Rea White: Hendrick Motorsports' Chad Knaus remains unfazed
COMMENTARY
Apparently nothing can faze Chad Knaus.
He's been in NASCAR for years, debuting as a crew chief with Melling Racing and driver Stacy Compton in 2000. Prior to that, he gained championship experience working as a tire changer for Jeff Gordon's Hendrick Motorsports team. He returned to the team in 2002 to work as crew chief for an unheralded Jimmie Johnson.
They made their presence known immediately. Knaus and Johnson won the pole position for the season-opening Daytona 500 in their inaugural run - and they've been finishing near the top ever since. In seven seasons of full-time competition, Johnson has never finished worse than fifth in the standings. He won his third consecutive NASCAR Cup title Sunday, matching a 30-year-old mark set by Cale Yarborough. He's also finished as the series runnerup twice.
Obviously, Johnson has an incredible amount of talent mixed with a level of grit and determination to succeed. He has led this team to the sport's top ranks, has shown an incredible ability to adapt and adjust to changes in the cars and all style of tracks the stock cars run on.
But he's also had a lot of background help. And that has come in the form of the calm and focused Knaus.
It is Knaus who has worked diligently to find a way to adapt this car to what Johnson needs, who has listened to his driver's comments and found a way to change a sensation into a mechanical change. It is Knaus who has guided the crew to the top of the sport, who has made the calls others have questioned from time to time in an effort to get his driver to the front.
Take Sunday, when Knaus pulled his driver back to pit road for changes from time to time when analysts were pulling for the team to just stay on the track, get some bonus points and let it ride. Not Knaus. He wanted this car as strong as possible in the end.
Somewhere in their minds, Johnson and Knaus didn't seem able to chase just the championship. With a sizable lead entering the race, they spoke of seeking a win. Clearly that didn't happen as Johnson settled for 15th in the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but you have to admire the effort.
With this championship, Knaus reached a new level in his area of the business. He’s the first crew chief to win three consecutive Cup titles. Yarborough didn’t have the same crew chief in each of the three seasons he won the title.
How far can Knaus go? How far can he take this team? This season showed just what they are made of. Instead of starting the year strong and holding on for the title, the team entered 2008 somewhat confused by NASCAR’s new model car being used in all Cup races this season. There were times when they were completely wrong in setting up for a race, weekends when they really seemed to have no idea where to look for speed.
So they worked even harder. They tested more, they studied more, and they learned. They learned how to get the car ready in the shop and how to pretty much leave it alone at times.
And they improved. At midseason, no one would have picked this team to be the champion. When the Chase started, they labored in the shadow of Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards.
And then they did what they always do – they stepped up their game with the championship on the line. Johnson won three times during the Chase and finished outside the top 10 only twice – both 15th-place finishes.
Through it all, there was Knaus. Directing the calls, guiding the teams, talking endlessly with his driver. And watching him hoist that trophy once more.
Just how focused is he? Shortly after the race ended, Knaus wasn’t wasting time enjoying this title – he was applauding Johnson’s talent and thinking about how to extend the streak to four in a row.
That’s the kind of intensity that just might make that possible.
