Crew chief Chad Knaus says competition within Hendrick pushes Jimmie Johnson's team

By Rea White - Associate Editor
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Chad Knaus has led his Jimmie Johnson team to three consecutive NASCAR Cup championships. (David Griffin / NASCAR Scene)

Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Chad Knaus has led his Jimmie Johnson team to three consecutive NASCAR Cup championships.

David Griffin
NASCAR Scene

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Not that they necessarily needed a push to improve or added motivation in their pursuit of a fourth consecutive NASCAR Cup championship, but crew chief Chad Knaus says that having so much competition within the Hendrick organization has helped Jimmie Johnson's team become even better.

After all, Knaus and Johnson didn't have to look far to see their chief rivals for the title this season. Once the Chase For The Sprint Cup got under way, all those were housed on the Hendrick complex.

For weeks, the top three battling for the title have been Hendrick teams. Now, with one race remaining, only Johnson and teammate Mark Martin have a shot at the championship. Johnson has a 108-point lead over Martin entering Sunday's season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Teammate Jeff Gordon is third in the standings, but at 169 points back, he'll be eliminated from title contention once Johnson takes the green flag. A driver can only gain 161 points on another in one race.

It's certainly not the first time Johnson has been pushed by his own team. In 2007, he won the title with Gordon finishing second.

Knaus says that those kinds of situations are actually good for him and his Hendrick team.

"I think that with [crew chief] Alan [Gustafson] and Mark running as competitive as they have this year, very similar to when the 24 car [of Gordon] was running as well as what they were a couple years ago, having that internal competition I think has really helped our team and helped our company, actually, to rise to a better level," Knaus said. "I think that's evident with the way that all of our teams are running, especially at this stage in the year. The 88 [of Dale Earnhardt Jr.] is running well, the 5, the 24 and the 48 are all battling each and every week.

"So I think that having the two teams battling for the championship, and then with the 24 car right there on our heels, I think it has raised the production of the whole company up a bunch. So we're real happy with that."

Gustafson, nearing completion of his first season with Martin, seems to agree.

While he's obviously not as close in the points to Johnson's team as he'd like to be, Gustafson seems pleased to have had the chance to compete so well against the three-time defending championship team of Johnson.

After all, no one is more aware of the strength and work ethic of that team than Gustafson and his group. They've witnessed the team’s previous championships and know just what this team is capable of.

They also, though, know the talent and dedication of Martin - and how much of a fight he has put up against the Johnson team.

So Gustafson’s pleased that his team still has an outside chance at the title entering the final race of the year. Martin has never won the championship, though he has finished as runner-up four times.

"Even though the shot is not as good as we want, it's still a privilege to have that opportunity to contend and win a championship and go down there and put as much pressure on Chad, as much as possible, even though it's not as much as we want it to be," Gustafson said. "But go down there and have some fun doing that."

The two carry a tremendous amount of respect for one another's drivers and teams.

As he tries to put a finger on exactly what it is that Johnson's team does better than everyone else, Gustafson can't really define one thing. If he could, he jokes, he'd be working on that himself.

Obviously, there is the talent of Johnson on the track and Knaus off of it. Knaus is the only crew chief to ever win three consecutive Cup titles and is often viewed as one of the hardest-working men in the sport.

That dedication and commitment, as well as that of Johnson, are keys to this championship run.

"They work as hard or harder than anybody else in the series consistently, and they're both at the pinnacle of the sport, both Chad and Jimmie, and they have assembled a great team and do a great job keeping a great team even when they have some rollover, which in professional sports is inevitable, they can fill the voids really well," Gustafson said.

This year, he's had an up-close look at just what the group has been able to accomplish.

And that has impressed him deeply.

Since the Chase began, Johnson has earned four of his seven wins for the season. He has the finish of 38th after a crash at Texas but has posted eight top-10 finishes in the nine Chase races to date, six of them top-fives.

"What they've been able to go do is extremely, extremely, extremely difficult," Gustafson said. "I've given everything I have and my team has and Mark has, and I think we've had a great season. Right now we're falling a little bit short. … I do want to make the point that what they've been able to accomplish over the last four years and what they've done in this Chase is really remarkable.

"I've heard some people bring the Tiger Woods analogy into the equation, and you sit there and you think about that, and that's probably one of the best ways to summarize how good they are and have been able to be over the last four years."

Knaus seems equally impressed with Martin and Gustafson this season, but also with Gustafson over the years. He worked with Kyle Busch at Hendrick from his rookie 2005 season through 2007, making the Chase in 2006 and 2007. This is his first year with Martin, who joined Hendrick in the offseason.

