Jimmie Johnson’s Former NASCAR Crew Chief Chad Knaus Documents His Journey in the Sport

Recently, former Hendrick Motorsports crew chief, Chad Knaus appeared on the Dale Jr Download show. He spoke about his NASCAR career through the years. Prior to joining the NASCAR scene, Knaus was practically an unknown entity. As it turned out, the late Dale Earnhardt inspired him to pursue the sport.

After a friend loaned him $1000, he went to North Carolina and tried his luck in a Cup team. Having raced with well-known people like Alan Kulwicki, Rusty Wallace, and Mark Martin, he thought he had a chance. Apparently, Martin was instrumental in terms of influence.

Soon, an opportunity arose with Kulwicki, but it went dead in the water when Kulwicki lost his sponsor. Chad Knaus said, “That was pretty painful, so I lost that shot.” However, he did not give up, and after a bunch of rejections, he took up an engineering role in Ohio.

When did the NASCAR opportunity come by for Chad Knaus?

Soon enough, he got a call from Butch Hilton, who worked with Stanley Smith. Eventually, things worked out for the better and he enjoyed a wonderful two years. Chad Knaus revealed that he owed it all to the crew.

Sadly, when Smith began to run out of funds, Knaus’ days were numbered. One fine day, he took a chance and decided to call Hendrick Motorsports. When he spoke to Ray Evernham, he mentioned that he had just fired someone, and asked Knaus when he could join them.

In the job interview, he was asked where he could see himself in five years, and Knaus gave a bold answer. He declared that he wanted Ray’s job, and evidently, that impressed the Hendrick man. Several years later, Knaus is now in a managerial role in the team, after a number of years as a crew chief.