Brad Keselowski Crew Chief Paul Wolfe Earns MOOG 'Problem Solver' Honors At Watkins Glen

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Brad Keselowski Crew Chief Paul Wolfe Earns MOOG ‘Problem Solver’ Honors At Watkins Glen

The weekly MOOG Problem Solver award is presented following each Sprint Cup contest to the crew chief whose car posts the best second-half improvement while finishing on the lead lap.

Counterman Staff
By Counterman Staff
Published:

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — Defending NASCAR Sprint Cup series champion Brad Keselowski delivered a much-needed top-five finish and his crew chief, Paul Wolfe, won Federal-Mogul’s MOOG Steering and Suspension “Problem Solver of the Race” Award in Sunday’s Cheez-It 355 at the Glen at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. It was Wolfe’s second MOOG Problem Solver award of the season, moving him into a three-way tie for second place in the battle for the MOOG brand’s year-end $100,000 Problem Solver honors.

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The weekly MOOG Problem Solver award is presented following each Sprint Cup contest to the crew chief whose car posts the best second-half improvement while finishing on the lead lap. Keselowski and Wolfe’s MOOG-equipped No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion improved by a race-best 0.266 seconds per lap in finishing second at the Glen. The runner-up finish bumped the Penske Racing team up four spots, to eighth, in points with just five races remaining before NASCAR locks in its field for the season-ending Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Keselowski started eighth and was battling for position with Jamie McMurray’s MOOG-equipped No. 1 Chevrolet in the early going when he spun out in Turn 1. That early miscue, which dropped the 2 car to 22nd, dictated the team’s strategy for the rest of the race, with Wolfe continually enhancing the car’s steering and suspension to match changing conditions and Keselowski methodically regaining track position. It appeared the team might come all the way back to secure its first win of the year as Keselowski challenged for the lead on the final laps, but the 2 car couldn’t pull off one last pass before the checkered flag. It was Keselowski’s third straight runner-up finish in Sprint Cup racing on the 2.45-mile road course.

“Brad and Paul look like they’re going to finish strong, which is what champions do,” said Federal-Mogul Motorsports Director Tim Nelson. “They need a win in the next five races to protect their position in the top 10, and if today’s race had run one extra lap they might have gotten one. Paul was an outstanding leader in the pits, keeping the team and Brad focused on recovering track position after the early spin, which could have been devastating to their chances for the Chase.”

As Keselowski clings to a spot in the Chase field, Wolfe has made it clear he’s a contender for the $100,000 season-ending MOOG Problem Solver award. With 14 races remaining, Wolfe, Dale Earnhardt Jr. crew chief Steve Letarte (No. 88 Chevrolet) and Jamie McMurray crew chief Kevin Manion (No. 1 Chevrolet) are tied for second place with two wins each. Leading the MOOG Problem Solver field with three weekly wins are crew chiefs Todd Gordon (Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford) and Matt Borland (Ryan Newman, No. 39 Chevrolet). A total of 15 different crew chiefs have won the weekly MOOG honors in the first 22 races.

As the automotive service industry’s “Problem Solver,” MOOG is the preferred brand of professional technicians and NASCAR crew chiefs. Federal-Mogul’s MOOG Steering and Suspension product engineers work in partnership with Sprint Cup teams to develop and test innovative designs that help provide race-winning performance and durability. Many of these same technologies are featured in MOOG ball joints, tie rod ends and other components available for today’s passenger vehicles.
 
For more information regarding 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. To identify the right MOOG part for virtually any application, please use the free www.FMe-cat.com electronic catalog.

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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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