and making it into the Chase, so it's a tough week for that kind of news. That's really where my focus is no matter who I'm working with or communicating with."

Tryson, who began his crew chief career in 1997 with Geoff Bodine and enjoyed three successful seasons with Mark Martin at Roush Racing, revitalized a No. 2 car that had finished 16th in points the year before his arrival at Penske. He had no comment about his pending move when reached in the garage area Friday before Busch broke the news.

"I'm trying to make the Chase," he said. "I'm not thinking about next year."

Busch said Tryson would remain with the No. 2 team through the rest of the 2009 season. Then the crew chief will move to MWR, and oversee a No. 56 car that will be driven by Truex next season.

"The timing isn't all that good, but it never is any good when you want to change directions in life. I did that back in 2005 at Roush Racing," Busch said. "There's never really a good time to bring things up, but I can't really be disappointed in Pat or upset in Pat. We've had a great run together, and the way he turned our program around in 2007, it helped put him back on the map, so to speak. You never want to hold anybody back from their ambitions and their dreams."

Busch compared Tryson's decision to that made by Brad Keselowski, who is leaving Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Nationwide team to drive for Penske beginning next season.

"We have a guy named Brad Keselowski who's coming to our program, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a tough decision to make in what to do with him. And if you phrase it as Pat did, and as I'm sure Keselowski did, in that there are opportunities ahead and they want to do and conquer different things, you can't tie them down," Busch said.

"You've got to let them go and make their decisions. Pat and I had a great run together. We still have more work to do, though. We want to get locked in [Saturday] night. That's the focus. If we go out and do business as usual, we should. And he will be with us throughout the Chase. It's going to be a changing target throughout the Chase. But right now Pat and I are a great combination, and we have a task at hand."