Paul Menard Crew Chief Justin Alexander Pulls Within One Win Of Leader In Battle For Year-End MOOG 'Problem Solver' Award

Main Navigation

Advertisement
Social Connect
Resources
Our Brand Family
Counterman - Babcox Media
Counterman has been serving auto parts jobbers, retailers and distributors since 1983.
Marketing

Paul Menard Crew Chief Justin Alexander Pulls Within One Win Of Leader In Battle For Year-End MOOG ‘Problem Solver’ Award

Sponsored by MOOG Steering and Suspension manufacturer Federal-Mogul Motorparts, a division of Federal-Mogul Holdings Corp., the weekly 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
Published:

08 May--Paul Menard during qualifying for the SpongeBob 400 at the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, KS.(HHP Photo/Alan Marler)

Related Articles

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — Rookie crew chief Justin Alexander pulled within one win of the leader in the battle for the $100,000 year-end MOOG Steering and Suspension “Problem Solver” award after earning the MOOG brand’s weekly crew chief award in Sunday’s CampingWorld.com 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.  Alexander has now won four weekly Problem Solver awards and will need two additional wins in the final four races to beat current leader Greg Ives, crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 88 Chevrolet.  MOOG is the Official Steering and Suspension of NASCAR.

Sponsored by MOOG Steering and Suspension manufacturer Federal-Mogul Motorparts, a division of Federal-Mogul Holdings Corp., the weekly 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. Alexander won the award after his driver, Paul Menard, and the MOOG-equipped No. 27 Tarkett/Menards Chevrolet SS  posted identical average lap times in the first and second half to finish sixth in Sunday’s event.

The 27 car started 13th and remained in the top 15 for much of the first half of the race. Menard methodically advanced over the final 90 laps, improving from 18th to 8th over a 40-lap span. He was running in the top five with 21 laps to go and had dropped back to 6th when a series of cautions and what ultimately was ruled as the race’s official green-white-checkered finish halted his advance. The race was won by Joey Logano and the MOOG-equipped No. 22 Ford Fusion, completing their sweep of the three-race Contender Round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

“Paul and Justin ran an extremely smart and efficient race – they had good strategy, flawless execution on pit road and a great-handling car for most of the afternoon,” said Tim Nelson, director of motorsports for Federal-Mogul Motorparts. “Justin has his work cut out for him over the next four weekends, but it’s certainly possible that he could overtake Greg and become the first rookie to win our year-end Problem Solver award.”

Ives has five weekly Problem Solver wins and holds the advantage over Alexander in a prospective tie-breaker as a result of the 88 Chevrolet’s edge in Sprint Cup points. Seven crew chiefs have won the weekly MOOG award two times in 2015 and nine have one win.

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.

You May Also Like

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.

Read Full Article

More Marketing Posts
Kalitta Motorsports, Dayco Announce Partnership, Distributor Agreement

Dayco will have branding on J.R. Todd’s DHL GR Supra funny car, and Kalitta is the exclusive at-track distributor of Dayco 11-mm racing blower belts for nitro engines.

By Josh Cable
Dayco Kalitta
Advance Giving Away Free Batteries to Randomly Selected Customers on National Battery Day

National Battery Day is Sunday, Feb. 18.

By Josh Cable
Advance Auto Parts Battery Day
Valvoline Restore & Protect Ad Runs on Super Bowl Sunday

Valvoline featured its new full-synthetic motor oil in a 30-second commercial that aired during the pre-game coverage.

By Josh Cable
Restore and Protect
Dayco Teams Up With eXtra Loyalty Program

Dayco products offered through the eXtra program include serpentine-belt kits, timing-belt water-pump kits, timing-chain kits and water pumps.

By Josh Cable
Dayco

Other Posts

MEMA Launches At-Home REPAIR Campaign

The next step in the campaign to get the REPAIR Act passed is to get aftermarket suppliers involved.

By Emma Henderson
Shaw Assumes Leadership of MEMA Original Equipment Suppliers

Collin Shaw succeeds Julie Fream who served 10 years in the position.

By Emma Henderson
AACF Launches 65th Anniversary Fundraising Initiative

The campaign aims to raise $65,000 through 1,000 donations of $65 each.

By Counterman Staff
Schaeffler Publishes 2023 Sustainability Report 

Schaeffler was awarded an “A” score in the climate change category for 2023 by the global non-profit environmental organization CDP for corporate transparency and performance.

By Emma Henderson
Schaeffler Sustainability Report