Chad Knaus (left) has broken NASCAR laws again.Call him a daredevil who dances on the edges of the NASCAR rulebook like a Mariano Rivera cutter paints the corners of the plate. Call it a throwback to the good old days when “if you don’t cheat, you don’t compete” was the phrase to go by. Or just call him a blatant rule breaker, with no regard for the integrity of his sport.
Either way, everyone has an opinion on Chad Knaus – the only crew chief Jimmie Johnson ever had in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Knaus incurred his third suspension earlier this week (a fourth was overturned a few years ago) for violations noted before the first practice of the Daytona 500.
I’ll spare you the details, because by now you probably all know what happened. However, I will not hesitate to speak out about the consequences of Knaus’ actions.
The perfect comparison to another sport is Bill Belichick. When “Spygate” broke in 2007, it called into question the integrity of the Patriots’ three Super Bowl victories under Belichick. How long did the Pats film opposing coaches’ signals before Eric Mangini and the Jets finally called them out? Well, how many other violations did Knaus commit that were NOT caught during Johnson’s streak of five consecutive Sprint Cup titles?
The difference is that NASCAR has a series of templates that cars must meet before being allowed on the track. Anything that falls short is subject to some sort of action. It appears that NASCAR inspectors knew, just by looking at the No. 48 car, that something was wrong with the now infamous “C posts.” It’s a shame when they can see it without having to look closer than with the naked eye,
Belichick, meanwhile, had to be discovered. It needed someone with knowledge of the inner workings of the Patriots, and a former assistant like Mangini certainly fit that mold. He waited for the moment to strike and denounced his former boss.
I would be naive to think that Chad Knaus is the only one settling into the gray areas of NASCAR. It’s just that he has lived there for 10 years now and has clashed several times with the municipal police.
Several media types have said – and I agree – that the ball is in the court of car owners Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon and sponsor Lowe’s. Although Lowe’s has received a ton of publicity because of the 10-year success of the Johnson/Knaus team, I’m sure the executives there don’t like hearing their company’s name mixed up in controversy about not doing things the right way.
Lowe’s could easily say, “Hey Rick and Jeff, it’s Knaus or us. Take your pick.” In today’s economic climate, even a five-time champion might struggle to replace a long-time loyal sponsor. Money talks.
Now let’s move on to some quick overviews on other topics:
I have no problem with Brad Keselowski’s tweet during the red flag at the Daytona 500. It brought increased attention to NASCAR at a time when some might have otherwise turned away from racing. The problem will be trying to enforce the rules to be sure Keselowski and others who race with their cellphones in the car aren’t using them to bypass the public airwaves on which the teams’ radio transmissions are transmitted.
Speaking of Twitter, Kenny Wallace and car owner Robby Benton are arguing over Wallace’s approach to finding a sponsor for his No. 09 Nationwide Series car. Wallace has taken to social media to state his case, at times appearing to be asking for help, while Benton is taking a wait-and-see approach. I interviewed Kenny – aka “The Hermanator” – a few years ago, and he is as easy-going and funny as you see him on TV. He is also a much more talented driver than he is given credit for. However, he is in his 40s, which is not the demographic many sponsors are looking for. That’s the cold reality of NASCAR these days, especially with lines of young drivers using daddy’s money to get into races they’re not talented enough for.
And finally, we end with Danica Patrick. Once again, his exploits last week at Daytona were put to death. I can’t wait to see what she does later Saturday at the Nationwide race in her hometown of Phoenix. She didn’t qualify well, but she improved her patience during her time in NASCAR. At Phoenix, there’s much less chance of Patrick getting mixed up in incidents like she did at Speedweeks, and crew chief Tony Eury Jr. will likely have a good strategy in mind. I think she’s worth watching, if not on Saturday, then next week in Las Vegas – where last year she finished fourth, the best finish ever by a woman in the national NASCAR series.
