Chad Knaus finally a Daytona 500 champion crew chief
For perhaps the first time, Chad Knaus seemed out of place in Victory Lane. As if he was there for the first time, not the 59th with driver Jimmie Johnson. That’s because in this case, Knaus was there for the first time, experiencing Victory Lane at Daytona as a rookie.
Knaus has had many labels thrust upon him. He’s been called numerous things throughout his career. But until Sunday night in Daytona he had yet to be called a Daytona 500 champion.
Johnson finally changed that, winning the Daytona 500 after holding off a charging teammate in Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin. For Johnson, it was his second win in the Great American Race, but the first with Knaus atop the pit box.
In 2006 when Johnson won the race, Knaus was sitting at home. NASCAR had suspended him when the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet failed post-qualifying inspection, the rear window having been found to be too low. Officials sent him home and Johnson went on to win the event a week later with Darian Grubb as interim crew chief.
Johnson even joked at the time that Knaus was probably kicking his TV, but that he had been a big a part as any as to why Johnson was in Victory Lane. This time around though, Knaus was there to celebrate in person.
“I eat, sleep and breathe 48. Anytime that I’m taken away from that racecar, I’m pretty sad,” revealed Knaus after the 500 win. “But when those guys were able to come down here and win the Daytona 500 in 2006 in my absence, I think that really solidified the strength of the 48 car.
“Was I here? No. Was I here in spirit? Most definitely. I couldn’t have been prouder of the group of guys we had there. To finally be able to come down here and win and be a part of this is definitely a huge dream come true.
“It’s great. It’s a lot of fun. It’s a great experience. I just couldn’t be prouder of everybody involved.”
Knaus and Johnson have had success at Daytona, just not recently. In their first season together in 2002, they became the first rookies to sit on the pole for the Daytona 500. They earned their second pole in 2008. In 2005 they won the Sprint Unlimited and added a Budweiser Duel win in 2010.
Their Daytona 500 history however, has been rougher. Following the 2006 win Johnson had finished 27th or worse in the last seven races before winning on Sunday, mostly from bad fortune. To start last season, Johnson’s car again failed inspection and NASCAR confiscated their c-posts. This time however, Knaus escaped suspension but Johnson crashed on just the second lap of the race and they finished 42nd.
Here we are year later, Knaus quietly standing in the background of Victory Lane getting to take in the scene for the first time. Watching the group of guys that along with himself, worked long hours during the offseason to make that moment happen. Both in the shop and their strategy at the track, sticking with the plan of never letting Johnson go anywhere near drafting practice. Single car runs were their MO and Johnson only went near a pack when absolutely necessary.
He acknowledged Sunday that they were just working towards getting to the race. Knowing they had the car and were sitting on speed that would be used when it was needed. Johnson flexed his muscle late on Sunday, making the preparation and mind of Knaus pay off.
“We work really hard at Hendrick Motorsports to prepare for the Superspeedway races. We put a great product out there,” said Knaus.
“I’m telling you, I know we worked at least 35 days straight on the car that we raced in the Daytona 500. I know I put in personally one day of 38 hours straight. I actually sent Jimmie a text, saying I’ve seen 6:48 three times today and haven’t been to bed yet.
“I think what we have above everybody else is the desire to go out and win races. We’ve got 500-plus employees at Hendrick Motorsports. When they all want to go out and win races, you put guys like this behind the seat, you’re going to see magic happen.”
Rating the Race – The Daytona 500
Why I watched…
And they say there is no such thing as a stupid question. The Daytona 500, a race they all want to win, one victory that keeps your name alive as long as they thunder down the track at Daytona Beach. I watched to see if Danica Patrick could do something with that pole position, if Junior could emerge from out of the darkness in this new car, if Tony or Mark could do what they have long tried to do. We watched to see if the action could live up to what we saw Friday and Saturday, races I would have rated as a pair of nines. Yes, we watched to see the incredible skill and the courage it takes to compete. We did not watch for more wrecks or to see any more fans injured, yet we have been reminded of the dangers that lurk on and, yes, just off the track. On Sunday, the pre-race invocation had more meaning and we watched, and we prayed.
