Dale Earnhardt Jr. Crew Chief Greg Ives Takes Lead In Battle For $100,000 MOOG 'Problem Solver Of The Year' Award

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Crew Chief Greg Ives Takes Lead In Battle For $100,000 MOOG ‘Problem Solver Of The Year’ Award

Sponsored by MOOG Steering and Suspension manufacturer Federal-Mogul Motorparts, a division of Federal-Mogul Holdings Corp., the weekly MOOG Problem Solver award is presented to the crew chief whose car posts the greatest second half improvement in average lap time while finishing on the lead lap.

Counterman Staff
By Counterman Staff
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MOOG-NASCAR

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SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the MOOG Steering and Suspension-equipped No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS captured their 12th top-five finish of the year in Saturday’s Federated Auto Parts 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup event at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. Perhaps the biggest news for the Hendrick Motorsports-owned team, however, was that crew chief Greg Ives earned his fourth MOOG “Problem Solver of the Race” Award, giving him the lead in the battle for $100,000 MOOG “Problem Solver of the Year” honors.

Sponsored by MOOG Steering and Suspension manufacturer Federal-Mogul Motorparts, a division of Federal-Mogul Holdings Corp., the weekly MOOG Problem Solver award is presented to the crew chief whose car posts the greatest second half improvement in average lap time while finishing on the lead lap. The Problem Solver of the Year award goes to the crew chief with the most weekly MOOG award wins throughout the 36-race Sprint Cup season. Ives earned Saturday’s weekly award after the 88 car improved by a race-best 0.154-second per lap to finish fifth.

After starting in 29th position, the 88 car moved into the top 15 within the first 110 laps. Earnhardt cracked the top 10 just 24 laps later and remained among the lead pack for much of the rest of the night. He advanced to seventh with just over 100 laps remaining and to fifth position on Lap 314 (of 400). The 88 briefly fell back one position but ran strong during the final 18-lap green-flag run to secure a top-five finish. The race was won by Matt Kenseth and the MOOG-equipped No. 20 Toyota Camry.

Earnhardt and Ives, like 15 other sets of Cup drivers and crew chiefs, now prepare for the Challenger Round of the Chase, which begins Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway. The 88 team holds the sixth seed in the field of 16 Chase qualifiers.

“Dale Junior and Greg ran a smart race, knowing they had a Chase spot sewn up but still wanting to head into the Challenger Round with a strong finish,” said Tim Nelson, director of Motorsports for Federal-Mogul Motorparts. “A top five gives them something positive to build on for next week, and now Greg has even more at stake as the leader in our year-end Problem Solver award standings.”

With four weekly MOOG awards, Ives now holds a one-win lead over rookie crew chief Justin Alexander (No. 27 Chevrolet/Paul Menard). Fifteen different crew chiefs have won the weekly award through the first 26 Cup races.

The MOOG brand is the preferred choice of professional technicians and NASCAR crew chiefs. In recognition of the vital importance of steering and suspension components in overall vehicle safety and performance, NASCAR mandates that Cup teams use MOOG Problem Solver parts, specifically ball joints and tie rod ends. Cup Series champions have won with MOOG parts for 49 consecutive years.

To learn more about MOOG products, please contact your MOOG Steering and Suspension supplier or visit the technician-focused www.moogproblemsolver.com website. Like MOOG on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/moogproblemsolver and follow the brand on Twitter for product updates and special promotions.

 

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Auto Industry

Customer Service: How It’s Done

Customer service should be your number one priority, and it all starts with the greeting.

Eric Garbe
By Eric Garbe
Eric Garbe is a graduate of Columbus State Community College with a degree in Automotive Maintenance Technology. He has extensive independent and dealership field experience as a technician and shop owner and is an ASE Certified Master Technician and former Adjunct Automotive Professor. He has been professionally writing automotive technical articles and documents for many years and in his free time enjoys restoring old cars and creating custom interiors and upholstery.
Published:

This is always an important topic to discuss, because I consider excellent customer service one of the most important tools you can have to earn trust, respect and repeat business from the customers that come through your door. Whether that customer is do-it-yourselfer from across town or the professional repair shop across the street, your business depends on a solid relationship.It’s a subject that I am passionate about, and it’s one that many people are losing touch with. Whether you are communicating to someone in person, on the phone or using some type of social media, good customer service and bad can both exist. You can’t afford the latter, so this is the first in a series of topics which can and should be shared from the front of the shop to the back. No matter which role you hold, you represent the shop and yourself. Customer service should be your number one priority.First on the list is the greeting. From the second a customer walks in the door, they need to know you appreciate them coming in and how important they are to your business. First impressions are everything and here’s the correct way to do it each and every time: look them directly in the eye, smile and say hello!Of course, you can say “Good morning” or “Welcome to Joe’s Autocare,” but it should be a formal greeting and the most important thing is that you have smiled, looked them in the eye and recognized that they have walked through the door.You should always retain a formal greeting until you are on a first-name basis with a customer. Only once you have established that level of relationship is it OK to use the less formal greeting of “Hi,” followed by the person’s name.This greeting does more than just indicate respect and appreciation for someone walking through the door. Most likely there are customers both new and old who are in earshot of your conversation. For newer customers, this continues to build rapport and reinforce their positive view of your shop; they see that you demonstrate respect and treat everyone in the same manner. For repeat customers, even ones that have been coming for years, the greeting is important because the way you treat them is the reason they continue to come.And when a long-time customer comes in and you greet them with “Hi [First Name],” this indicates your appreciation for them and that you’re glad to see them as a person, more than just a customer. New customers that witness this will see that your repeat customers are comfortable enough to be on a first-name basis, another indication of the trust they have in you.

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