Steve Addington is done drawing comparisons between the Busch brothers or declaring the better driver.

He can't, the crew chief is practically part of the Busch family. Between both Kurt and Kyle Busch, Addington has celebrated in Victory Lane almost a dozen times in the period of just a few years.

“

What I really enjoy about Steve is the confidence he gives me in the car and the adjustments that he makes.

”

-- KURT BUSCH

He can't play favorites. Or can he?

Going to Pocono Raceway this week, he should make an exception because when it comes to the Tricky Triangle in Long Pond, Pa., Kurt Busch -- the elder brother -- is a clear favorite.

"Kurt gets around Pocono pretty well," said Addington, crew chief of Penske Racing's No. 2 Dodge and former crew chief for No. Joe Gibbs Racing's No.18 Toyota. "Kyle just had the mind-set that he didn't run well there. The thing is we had good cars but there were certain circumstances that took us out at the end of the race."

Starting in the back, getting wrecked on the front stretch and rain were among the litany of problems that plagued the No. 18 team. Addington said, however, confidence can be a cure-all.

"Kyle got better there each time we went, he was getting more comfortable, but a driver has to be confident going to a place like Pocono," Addington said.

Confidence is what Kurt Busch has after posting two wins, seven top-five finishes and nine top-10s in 18 races at Pocono.

On the opposite side, Kyle has no wins, one top-five and two top-10s in 10 races. He's only led two laps.

In his team report this week, Kurt Busch said, "It's been a good track for us, that's for sure. I've struggled with the new car to get those wins, but [we've had] some solid finishes."

Like Pocono to his younger brother, Charlotte Motor Speedway was Kurt's demon. That was until the Addington-led No. 2 team swept both events -- the All-Star Race and Coca-Cola 600. The Penske team did some testing, but still Kurt told his crew chief he was struggling, so Addington tried a different setup. It was something he had learned during his days at JGR working with Kyle. It worked ... but more than that it was about instilling confidence.

"What I really enjoy about Steve is the confidence he gives me in the car and the adjustments that he makes," Kurt Busch said. "When you come into the sport, you're going to drive the wheels off anything and you can overstep the line and wreck some cars. As you get more experience, you line up with an experienced crew chief. There's some times when I'll just go, 'Hey, make a change. I'll drive the wheels off it, whatever you give me.'"

And that's exactly what he did, which is why Addington can't imagine steering any other driver in the "Blue Deuce" or any car for that matter. That doesn't mean Kurt is his favorite. Or does it?

"Our personalities are definitely similar," Addington said. "I was what he was looking for and he was what I was looking for in the next move of my career. He has had his up and down seasons and so have I now. We've got some common ground and we are in a good place in our lives and I in my career with him as my driver."

When Addington was showering Busch with compliments after sweeping NASCAR's Charlotte events, he meant it, namely the part about only having Kurt Busch as his driver. He wasn't caught up in the moment.

"Saying that is just something that is coming from inside, that's the way I feel about it. I was so proud of him working through the day and into the night after getting off on adjustments and he hung in there," Addington explained. "His struggle with Charlotte was getting to the end of the race. It goes back to Pocono with Kyle. Kurt had run well in Charlotte, but the results weren't there."

After enduring several years of NASCAR's fast-paced lifestyle, in the limelight for the good and the bad, Kurt Busch, the 2004 Cup champion, has become more comfortable in his skin.

"It's tough," Busch said. "I'm not one to go out there with a big flash and a big flair. I used to early on. I'd run my head up against the wall. I'd run my race car up against the wall. Reviews came in negative. For me that's not how I wanted to be remembered, how I wanted to be looked at, sitting there on the porch talking with my grandkids about things."

Addington respects that. More than that, he respects his driver's sole focus on the No. 2 car.

Maturity, experience, and wisdom: These are all characteristics Addington and Kurt Busch share, creating what they hope continues to be a winning combination.

The team tested this week at Virginia International Raceway to prepare for the upcoming road course event at Infineon Raceway and will continue to work on that new setup for Pocono.

Meanwhile, Addington and the team are looking to name their driver's winning 600 car. A name could be announced this weekend at the track.

An obvious choice might be Charlotte -- a charming southern name -- or perhaps Kurt after Addington's favorite ... err ... driver.