Subscribe to this blog's feed« Will there be enough teams to fill the field | Main | What if Bruton really did by Nascar »
Knauss or Johnson
Its pretty obvious that JJ is going to win his third championship in a row and the rest of the field is going for second. With that in mind, its brings up the point that I've been thinking about for weeks. Who is more important to that team. Obviously the driver is more important and has more to do with the outcome of the races, but its not far off to say that Chad Knauss is just as important. I guess my point is this. If you asked 10 fans who the best driver is on the circuit you might get a range of 5 drivers that people say are the best. If you asked the same question about a crew chief I'm guessing your going to get a majority answer its CK. So i guess the question would be, who would you take as an owner to start a team with. You take the driver who has proven he can win and has won championships, or do you take the crew chief who put the winning cars together for him. We ve had a similar case over here at Penske racing in the past few years. Borland and Newman were good together for 5 years. Now that they have split up neither one of them has experienced the same kind of success as when they were together. It will be interesting to see next year what Stewart does with a new crew chief and how Zippy does without him. Those two have been together a long time and have had great success together. I guess its just a case of finding the right fit for the driver, crew chief, and team that makes it all come together
October 29, 2008 | Permalink
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d83451bce769e2010535c1cd71970b
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Knauss or Johnson:
Comments
If I were building a new team and was told I could hire EITHER CK or JJ, I would absolutely take CK.
It seems that some CC/driver combinations work really well for a few years and then things start to go stale. The honeymoon eventually ends. I'm hoping a new CC will help Tony be re-energized behind the wheel and that a rookie driver will give Zippy a new challenge.
Posted by: Diane | Oct 29, 2008 12:00:28 PM
It's neither Knaus nor Johnson - it's General Motors. Hendrick has been GM's primary team since 1986; if Knaus and Johnson had been with a team/manufacturer that didn't play favorites, they'd win races but not titles, and would not dominate.
Posted by: Mike Daly | Oct 29, 2008 5:56:47 PM
Daly.... you just make me facepalm.
Posted by: Matt48 | Oct 29, 2008 6:15:44 PM
I would love to see CK and JJ doing their jobs with a Dodge! That just might separate the men from the boys. I personally believe the pit crew team on the 12 is far better than the 48 crew. My opinion and I'm sticking to it!!
Posted by: Donna | Oct 29, 2008 7:37:39 PM
I think the crew chief really makes the difference. Look at how good the 24 team was when Ray and Jeff were together. Look how lousy Jeff has ran since Ray left him. Sure, Loomis won one with Jeff, using Ray's notes.
I would trade Letarte for Chad Knaus in a heartbeat. Then Jimmie would find out what it's like to run good equipment with a cc that ain't qualified!!!
Posted by: John | Oct 29, 2008 8:01:37 PM
JJ is nothing without CK. Just look at his stats in the nationwide series and other series.
last year Shumaker kicked his @$$ over in England. If a driver can only win in Cup and in nothing else inquiring minds would like to know why?
A very talented driver can find victory lane on any team in any seat. Look at Kyle Busch in a truck, in the NW series, in late models. He is obviously very talented and he wins with different CC.
Stewart is another that can find victory lane in any car with any CC. He was winning long before he met Zippy and will continue to win without Zippy.
Newman is another and he has proven that he can win races without Borland. The problem was obviously none of their doing. He's won in a truck, in NW and in sprint cars and midgets.
Gordon is the greatest driver IMO. Very versatile and can adapt. JJ is not versatile therefore when I am asked who are the 5 naturally talented drivers in Nascar my list includes; Gordon, Stewart, Kyle Busch, Newman and Biffle. JJ is never on my list.
The only reason why JJ wins in Cup is because of RH, Lowes and Chevy money. Without that he cannot win. That's why he can only win in cup and in nothing else.
I give the # 48 team all the credit. If you put Kyle, Tony, Kurt, Matt, Ryan any driver including Kenny Wallace in the # 48 they will win championships and races. It's all about money not talent.
No matter how much Nascar shoves JJ down my throat I will never be a fan because I do not think that he is that talented despite 1000 wins and 700 championships. He is only lucky IMO.
Posted by: Carfan39 | Oct 29, 2008 8:25:21 PM
Look how well JJ has done in trucks and Nationwide in cars that Chad K. Did not build for him...spun with no one around him!!
Posted by: mhaus | Oct 29, 2008 10:03:26 PM
JJ is nothing without CK (okay, well maybe not nothing..) and vice versa. It's a classic Crew Chief/Driver combination. McReynolds/Allison, Edwards/Osborne, Gordon/Evernham, and so on. The two of them together are amazing. I think they would both find success with other combinations but not at the level they have had together. Daly, what are you smoking? GM is responsible? Seriously dude?
