In NASCAR’s 75-year history, a mere handful of crew chiefs have made it to the Hall of Fame. It’s usually the drivers who bask in the spotlight of glory. However, when you have someone like Chad Knaus, who’s as deserving as his driver, Jimmie Johnson, even the ones in the Hall of Fame can’t turn a blind eye.

Sure, Jimmie Johnson’s 83 career wins are something to write home about, and he might tip his hat to Chad Knaus for some or most of that success. But who’s the unsung hero behind Chad Knaus’s success? It turns out that it’s the whole crew at Rick Hendrick‘s garage that the crew chief holds in high regard.

Who else is on Chad Knaus’ support list?

Chad Knaus, the man with 81 race wins under his belt, recently spilled the beans in a one-on-one with Bob Pockrass. When asked about the secret sauce behind his success as one of the few crew chiefs in the Hall of Fame, he didn’t hesitate to shine a light on the support he’s received over the years.

As per FoxSports reports, Chad Knaus humbly credits the folks he’s worked with, saying, “I think we’ve got to fall back on, quite honestly, just the people that I’ve been able to work with throughout my career. I’ve had a lot of support — a lot of people have helped me along the way, a lot of people have helped me and kept me between the guardrails and guided me and I think that is honestly what made me good. I was very fortunate to win races and win championships. […]”

He went on to drop a few names like Ray Evernham at Hendrick, Philippe Lopez from his early days, and Rick Hendrick himself, not to mention the support from the France family of NASCAR fame. “I’ve had a lot of really, really good people surrounding me throughout my life and giving me opportunities. […] I don’t really know why to be honest with you. But I’m fortunate to have had that support all the way down to the [NASCAR-owning] France family. A lot of people have supported me throughout my career.”

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Owing to that, Chad Knaus is now one of the six crew chiefs to have this honor. Others include Dale Inman, the man behind Richard Petty’s success; Ray Evernham, who led Jeff Gordon to three championships in four seasons; Waddell Wilson, known for his dual skills as a crew chief and engine builder; Kirk Shelmerdine, who worked with the likes of Dale Earnhardt and Ricky Rudd; and Leonard Wood of The Wood Brothers. 

Nowadays, Chad Knaus is playing a different tune as the Vice President of Competition at Hendrick Motorsports. But previously, when the idea of crew chief Jimmie Johnson was presented, both of them took it as a joke.

The VP of Hendrick Motorsports reflects on his first encounter with Jimmie Johnson

Chatting with Bob Pockrass, Chad Knaus shared a chuckle-worthy tale about his initial brush with Jimmie Johnson. He mentioned how the whole idea of him joining Johnson’s crew was just a light-hearted jab until a surprise call from Hendrick Motorsports came just a week later.

Knaus mused, “Jay Guy [their common friend] stopped Jimmie and said, ‘Hey, Jimmie, I want you to meet Chad.’ And he said, ‘I think this is the guy that needs to be your crew chief next year.’ And he just did it on being funny. Jay’s a funny guy. And so we shook hands, and just kind of laughed it off.”

“And I said, ‘Hey, man, good luck in the race.’ He’s like, ‘Good luck tomorrow.’ And then it wasn’t a week later, I got a phone call from Hendrick Motorsports because oddly enough, I had run into [HMS engine builder] Randy Dorton that next week, and I think Randy mentioned my name to Jimmie and Jimmie was like, ‘Man, I just met the guy.”

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Crew chiefs usually fly under the radar, spending more time tinkering in the shop or holed up in the hauler at the track. It’s not always easy for folks on the outside to see the brilliance they bring to the table. But when a chief like Chad Knaus teams up with the right driver, they can make racing history, and that’s exactly what they did.