Seven NASCAR Cup titles and 82 wins, and yet there are three of those that Chad Knaus holds closer to his heart than the others. Knaus and his partner in crime, Jimmie Johnson are all set to be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on January 19th.
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And ahead of this monumental achievement, the legendary crew chief looked back on three wins from his time with Johnson which he cherishes the most to Hendrick Motorsports.
The first of those three wins came on April 28, 2002, at the Auto Club Speedway, the first of 82 wins for the duo. Naturally, this win means the most to Knaus as he claimed the trophy from that race is the only one he kept in his office. “That one really stands out. I feel like that kind of solidified and started our journey together,” he said.
The second most cherished win for Knaus was the one in Atlanta on October 31, 2004, which was Hendrick Motorsports’ first win since the airplane tragedy. “That one really stands out. I feel like that kind of solidified and started our journey together,” Knaus said of that win.
And lastly, the third most special win for Chad Knaus is of course, the one that won Jimmie Johnson his 7th Cup title, elevating him and his crew chief to the highest of highs in NASCAR. “Jimmie (Johnson) driving the best laps of his career in those last few laps around Homestead (-Miami Speedway) was a really special moment,” Knaus said of that win at Homestead Miami on November 20, 2016.
How Dale Earnhardt Sr. would’ve felt about Jimmie Johnson
Both being 7x Cup champions, one can’t help but wonder what Dale Earnhardt Sr. would’ve had to say about Jimmie Johnson’s achievements in NASCAR. That’s something that we’ll unfortunately never know. But according to the Intimidator’s son and Johnson’s former HMS teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., the #3 driver would’ve been impressed by the #48 driver.
“Dad would have thought the world” of Jimmie Johnson, he said as per ESPN in 2016.
In fact, Johnson also claimed Earnhardt Jr. told him that his dad would’ve had “a ton of respect” for him, that he would’ve enjoyed racing against him, and that they’d enjoy “a great friendship.”