Posted by: canucken | Oct 29, 2008 11:57:17 PM
I definitely believe that there needs to be a trust and chemistry between everyone on the team. But I think the successful teams are that way because of the crew chiefs. They make the calls and set things up for the drivers. I think there are many drivers who are equally talented, but don't get the best of cars or circumstances. It takes a gutsy crew chief once in a while. I can't wait to see what next year holds for so many teams.
Posted by: Sara | Oct 30, 2008 12:23:57 AM
I would take CK over any CC in Cup. While JJ is a great driver, I can't say I would take him over any other driver.
For those who say JJ can't win without Knaus, he has won (and been champion in most) in every racing series he has ever competed regularly in, including motorcyles and off road trucks.
Neither one would be as succesful without the other; but they are both two of the best in their respective profession.
Posted by: Todd | Oct 30, 2008 5:29:07 AM
I will not say that JJ is not talented, but he is not is a class with some of the other drivers. While attending races, I have seen guys like Harvick, Kyle Busch, and Smoke drive the hell out of their cars and make some moves on the track that make you say "WOW." I don't see JJ doing any of those things. I have seen him with some impressive rides driving past people like they are standing still and I attribute that to the work of CK in puting the best car out on the track.
Posted by: Peter | Oct 30, 2008 7:27:06 AM
Matt48, so? Is what I said not true?
Posted by: Mike Daly | Oct 30, 2008 12:11:12 PM
I don't care much for Johnson, but there is a point being missed. The 48 team wasn't started to be the number one team at Hendrick. No one expected the success they experienced. Mike Daly, General Motors didn't sink a ton of money into Jimmy Johnson. Nobody knew who we was. Chad Knauss had been a crew cheif for one season prior. Yet they finished 5th in the standings their first season and have never finished lower than that in the points.
So a rookie driver, rookie crew chief, and the 3rd in line car at Hendrick have amassed one of the best performance statistics in modern Nascar racing.
Clearly something works. No one will ever be able to say which one was more important to the other. They were both unknowns before they started in their current roles.
Posted by: Michael | Oct 30, 2008 1:52:04 PM
If I was building a team, I would definitely want Chad as the crew chief. The way he calls a race and the changes he makes throughout the race to the 48 is very impressive. I think I would pick a more marketable driver than Jimmie though.
Posted by: Michelle | Oct 30, 2008 5:51:34 PM
Michael, you're wrong. Jimmie Johnson was Herb Fishel's protege when Fishel ran GM's racing program. Fishel was notoriously biased toward Hendrick's prorgam and Johnson was brought to stock cars with the goal of becoming GM's #1 guy from the start. A rookie driver, rookie crew chief, the biggest race team in the sport, and Herb Fishel. That something works is true enough, but there was never any chance that Johnson would not become the #1 with Hendrick.
Posted by: Mike Daly | Oct 30, 2008 7:21:23 PM
Hmm...is Chad really that good of a crew chief...or is he just getting better at hiding the cheating/grey area allowances? ;o)
Posted by: Janelle | Oct 30, 2008 11:16:58 PM
Hey Trent,
I would submit that "it" is the communication between the two. Add trust to the formula. It would be a surprise if either duplicated their winning ways without the other. We may yet see. By now, Chad has enough infractions to be working for Nascar.
Posted by: Larry | Nov 2, 2008 12:24:39 AM
Mike Daly,
Please look up the definition of the word "protege".
Posted by: Michael | Nov 2, 2008 9:31:53 PM
Both are equally important. Jimmy isn't going to win anything with some random crew chief and Chad isn't going to win anything with some random driver. The combination of Chad and Jimmy is the best in the modern era, even better than the combination of Gordon and Evernham. Jimmy knows how to give Chad the feedback that he needs and Chad knows how to set up the car the way Jimmy likes it. Neither would be anywhere near as successful as they have been if they were working with someone else.
Posted by: Ken | Nov 3, 2008 3:07:28 PM
Michael, don't insult my intelligence that way. I know what "protege" means.
Ken, to add to your point, Johnson and Knaus could be together with a team like Gene Haas' outfit or Morgan-McClure circa 2002 - a low rung on the GM engineering totem pole - and they would show very little in terms of muscle because of their low status on the manufacturer pole.
Posted by: Mike Daly | Nov 3, 2008 6:00:15 PM
Hi Trent,
Just dropping you a line to say the email listed on this blog isn't working - yahoo is bouncing it. Please drop me a line with your new email address.
-Greg
Posted by: Greg | Nov 5, 2008 11:02:53 PM
HerboMart : The Ultimate Destination For All Health Needs
Posted by: Semion Dowl | Nov 24, 2008 11:43:40 AM
The comments to this entry are closed.
Advertisements
