Brian Vickers Is Runner-Up at Daytona, Crew Chief Billy Scott Earns Career-First MOOG 'Problem Solver' Win

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Brian Vickers Is Runner-Up at Daytona, Crew Chief Billy Scott Earns Career-First MOOG ‘Problem Solver’ Win

Sponsored by 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 positive differential in average lap time over the second half of a Sprint Cup race while finishing on the lead lap. Vickers and the MOOG-equipped No. 55 Aaron's/Florida State University Dream Machine Toyota improved by a race-best 0.608 seconds per lap at Daytona.

Counterman Staff
By Counterman Staff
Published:

SOUTHFIELD, Mich.  The last of several cloudbursts left Brian Vickers disappointed on pit road as Sunday’s rain-delayed Coke Zero 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race was cut short after 112 laps. However, Vickers’ runner-up finish on the rain-slickened Daytona International Speedway did help crew chief Billy Scott win his first MOOG Steering and Suspension “Problem Solver of the Race” Award.

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Sponsored by 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 positive differential in average lap time over the second half of a Sprint Cup race while finishing on the lead lap. Vickers and the MOOG-equipped No. 55 Aaron’s/Florida State University Dream Machine Toyota improved by a race-best 0.608 seconds per lap at Daytona.

After starting 30th, Vickers picked up 17 positions during the first green flag run before he and Scott decided to fall back to avoid one of Daytona’s “big ones.” That turned out to be a smart move, as 16 cars tangled just a few laps later. The 55 team chose to stay the course – avoiding three-wide racing – over the balance of the afternoon, a strategy that paid dividends once again following a 26-car pileup on Lap 98. After the debris was cleared, Vickers was running second to Aric Almirola and the MOOG-equipped No. 43 Ford when the race was red-flagged for the final time due to rain.

“This was an extremely challenging weekend, as most drivers and crew chiefs were never able to get a feel for the racetrack due to changing conditions,” said Tim Nelson, motorsports director for Federal-Mogul Motorparts. “Billy and Brian had exactly the right strategy – stay out of trouble early and let the opportunities come to you.  If it hadn’t started raining again, they might have ended up on victory lane.”

In addition to the weekly MOOG Problem Solver award, Federal-Mogul Motorparts sponsors the prestigious $100,000 MOOG “Problem Solver of the Year” Award, which is presented to the crew chief with the best overall performance throughout the 36-race Sprint Cup season. Steve Letarte, crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet, is the leader through 18 events with three weekly MOOG award 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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