Published 01/20/2023, 10:30 AM EST
In 75 years of NASCAR, there have been just 35 drivers who have managed to win one Cup Series. Of those 35, 3 drivers have an overbearing mark on the sport because of their winnings. Those three combined have won 21 titles. That’s how good Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt, and Richard Petty were.
It’s obvious that the credit for the achievements these drivers have would go to them. But a substantial amount of contribution also came from one integral cog in the wheel – their respective crew chiefs. In Johnson’s case, that person was Chad Knaus.
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The love between Chad Knaus and JJ
Knaus told RACER Magazine, “He would challenge me and I would challenge him and it was always for the betterment of the team, and always for the better of the product we would deliver. But that’s hard. Those are hard conversations, and they are hard conversations to have consistently because relationships take maintenance, and performance takes maintenance.”
“A race car and a race team are kind of like the Golden Gate Bridge – you start to paint it on one side, and by the time you get to the other side, you’ve got to go all the way back to the other side and start painting again,” he cracked.
“That is the maintenance level that is motor sports. It gets tough to have those conversations over and over again. But they have to be had and Jimmie knew that, and he wasn’t afraid to approach me with those things, and I wasn’t afraid to approach him,” added Knaus.
As Knaus says, those were tough conversations. But those tough conversations played a massive role in what Johnson was able to achieve during his time in racing.
Pitting Jimmie Johnson against the best
The Knaus-Johnson partnership was possibly the most successful pairing in NASCAR history. Knaus was by Johnson’s side at Hendrick Motorsports for all 7 of his title wins — including that record-breaking run of 5 consecutive Cup Series titles.
DAYTONA BEACH, FL – FEBRUARY 16: Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet, talks to his crew chief, Chad Knaus, during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)
Having been a part of NASCAR for long, 17 years to be precise, Knaus had the privilege of seeing a lot of drivers. But none of them stood up to Johnson. In the interview with RACER Magazine, he speaks very highly of Johnson’s abilities.
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“There is nobody that has ever sat in a race that has been as driven as Jimmie Johnson. That’s just obvious with his performance, what he’s accomplished on and off the racetrack. He was really good,” the former crew chief said.
He even made the comparison that everyone makes. But again, Johnson came up top. “If you’re trying to compare a Dale Earnhardt or a Richard Petty or Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson – name them all and different eras and different things – I think Jimmie winning 80-something races and leading x-number of laps in the era in which he did it was pretty astonishing.”
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With an exciting 2023 season coming up with Legacy Motor Club, Knaus is confident Johnson has another win in his tank. Do you think the veteran can pull his 84th win?