Putting it all together: it won't be long before Nextel Cup comes calling on crew chief Lance McGrew, who is proving he has the parts to prosper.(NASCAR)

Whenever you hear someone in NASCAR described as "laid-back," there are two things you need to know: 1) It's a high compliment. 2) It's part baloney. Those who work for Busch Series crew chief Lance McGrew say he's laid-back. And he is--most of the time.

"He's got a tone" says Kyle Busch, McGrew's driver. At a race in March at Bristol, Busch was racing too aggressively too early, so McGrew put his foot down to force Busch to lift his.

"It's like you just took the family car out around the block when you're 8 years old, and you're getting your butt reamed," Busch says. "He's letting you know that ain't the time to be doing that stuff. But later in the race, he'll be like, 'OK, now you can go do that stuff.'

"He can have his problem, kind of bust on you, but five minutes later it's forgotten about."

It has paid off. Busch drove his No. 5 car to a third-place finish at Bristol, one of eight top fives that have helped put him in second place in the Busch points race.

McGrew, 36, was born and raised in Baton Rouge, La., and spent many Saturday nights racing on dirt tracks with his dad. He didn't pursue racing as a career until his early 20s, when two events converged.

The first was the death of his mother. She died young, and McGrew was left with a strong desire not to leave what-ifs unexplored. The second: His classmates who had graduated from engineering school got jobs with computer companies and had to wear white aprons and work in a static-flee environment, McGrew thought of that what any red-blooded racer would think.