When and How Did Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus Meet for the First Time?

Most of the times when a driver makes it to the victory lane, not a lot of people congratulate the crew chief; it’s the driver who receives all the praise. However, the NASCAR Hall of Fame inducted veteran ex-crew chief Chad Knaus and his longtime driver Jimmie Johnson in its 2024 lineup, suggests how important the role of a crew chief is.But how did the duo meet?

In a recent interview, Knaus journeyed back in time to narrate how he met the seven time Cup Series champion for the first time. It happened in 2001 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The entire field had just finished running the qualifying laps when Jay Guy, a former crew chief and a common friend of Johnson and Knaus, brought them together. The El Cajon native was going to compete in the Xfinity race that weekend.

Guy joked that he felt like Knaus should be Johnson’s crew chief. Everyone laughed it off. Little did they know that the joke would turn into a reality. “It wasn’t a week later, I got a phone call from Hendrick Motorsports because oddly enough, I had run into (HMS engine builder) Randy Dorton that next week,” said Knaus.

He added, “I think Randy mentioned my name to Jimmie and Jimmie was like, ‘Man, I just met the guy.’ So we kind of all got around the table. And we chatted it up at a restaurant over here by Hendrick Motorsports.”

Will the 2024 HOF induction ceremony be any more emotional for Knaus because his ex-driver is going in with him?

Although Knaus admitted that it would not necessarily be any more emotional than it already is, he referred to Johnson as his wingman and said, “It’s always cool to have your wingman with you, right?” For him, the feeling is the same as it is for Johnson. However, he wasn’t expecting this right away.

Not a lot of crew chiefs have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Therefore, the current Vice President of Competition at Hendrick Motorsports had expected his name to be called out a little later; at least not in Class I. “I kind of thought that he was going to go in and then maybe I would go in a little bit later as some of the other folks got that opportunity. But when it was announced, it was very flattering and very cool,” he admitted.

Knaus is the sixth crew chief to have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. While there are seasoned drivers who have been driving for decades and yet have zero championships, Johnson holds seven of those to his credit. And all of them were with Knaus as his crew chief.