"I think if you look at the tenacity that Alan and his team has had with different drivers, different circumstances, they don't give up," Knaus said. "They have a never‑say‑die attitude. … I think that if you look at the 5 car, they're probably one of the most technically advanced teams that we've got out there. Their engineering staff is second to none. They do a very good job of facilitating tests, looking at seven‑post data, gathering intel and using that information.

"I think Alan is the smartest crew chief out there. I've been saying that for a couple of years now. And I think it's just a matter of time before they get their chance, and it very well could be this year.  We're hoping, obviously from my side of things, that it's the 48 car, but I can promise you, if we have something go down, they're going to be there to pick up the pieces."

Gustafson is aware of that possibility as well.

While he respects and admires Johnson's team and its effort, he is far from conceding this championship. He and his team plan to head to Homestead and fight hard and do everything they can to win the title. And if they don't win it this year, they plan to gear up for another shot, a better shot, at Johnson and Knaus in 2010.

"We're not going to stop," Gustafson said. "… There's going to be another season in 2010, and we're going to gear up as hard as we can, and that's the position we want to be in. Each time you fall a little bit short, you learn, and I think we're getting better, and I think we're going to do whatever we can to reach that point sometime, too."
 

Comments

19 responses to "Crew chief Chad Knaus says competition within Hendrick pushes Jimmie Johnson's team". Post a Comment.
  1. 1
    minkee2 said:
    Nov 18, 2009 at 4:42 PM

    Jimmie, Chad and the whole #48 team are the best this year. We'll just have to wait to see what next year brings. GO JIMMIE!!

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  2. 2
    SmokeisaBaby said:
    Nov 18, 2009 at 4:51 PM

    I've been posting since LATE MARCH that everything looked GOOD TO GO for Jimmie to win his 4th CONSECUTIVE Cup Title.

    99% of ALL RESPONDERS told me I was CRAZY-- and they were still calling me crazy a month and a half ago.

    They're NOT calling me crazy anymore. FUNNY THING IS... I am NOT even a Johnson fan and I think ANY driver winning FOUR TITLES IN A ROW is BAD for the sport! (Note: I'm not saying Jimmie does not deserve the title. If he wins, he DESERVES the title.)

    In fact, I've been joking for WELL OVER TWO YEARS that Jimmie and Chad had made a DEAL with the DEVIL long ago... because they make winning look so EFFORTLESS.

    Now that I see that Brian Vickers is 666 POINTS out of the championship heading into Homestead... I'm beginning to think my joke is NOT so funny anymore!

    Nascar needs to fix this glitch in the "Race for the Chase"... or this 36 Sprint Cup Race Watcher (plus I view all Sprint Cup qualifying and watch of all Nationwide and Camping World races)... Will turn into a TEN RACE Sprint Cup Watcher (focusing only on tracks I really think might still be competitive on any given day). I will also view ZERO Nationwide races (since they are adopting the competition killing COT) in that series as well.

    I'll still watch TRUCK though.

    But NO FIX... Barely any more CUP for me. Enjoy watching Jimmoe win his FIFTH Cup Title NEXT YEAR... because if there is NO FIX... Jimmie will WIN AGAIN. He-- especially because of CHAD KNAUS-- is that good.

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  3. 3
    daviclar38 said:
    Nov 18, 2009 at 6:12 PM

    If I were making $20,000 a week directing people on how to work on a race car you better believe that would be plenty of motivation for me to push everyone along to be better. Poor Harry Hyde had to settle for a lousy $500 a week back in the '80s

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  4. 4
    annmyers said:
    Nov 18, 2009 at 6:29 PM

    What competition?

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  5. 5
    Rowdy4Life said:
    Nov 18, 2009 at 10:24 PM

    BLAH BLAH BLAH. Why dont Chad let his fellow team members in on his secrets. Or should i say Cheatin.

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  6. 6
    jbbigrod said:
    Nov 19, 2009 at 1:36 AM

    I don't think HE IS cheating. Just knows HOW to bend the rules better than everyone else. And yes, we the fans are getting real tired of seeing the same guy win it all. I think NA$CAR needs to mandate a rule that ALL crew chiefs are rotated each year within all organizations that have three or more teams. MAYBE THAT would help??? I won't be watching the trucks anymore, now that Ford is pulling out of them. WILL watch Nationwide because Carl will be in there; and probably Cup, but less and less also; UNLESS things change and JJ is no longer a factor.

