Should They Call Him Mr. 4-Time?

(WOMR file photo)

The Chad Knaus bust at Daytona, a couple of weeks ago, was not the first time that he has been caught, as ol DW says, “being a a rule maker, not a rule breaker”!  Call it what you want, but it is the fourth time that NASCAR has caught Mr.Knaus “modifying the race car outside of the mandated rules for competition”.

Knaus was caught modifying the C-post area on the race car.  The C-post area is the part of the car that connects the actual roof area to the rear deck area.  One would think what is all the fuss? But on closer examination, it is a very big deal. That sloping part of the roof extension directs the flow of the air over the rear window, and points it directly to the rear spoiler.  If you redirect the airflow away from the spoiler, it will be more aerodynamically smooth, and consequently, reduce the amount of drag on the race car.  Thusly, less drag equals more speed for the same amount of thrust/horsepower!

With that somewhat simplistic explanation of the advantage that Knaus was trying to gain, you can now see why NASCAR had to raise the ol BS flag, and bust Mr. Knaus!

The Daytona bust was Chad’s fourth since he has been Johnson’s crew chief, including the team’s five championships seasons. And that doesn’t include last season’s incident at Talladega when Chad was over-heard instructing Jimmie to smash his Chevy’s rear-end into the wall so that it couldn’t be examined in post-race inspection. I have a degree in Criminology, and in CSI parlance that’s known as “destroying the evidence”!

Apparently Chad is unperturbed by his image as Willie Sutton with a lug wrench! He’s back in trouble, and once again he claims the dog ate his rule book!

I’m surprised that nobody seems surprised! The TV guys brushed the whole thing off as no biggie, and even the print media has generally given Chad and Hendrick Motorsports a pass.

Maybe it’s a matter of conditioning. In the old days of NASCAR the motto was, “If you’re not cheating you’re not trying.”

Drivers refused to even call it cheating; they preferred “fudging”!

Cheating will eventually do to NASCAR what steroids has done to baseball by casting a pall of suspicion over the sport and tarnish the accomplishments of everyone who has the slightest taint.

That includes Jimmie Johnson and his incredible record five consecutive championships.

Did he win them fairly or did he secure his winning edge, however slight that it might have been, with the aid of some sort of altered-C-post type of fudging?

It ought to embarrass team owner Rick Hendrick so badly that he would order Chad to stop doing it. With Rick’s unmatched resources and talent there’s no reason to keep sneezing on his opponents’ back-swing.

Jimmie likewise should put his foot down (hopefully not on an illegally altered brake pedal). After all, he’s the one driving the getaway car and it’s his legacy that is at risk.