The race…
Our prayers for safety were rewarded. If we also prayed to witness the unexpected, we got that, too. No one expected Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick to be removed from contention only 33 laps in, but they wound up with just five big championship points between them.
We expected that maybe Danica might lead the opening lap, but Jeff Gordon decided otherwise. We did not expect her to take the lead on lap 91 or to remain a major factor from start to finish. We might have to look at her different, as she wound up 8th when it was all over. Many have considered her hot as a woman, but she was even hotter Sunday as a driver.
We might have expected Matt Kenseth to once again run up front. We did not expect him to go from leading strong to just plain gone when drive train issues ended his day with 50 to go. Two laps later, team mate Kyle Busch unexpectedly saw his engine fried and died.
We did not expect Top Ten finishes for Michael McDowell or J.J. Yeley, but we did. We did not expect Carl Edwards to wreck his fifth car in a month, but we did. We did not expect Joe Nemechek to start and park. Okay, sometimes I even make myself laugh.
As expected, the cream rose to the top in the end. Jimmie Johnson held on to the lead to win his second Daytona 500, and earn crew chief Chad Knaus his first. Dale Earnhardt Jr charged to second with Mark Martin pushing him from behind to conclude a great day of entertainment.
Rating the Race: (8.5/10)…
If only the cars could slingshot by the leader, if only the inside line could move to challenge the outside. We did not have the drama of the previous two races of the weekend, but between the features leading up to the Great American Race that reminded us of NASCAR’s past, the progression of the six generations of race cars, the driver intros, and the action on the track we had ourselves a very fulfilling way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Here is hoping for more of the same at Phoenix.
Earnhardt Jr. comes up short again in bid for second Daytona 500 win
For the second straight year, Dale Earnhardt Jr. found himself the bridesmaid in the biggest race of the year. His frantic charge on the last lap that came up short, ending in a second place finish in the Daytona 500 behind teammate Jimmie Johnson.
“I couldn’t really do much without Mark [Martin] helping me at the end. I was hoping he was thinking what I was thinking as we came off of turn on the last lap,” said Earnhardt Jr. of his team’s performance. “I felt like we needed to make the move a little earlier than off of [turn] four and I kept backing up, backing up trying not to let guys get to racing behind us too much.”
The plan, at least from Earnhardt Jr.’s perspective was for he and Martin to have enough of a gap that if those behind them started to get lined up, they could take off. When not having to worry about the others, Earnhardt Jr. said he just mashed the gas and began his run down the backstretch, Martin following behind.
“Once we come to turn four, we kind of run out of steam, didn’t have enough to get a run on Jimmie,” he said. “But real happy with the way the car run all day. You couldn’t pass much. But when I was bale to really see what my car could do, it was plenty capable of winning the race.”
The 1-2 finish for Hendrick Motorsports, specifically the shop that houses the teams of Earnhardt Jr. and Johnson, is now home to Johnson’s second win in the Daytona 500 while Earnhardt Jr., who won the event in 2004, finished second for the third time in last four races. He was fourth heading into the final lap before charging forward with the help of Martin.
Struck by how long those in front of him waited to make a move, Earnhardt Jr. looked for his opening and took it. But knew, having the same equipment as Johnson it would be hard to get around him. The two will head to Phoenix the top two in points.
For much of the 500-mile race, the field took a conservative approach. Quickly getting single file and logging laps, but numerous times Earnhardt Jr. told his team that he wasn’t even running full throttle and was pondering how the end of the race was going to play out. With not much passing or pack racing taking place, drivers were unable to gage what they could and couldn’t do.
What Earnhardt Jr. knew however, was that his car was much better than it had been just days earlier. In his Budweiser Duel race he complained about how it handled and said the team had a lot of work to do ahead of the 500. But then, in final practice on Saturday the speed showed up and crew chief Steve Letarte fixed the bugs that plagued the No. 88 National Guard team.
Sunday they ran a safe race, avoided the wrecks and were in contention at the end. But it wasn’t enough for Earnhardt Jr. to find victory lane at Daytona again.
