Knaus puts all controversy aside in historic season

Nov 17, 2008 - 4:09 PM By Scott Serrano PA SportsTicker Auto Racing Editor

Chad Knaus has been called many things, from a rogue crew chief, to one who bends the rules and even a flat-out cheater.

But the facts show that Knaus may well be the best crew chief in NASCAR history.

Knaus cemented his place in the sport's lore Sunday by becoming the first crew chief to win three straight championships when his driver, Jimmie Johnson, claimed his third consecutive Sprint Cup title at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Johnson became only the second driver in NASCAR history to win three straight titles, matching Cale Yarborough, who accomplished the feat from 1976-78.

On the other hand, Knaus stands alone among the guys who sit atop the box.

During Yarborough's run, he used Herb Nab for his first two championships, while Tim Brewer and Travis Carter combined to lead him to the 1978 title.

"Well, it hasn't really sunk in yet, obviously. We've been very fortunate," Knaus said. "This has been an incredible ride we've been on since 2002. You say that, but it's a lot different than what it used to be. The crew chief used to have to get out there and build the shocks and set up the race cars and do all that stuff himself.

"So it's really not me the one that's it, it's all the guys. It's all the people we've got at (Hendrick Motorsports), we've got at the shop, the guys we've got to travel weekly with the 48 team. I don't know what it feels like yet. It will take a little bit for sure."

Still, the accomplishment has to be rewarding for Knaus, who has heard all the criticism about his tendency to bend the rules, causing NASCAR fans to think Johnson's previous two championships were somehow tainted.

In early 2006, Knaus was accused of cheating after Johnson's Daytona 500 qualifying run. Knaus made an illegal adjustment to the rear window, which resulted in his suspension from Sprint Cup events until March 22.

The following year, Knaus again found himself at the center of controversy during the road race debut of NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow. On June 23, 2007, the No. 48 crew entered the inspection line for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway with the newest body style out of the Hendrick shop.

While Johnson's car fit the templates, NASCAR officials questioned the shape of the fenders in between the template points.

As a result, Johnson was not allowed to qualify the car, and he started at the back of the field. Knaus was fined $100,000 and was suspended for six races.

But there was no such talk of cheating after Sunday's race, as Knaus completed the 2008 campaign - and the team's third straight championship season - without a whiff of controversy.

"You get suspended," Knaus said. "It happens. I don't like it, it's part of the sport, unfortunately. I have gotten in trouble from time to time, but it doesn't stop me. I think that's something that I'm very fortunate to have these guys and Lowe's as support that they know that everything I do isn't blatantly wrong.

"There's always an out. If I get out with that out, then I'm good. If I don't, then I get in trouble."

Knaus always contended that he was never cheating, merely taking advantage of the gray areas of NASCAR's rule book and looking to give his driver that little bit of an edge needed to stay ahead in the ultra-competitive sport.

"You've got this rule book and there's a lot of pages, and there's a lot of black in between those white lines," Knaus said. "And if you can find something in between those lines, you need to take advantage of it, otherwise you're not going to win races."

As a result, winning races - and ultimately championships - is exactly what Knaus and Johnson have done.

The duo of Johnson and Knaus has been a marriage made in racing heaven. In their seventh full season together, the No. 48 team has never finished lower than the top five in points.

Those numbers do not lie.

Together, they have won three straight championships, posted a pair of runner-up finishes to go along with 40 Sprint Cup victories, 101 top-fives and 156 top-10s in 255 career starts.

"There's still always room for improvement," Johnson said. "I don't think any driver can say they had the perfect season or the perfect race. I guess when you do think that you've accomplished that it's time to do something else. Maybe the hunger's gone at that point."

The scary part for the other Sprint Cup teams hoping to snap the No. 48 team's remarkable run is that Knaus and Johnson sound like they still have that hunger.

"Yeah, we want four, why not? That's why we're here," Knaus said. "We think with the team that we've got, the resources that we've got with Hendrick Motorsports and Team Chevrolet behind us, we can definitely go and bid for four championships in a row.

"Why wouldn't we? Give me a reason why not to. I think that's the mentality we've got to have."

And with Knaus considered the hardest working man in NASCAR - he only took two days off during the this past season and is known to log well over 100 hours a week - the quest for a fourth straight championship may already be underway.

"If we buckle down and do what we need to do, we'll be in contention for our fourth championship next year," Knaus said. "If that means I have to get up at eight o'clock (Monday) morning and go to work to do it, I'll do it."