For every athlete, be it from the world of NASCAR or any other competitive sport, being inducted into the Hall of Fame is perhaps the ultimate honor. And this year, NASCAR awarded Jimmie Johnson and his longtime crew chief, Chad Knaus, with that coveted title. Perhaps now, the duo can take their time away from the sport, and bask in the glory.
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But they won’t. For workaholics like Knaus, going to work is not something they have to do; it’s something that they love to do. Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports wondered if it was time for Knaus and Johnson to travel to a beach and relax. The legendary crew chief, however, would prefer keeping his job at Rick Hendrick’s garage. At first, he felt, unlike the seven time Cup champ, he had to keep working to earn his living. But then, he explained why it was so important for him.
“I really enjoy it, quite honestly. I love coming into work,” said the veteran ex-crew chief. “I’ve got the people and relationships at Hendrick Motorsports. I’ve got the people and the relationships in the industry.”
“I get to talk and work with some of the best people in motorsports, whether that be in IMSA, NASCAR, IndyCar with our IndyCar adventure this year. There’s so much cool stuff to do, why not keep doing it?”
“I don’t know what else I would do. I’ve got the best job. I’ve got the best people that I work with. I’ve got an owner of our team that is probably one of the best mentors you could ever ask for in life. And that’s what keeps me doing it,” he added.
The chemistry between Knaus and Johnson is one worth envying
During their tenure together, Knaus had always wanted to bring out the best in his star driver. Therefore, when everyone chanted Johnson’s name in the victory lane, Knaus could still point out areas where his driver could have done better. And sometimes, the HMS legend would snap back at his crew chief. But it’s all in good humor for sure.
“There were many times when we were in the media center, collecting the trophy, and we leave there and as soon as the door was shut, Chad is like ‘Hey man, that second stint? What happened on that restart? What about this? We gotta tighten it up!'” Johnson admitted.
He added, “And I’d be like “Give me until tomorrow, OK? We’re leaving with the trophy. Tomorrow you can give me (crap), right now? Don’t.'”
Needless to say, this chemistry between the driver and the crew chief is what aided the El Cajon native to drive the Knaus-built #48 Chevy to victory lane several times and snatch seven titles, including five consecutive championships.
