Jimmie Johnson Crew Chief Chad Knaus Wins MOOG 'Problem Solver' Award At Darlington

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Jimmie Johnson Crew Chief Chad Knaus Wins MOOG ‘Problem Solver’ Award At Darlington

One of professional racing's most prestigious weekly honors, the MOOG Problem Solver of the Race Award is presented following each NASCAR Sprint Cup event to the crew chief whose car has posted the greatest improvement in average lap time while finishing on the lead lap.

Counterman Staff
By Counterman Staff
Published:

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — Chad Knaus, crew chief for six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, received Federal-Mogul’s MOOG Steering and Suspension “Problem Solver of the Race” Award after the No. 48 Kobalt Tools Chevrolet SS finished third in Saturday night’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. Knaus and Johnson overcame tight handling early in the race to post the team’s third top-five finish in eight starts.

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One of professional racing’s most prestigious weekly honors, the MOOG Problem Solver of the Race Award is presented following each NASCAR Sprint Cup event to the crew chief whose car has posted the greatest improvement in average lap time while finishing on the lead lap. Knaus’s fine-tuning of the 48 car’s MOOG-equipped steering and suspension system resulted in a race-best 0.298-second-per-lap improvement on the 1.366-mile track known for being “Too Tough to Tame.” Johnson started 26th.

“It was fun to watch Chad and the Hendrick Motorsports crew methodically improve the 48’s handling with each pit stop and chassis adjustment,” said Federal-Mogul Motorsports Director Tim Nelson. “No one had enough car to beat (race winner) Kevin Harvick’s MOOG-equipped number 4, but Chad helped make it interesting thanks to his problem-solving excellence on pit road.”

Johnson reported tight handling immediately following the start but thanks to a series of adjustments over the first three pit stops was able to advance to 23rd and then 17th before cracking the top 10 during the first third of the race. He moved into the top five on Lap 199 and was running second to Harvick’s Chevy SS with 50 laps to go. The third-place finish enabled Johnson to rise two spots, to fifth, in Sprint Cup points.

Federal-Mogul also sponsors the $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 season. Knaus is the sixth crew chief in eight races to win weekly MOOG honors, with Kurt Busch crew chief Daniel Knost (No. 41 Chevrolet) and Carl Edwards crew chief Jimmy Fennig (No. 99 Ford) being the only repeat winners to date.

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, improved 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. 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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