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  7. 7
    juniegirl said:
    Nov 19, 2009 at 8:44 AM

    CK's record speaks for him. Unfortunately, that's not always a good thing. Some of his past violations make people doubt that he's on the up and up now. It has hurt the credibility of Johnson's team. Gordon's 4 Championships will always outshine Johnson's because of this. Also, under the old points system, how many would Johnson have and how many would Gordon have? Go figure.

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  8. 8
    Rainier said:
    Nov 19, 2009 at 1:47 PM

    Hey Juniegirl, Evernham got hit for grey areas just as much as Knaus, remember the t-rex car? They were told not to bring the car anywhere near a NASCAR track and it elicited a rule change. Too bad Junie can't drive even the best equipment worth a darn, maybe if he could you wouldn't be so bitter.

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  9. 9
    juniegirl said:
    Nov 19, 2009 at 2:23 PM

    How many races did Evernham have to sit out? Better check your records bud. (No Knaus lingo intended...lol). And the T-Rex was the 1997 Winston win car. It wasn't even a points race! That don't even count. My boy can still drive man...he's just hasn't had any luck. Even you have to admit that. I'm not bitter either...I just love stirring up the Johnson fans. How would you like it if I just said "Oh, he's the greatest driver ever?" That wouldn't even be any fun, would it? Lighten up Rainier.

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  10. 10
    Rainier said:
    Nov 19, 2009 at 3:08 PM

    Reutimann, Ambrose, Mears, Logano, McMurray, Truex, should I continue naming drivers with no business being ahead of Little E in the points who currently are. AJ Allmendinger is one point behind him for heaven's sake. It takes a lot more than a lack of luck for that to happen JUNIEGIRL. I can sling mud just like you. How about pointing out only 2 top 5's and 5 top 10's for the greatest driver in NASCAR with the worst luck. Sam Hornish Jr. has two top 5's and 7 top 10's. I had to recheck that, I couldn't believe it myself, he is actually that bad. Also, quote from an article, "Evernham was cited numerous times as a crew chief for violations, including the biggest fine in NASCAR history -- a $60,000 penalty in 1995 for using an unapproved suspension part on Gordon's car." Oh yeah, Gordon won the championship in 95.

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  11. 11
    jbbigrod said:
    Nov 19, 2009 at 3:17 PM

    Yes, and IF AJ had switched to FORD a week or two earlier, he would be AHEAD of JR. Put THAT in your pipe and smoke it.

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  12. 12
    juniegirl said:
    Nov 19, 2009 at 3:47 PM

    You guys...Many of Jr.'s finishes aren't indicative of how well he did in the race. He's a good guy. He will get back on top. I'm not worried. If he was a bad driver, he wouldn't have 18 cup wins and 2 Busch Championships. And none of those drivers you named have anything like that at all. And Gordon would still be ahead of Johnson in Championships if the points system had'nt changed. Put that in your big rod and smoke it.

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  13. 13
    Rainier said:
    Nov 19, 2009 at 3:58 PM

    Well, JUNIEGIRL, Johnson's a swell guy too.

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  14. 14
    Werner said:
    Nov 19, 2009 at 5:18 PM

    can i read into this?...does Chad mean outside of the Hendrick organization...there is no competition?....

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  15. 15
    Motorsportsphotography said:
    Nov 19, 2009 at 9:55 PM

    #8 & #9. Let me give you a quickie on T-Rex. T-Rex was engineered by Rex Stump. He was know for doing radical things with chassis. That car was so fast that nobody could figure out the thing. Later NASCAR oulawed it. I actually have pictures of T-Rex without any sheet metal sitting in the corner of HMS. Now, If you dont know who Rex Stump is. He is the engineer who designed the COT for NASCAR. And Rainier. I told you how HMS had a heads up on the COT. That's what I meant.

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  16. 16
    Motorsportsphotography said:
    Nov 19, 2009 at 9:57 PM

    And you know who tested the COT for thousands of laps and gave the feedback not only to NASCAR but brought it back to the shop also. Mark Green. No other team had any info for 11 months except for HMS. That is what put everyone else behind.

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  17. 17
    Motorsportsphotography said:
    Nov 19, 2009 at 9:59 PM

    So call it what you want but the sanctioning body made a big mistake on letting a competitor test that car.

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  18. 18
    v1492 said:
    Nov 20, 2009 at 9:11 PM

    After living in Las Vegas for 12 years, you can smell a rat now and then. I'm from Ca so I will be a Johnson fan, but every year Jimmie does OK, gets inthe Chase and all of a sudden he can't be beat, think about it. Either he is the greatest driver ever or there is some funny stuff going on.

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  19. 19
    jbbigrod said:
    Nov 20, 2009 at 9:51 PM

    Always funny stuff going on.

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