Johnson’s architect moves into new garage

Daytona Beach, Fla. — Chad Knaus got his first big break at Hendrick Motorsports when he was picked to build a team from scratch around a rookie driver who had yet to prove he belonged at NASCAR’s top level. The driver was Jimmie Johnson. Once Johnson was paired with Knaus as crew chief, the duo took off and won a record-tying seven championships as the No. 48 team blossomed into one of the best in NASCAR history. Despite a 17-year friendship and all their success, the strain of underperforming last year was the final push toward their split.

Their chance to race for a record eighth Cup title together is gone and each has new roles. Johnson will at last be the leader of the No. 48, a job he never had sole possession of under Knaus.

Knaus, the winningest crew chief in the garage, is essentially starting over. He goes to the Daytona 500 as crew chief for second-year driver William Byron, tasked with rebuilding the famed No. 24 team Jeff Gordon led to four titles.

“It’s just a different number and a different driver,” Knaus said. Hardly. Knaus started at Hendrick as an early member of Gordon’s “Rainbow Warriors” crew. His mentor was Hall of Fame crew chief Ray Evernham and Knaus aspired to one day lead that team. He left Hendrick briefly to gain experience outside the organization and when he returned it wasn’t for his dream job. Knaus instead was named head of a team that didn’t yet exist and it was his job to build it around Johnson.

Knaus, wound tight with a laser-focus, led Johnson to victory lane by the 10th race of his rookie season and they were championship runner-up the next two years. But when they lost the title in 2005 and Knaus’ intensity became too much for Johnson, team owner Rick Hendrick made the pair sit down over milk and cookies to either resolve their differences or be split up.

Johnson and Knaus came to a resolution and reeled off a record five consecutive titles, then added two more in 2013 and 2016 to join Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt as seven-time winners. Johnson won 83 races in Knaus-built Chevrolets and a pair of Daytona 500s, but as the Hendrick organization struggled last year, the No. 48 team failed to win a race for the first time since it launched in 2002.