Austin Dillon Crew Chief 'Slugger' Labbe Wins MOOG 'Problem Solver' Honors At New Hampshire Motor Speedway

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Austin Dillon Crew Chief ‘Slugger’ Labbe Wins MOOG ‘Problem Solver’ Honors At New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Labbe, who received the weekly MOOG award on the basis of Dillon’s race-best 0.003-second-per-lap improvement over the final 150 laps, assumed crew chief duties for the Richard Childress Racing-owned team less than a month ago.

Counterman Staff
By Counterman Staff
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MOOG NASCAR

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SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — For the second time in three weeks, Richard “Slugger” Labbe, crew chief for Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Dow Chevrolet SS, earned the MOOG Steering and Suspension brand’s “Problem Solver of the Race” award after Dillon picked up 16 positions to finish eighth in Sunday’s 5-Hour Energy 301 NASCAR Sprint Cup event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. MOOG is the Official Steering and Suspension of NASCAR.

Labbe, who received the weekly MOOG award on the basis of Dillon’s race-best 0.003-second-per-lap improvement over the final 150 laps, assumed crew chief duties for the Richard Childress Racing-owned team less than a month ago. Now with two top-10 finishes and two MOOG Problem Solver awards in four starts, it appears the 3 car is in good hands for the balance of the Cup season.

After starting 24th and struggling with tight handling over the first 30 laps, the 3 car slowly began to advance through the field thanks to a series of chassis adjustments by Labbe and the RCR crew. Dillon broke into the top 10 with approximately 80 laps to go and was running his fastest times over the closing green-flag runs. The race was won by Kyle Busch and the MOOG-equipped No. 18 Toyota Camry.

“There was a lot of fight in the 3 team today. It’s tough to make up lost track position at Loudon, but Slugger made excellent adjustments on pit road and Austin stayed aggressive all afternoon in what were very hot and challenging conditions,” said Tim Nelson, director of motorsports for Federal-Mogul Motorparts.

Labbe’s latest MOOG award puts him into the thick of the battle for year-end Problem Solver honors. Rookie crew chief Justin Alexander (Paul Menard/No. 27 Chevrolet) still leads with three MOOG awards, while Labbe, Todd Gordon (Joey Logano/No. 22 Ford), Chad Knaus (Jimmie Johnson/No. 48 Chevrolet) and Greg Ives (Dale Earnhardt Jr./No. 88 Chevrolet) are just one back with 17 Cup races remaining. Nine crew chiefs have one Problem Solver award each.

The MOOG brand, the preferred choice of professional technicians and NASCAR crew chiefs, is in its 50th year of Cup competition. 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 chosen 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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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.
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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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