Gil Martin, Kevin Harvick Crew Chief, Earns MOOG 'Problem Solver Of The Race' Honors In Chase Opener

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Gil Martin, Kevin Harvick Crew Chief, Earns MOOG ‘Problem Solver Of The Race’ Honors In Chase Opener

The weekly Problem Solver award is presented to the crew chief whose car posts the greatest increase in average lap time during the second half of each race while finishing on the lead lap.

Counterman Staff
By Counterman Staff
Published:

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – Gil Martin, crew chief for Kevin Harvick and the No. 29 Budweiser Designate a Driver Chevrolet SS, moved into a tie for second place in the battle for Federal-Mogul’s $100,000 MOOG Steering and Suspension “Problem Solver of the Year” Award after picking up weekly Problem Solver honors in Sunday’s Chase-opening Geico 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. It was Martin’s third weekly MOOG award, putting him just one win behind leader Matt Borland, crew chief for Ryan Newman (No. 39 Chevrolet).

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The MOOG Problem Solver awards recognize the pit professionals whose behind-the-scenes decisions help advance their teams’ competitive position throughout the NASCAR Sprint Cup season. The weekly Problem Solver award is presented to the crew chief whose car posts the greatest increase in average lap time during the second half of each race while finishing on the lead lap. At the end of the year, Federal-Mogul presents the prestigious MOOG Problem Solver of the Year Award to the crew chief with the best overall performance throughout the 36-race season. Harvick and Martin’s MOOG-equipped Chevrolet improved by a race-best 0.416 seconds at Chicagoland, enabling Harvick to finish third in an event that was red-flagged for more than five hours due to rain.

“Kevin was fighting tight handling early in the race, but Gil did a great job in diagnosing the issue and adjusting their MOOG-equipped chassis on the first stop,” said Federal-Mogul Motorsports Director Tim Nelson. “The 29 continued to get better throughout the race, which shows that Gil had the right read on how the track was going to change throughout the afternoon and even after the long delay.  That’s a skill that only comes through experience and an ability to translate your driver’s input into ultra-fast, precise chassis adjustments.”

Now fourth in Chase points with nine races remaining, Harvick advanced into the top 15 on the track after Martin’s initial adjustments and was running 14th when the race was red flagged nearly halfway through the scheduled 267 laps. The 29 quickly advanced into the top 10 after the long delay and was running among the leaders the rest of the night.

Martin, who won the 2010 MOOG Problem Solver of the Year Award, is now tied with Joey Logano (No. 22 Ford) crew chief Todd Gordon for second place, followed by crew chiefs Steve Letarte (Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 Chevrolet), Kevin Manion (Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Chevrolet) and Paul Wolfe (Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Ford), who are deadlocked in third with two wins each.

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 convenient, free www.FMe-cat.com electronic catalog.

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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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