Another Career First For Aric Almirola Crew Chief Trent Owens: MOOG 'Problem Solver Of The Race' Honors

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Another Career First For Aric Almirola Crew Chief Trent Owens: MOOG ‘Problem Solver Of The Race’ Honors

Sponsored by Federal-Mogul Motorparts, a division of Federal-Mogul Holdings Corp., the MOOG Problem Solver of the Race Award is presented to the crew chief whose car delivers the greatest second-half improvement in average lap time while finishing on the lead lap.

Counterman Staff
By Counterman Staff
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SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — With just one week to go before his first Chase for the Sprint Cup, Trent Owens, crew chief for Aric Almirola and the MOOG Steering and Suspension-equipped No. 43 Eckrich Ford, added another highlight to his resume: the MOOG “Problem Solver of the Race” Award. Owens picked up the weekly MOOG award after the 43 Ford Fusion improved by a race-best 0.192-second per lap to finish 10th in Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway.

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Sponsored by Federal-Mogul Motorparts, a division of Federal-Mogul Holdings Corp., the MOOG Problem Solver of the Race Award is presented to the crew chief whose car delivers the greatest second-half improvement in average lap time while finishing on the lead lap. Federal-Mogul Motorparts also sponsors the $100,000 MOOG “Problem Solver of the Year” Award, presented to the crew chief with the best performance throughout the 36-race Sprint Cup season.

The 43 team had already secured a Chase spot as a result of its victory in July’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona, but Almirola and Owens showed no signs of sitting back to avoid trouble on Richmond’s .75-mile D-shaped oval. After starting 26th, the 43 car advanced into the top 15 in the first half of the race. As Owens continued to fine-tune the car’s MOOG-equipped chassis, Almirola improved to 12th with 60 laps to go and picked up two more positions in the late going to secure its second-straight top-10 finish.

“Consecutive top 10s is a great way to show you belong in the Chase field, and Aric and Trent have certainly earned their opportunity to compete for the season championship,” said Tim Nelson, motorsports director for Federal-Mogul Motorparts. “Like every crew chief on pit road, Trent never stopped exploring ways to optimize their steering and suspension, and that hard work ultimately helped them pick up several positions in the second half.”

Owens becomes the 17th different crew chief to earn weekly MOOG Problem Solver honors this year. With 10 races remaining, two crew chiefs – Jimmy Fennig (No. 99 Ford, Carl Edwards) and Steve Letarte (No. 88 Chevrolet, Dale Earnhardt Jr.) – are tied at the top of the MOOG Problem Solver of the Year standings with three weekly MOOG wins each. Four crew chiefs have two weekly Problem Solver wins.

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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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

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