DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Crew chief Chad Knaus may not have discovered the fountain of youth in “trading” 43-year-old Jimmie Johnson for a driver less than half his age, but there was definitely a bounce in Knaus’ stride as he hastened to congratulate his new charge, 21-year-old William Byron, on his Daytona 500 pole-winning run.
Teamed together for the first time, Byron and Knaus led a 1-2-3-4 performance by Hendrick Motorsports in Sunday’s qualifying session for the Feb. 17 Great American Race.
That success comes after a season that was a struggle for all of the Hendrick teams, save for three-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race winner Chase Elliott. But Hendrick power was unquestionably dominant in Sunday’s time trials.
“Yeah, our engine shop is pretty amazing,” Knaus acknowledged. “I think you can see that just from the accomplishments they’ve had over the course of the last… well, the course of its existence is pretty spectacular.
“And to have all of those cars on the first four qualifying positions is pretty remarkable.”
But that doesn’t mean Knaus feels as if he has shed a substantial number of his 47 years.
“As far as feeling 21 again?” Knaus said with a laugh. “Man, I’m a long ways from that. A wise man told me once, he said, when I was young, I used to go to bed sore and wake up feeling fine. Now that I’m old, I go to bed feeling fine and I wake up sore, and there’s some reality to that. “But it has put some wind in the sails, for sure. To be around a young group of guys again, seeing that enthusiasm, the big eyes, the open eyes, is a lot of fun, and it’s going to be a great time.”
Source: Reid Spencer | NASCAR Wire Service
