Chad Johnston, crew chief for Tony Stewart and the MOOG® Steering and Suspension-equipped No. 14 Code 3 Associates/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, earned MOOG Problem Solver of the Race honors following the team’s seventh-place finish in Sunday’s FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks NASCAR® Sprint Cup race at Dover International Speedway.
Sponsored by Federal-Mogul Motorparts, a division of Federal-Mogul Holdings Corporation, the MOOG Problem Solver of the Race Award is presented following each Sprint Cup event to the crew chief whose car posts the greatest second-half improvement in average lap time while finishing on the lead lap. Stewart and Johnston’s Chevrolet SS picked up an average of 0.073 seconds per lap on Dover’s Monster Mile.
The top-10 finish continues the Stewart-Haas Racing team’s steady improvement following Stewart’s return to racing in the wake of a badly broken leg. Johnston, in his first season atop Stewart’s pit box, called for a series of chassis adjustments that helped the 14 car slowly advance from 20th at the start to as high as third in the final 40 laps. The race was won – dominated, really – by six-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson and the MOOG-equipped No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet.
“Nobody was going to catch Jimmie out there, but Chad and Tony had a strong afternoon, and Smoke looked like he was fully recovered over the final 100 miles,” said Federal-Mogul Motorsports Director Tim Nelson. “Chad and the Stewart-Hass team were flawless on pit road, which made that late charge possible. I have a feeling they’ll be back on victory lane before too long.”
Federal-Mogul also sponsors the $100,000 MOOG Problem Solver of the Year Award, which is presented to the crew chief with the best performance throughout the 36-race Sprint Cup season. Four crew chiefs – Todd Gordon (No. 22 Ford, Joey Logano); Daniel Knost (No. 41 Chevrolet, Kurt Busch); Jimmy Fennig (No. 99 Ford, Carl Edwards); and Richard “Slugger” Labbe (No. 27 Chevrolet, Paul Menard) – are tied for the lead with two weekly MOOG award wins each.
MOOG Steering and Suspension is the preferred brand of professional technicians and NASCAR crew chiefs, and MOOG components are recognized as the automotive service industry’s “Problem Solver,” with innovative parts that improve on original designs by providing increased durability, enhanced performance and easier installation. NASCAR Cup champions have driven to victory with MOOG parts for an unprecedented 48 straight years.
For more information regarding the MOOG Problem Solver awards and MOOG products, visit the brand’s technician-focused www.moogproblemsolver.com website or contact your MOOG supplier. Like MOOG on Facebook at www.facebook.com/moogproblemsolver.
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