By the end of the 2005 NASCAR Cup Series season, Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus had been working together for four years and were yet to win a championship despite coming frustratingly close on multiple occasions. The 2005 season, in particular, was a close-cut loss that left the driver-crew chief duo hating each other for the continual unluck. Just when things threatened to boil over and they were to call it quits with each other, team owner Rick Hendrick intervened and sorted the situation out.
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Mr. Hendrick revealed in an interview in 2008 that the original plan was to split up Johnson and Knaus after their failed 2005 run and constant arguments. However, he’d wanted to give them one last shot at reconciliation. Calling them into his office, he slammed a box of cookies and a bottle of milk on his table.
His words to them went, “If we’re going to act like kids, we’re going to have cookies and milk and we’ll have some downtime where we can talk about what you don’t like about each other.” Mr. Hendrick had known that they made a great combination and would do each other good if they stopped bickering like children.
In his words, “I’m real proud of them because I would have bet money that we couldn’t fix it. I think both of those guys would be successful in their own right, but I think they’re stronger together.” His anger fortunately had a good effect on them. Jonhson and Knaus cleared the misunderstandings between them in Mr. Hendrick’s room that day and began working with better synergy. The result of that was their 2006 championship and the four consecutive titles that followed.
Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon serve milk and cookies at Hall of Fame induction ceremony
Johnson and Knaus were inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Friday night. Before the ceremony, Mr. Hendrick and Jeff Gordon decided to pull the legs of the inductees by serving them milk and cookies during a fireside chat at the venue.
Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus laugh as Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon brings them milk and cookies at a fireside chat prior to the hall of fame induction ceremony. The famous story is Hendrick had them eat milk and cookies because they were acting like children. pic.twitter.com/h0bmBasWmF
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) January 20, 2024
For all that the two achieved together, being on the same Hall of Fame ballot cannot be anything other than destiny. Looking over at Knaus during his speech, Johnson said, “Congrats, brother, I am so happy we are able to go in on the same ballot.” Knaus responded during his speech by thanking the driver for believing in him.
He said, “Jimmie helped me find out who I was by believing in me. You have taught me there is much more to life than racing — even if it has taken many, many years to understand that.” Thank god for milk and cookies, and Mr. Hendrick’s timely judgment to not give into the duo’s split-up request, NASCAR got to witness their magic for over a decade since.