“It’s like a drug, I assume. It’s such a high. You just don’t know when you’ll ever get that opportunity again or if you’ll ever get that opportunity again,” said Earnhardt Jr. about trying to win a second Daytona 500. “I knew before I won in 2004, I was reserved to the idea I may be trying to win this race my entire career because I knew all too well how that was for my father.
“I felt so much relief when I did win it. I’m ready to do it again. It’s been too long. Running second over and over is great and all for our team, a good start to the season, but I would love – even having to go through all the hassle that Jimmie is about to go through this week [as Daytona 500 champion] – it’s worth it.”
NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: Nationwide Series Race At Daytona
With all due respect to the injured, there were some positive aspects to that horrible wreck
We all watched in horror as a multi car crash, on the final lap of the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona, unfolded. We saw Kyle Larson’s Chevrolet become airborne and hit the catch fence. We saw debris, including a tire with wheel and suspension parts attached to it, fly into the grandstands.
Later in the evening came the grim news regarding the injured fans: a total of 28 hurt by the flying debris. 14 were transported to a nearby hospital with two patients reported to be in critical condition requiring surgery. The remaining 14 were treated for their injuries at speedway medical centers. Later, the next day, we heard the good news that all patients in the hospital had been stabilized.
Believe it or not, despite the severity of the accident and the sustained injuries, there were some positive aspects to this very intense situation.
Let’s begin by pinpointing the quick response of the speedway’s medical emergency staff. Following a quick arrival to the scene, they expedited triage procedures by quickly assessing which victims needed to be escorted to the speedway’s medical facilities and which ones needed to be transported to the hospital right away.
There was also some very positive responses from the fans themselves to come to the aid of their fellow spectators including reports of fans removing their shirts and using them as a pressure bandage on those who were cut and bleeding.
Thank goodness for the NASCAR mandated safety equipment in their cars. Kyle Larson will testify to that. When his car came to a rest, the entire front of his Chevrolet was missing. It was both amazing and gratifying to see Larson calmly exit his car uninjured. Afterwards, during a live television interview, he quickly said he was fine and expressed his concerns for the spectators in the grandstand. This young man is both an extraordinary talent and a class act. He has a very bright future in NASCAR.
This accident occured following a final lap blocking move by race leader Regan Smith. Under no circumstances should anyone point the finger of blame at this driver. He was simply doing his job. Any driver with a chance to win at Daytona would have made the same move. Smith, also a class act, manned up after the race and said the wreck was his fault and then immediately expressed his concern for the welfare of the fans.
The aftermath of this accident completely overshadowed the fact that Tony Stewart won the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona. In victory lane, Stewart and his team elected to keep the environment subdued out of respect to the injured fans. It was a very classy thing to do.
On Sunday morning, prior to the Daytona 500, NASCAR President Mike Helton announced that literally every NASCAR team in the garage area approached officials and asked them to please convey their heartfelt best wishes to the patients in the hospital. To a true blue NASCAR fan lying in a hospital room those messages had to be huge. That shouldn’t surprise anyone. The members of these teams are well known for having big hearts.
As some of the injured fans were treated and released, officials from the Daytona Speedway were on hand at the hospital to insure they had transportation to their hotels and motels and made sure they had some sort of accommodations that would allow them to watch the Daytona 500.
In a very extraordinary move, speedway officials also said they would be willing to relocate any fan with seats on the frontstretch that might be uncomfortable with their seat location.
While the focal point was certainly aimed at the injured fans, the fact of the matter is: the show had to go on. Speedway maintenance teams worked until 2 am in the morning repairing the damaged fence and did an outstanding job. The command to start engines for the Daytona 500 was delivered on time per the schedule.
The most significant positive aspect to this situation is very likely the one that’s yet to come. NASCAR is well known for instant responses to any and all safety issues. It’s likely that they will engage the immense talent and intelligence available at their Research and Development Center, an organization that has designed many safety innovations in the past. The final result will be a fence that will be safer for both the drivers and the fans.
To the fans still in the hospital, be rest assured that the entire NASCAR Nation is sending you good thoughts and prayers for your speedy recovery.
