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Chad Knaus, the former NASCAR crew chief for seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, is someone who has plenty of experience in the world of stock car racing. The Rockford, Illinois native broke his silence this week over an issue that has plagued the 2022 season.
The introduction of the Next Gen cars with their 18-inch wheels and tires with a single lug nut this year brought along the issue of wheels coming loose off cars on track. With 17 races already done and dusted, the bizarre occurrence has managed to appear 11 times so far this year. Premier teams such as Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing have also faced issues, resulting in suspensions for their respective crew members.
Knaus, who is now the Vice President of Competition at Hendrick Motorsports, spoke on the topic recently on NASCAR Race Hub and said:
“Nobody in the industry is immune to this right now. To say we don’t have a problem is just blind. You can’t deny that we’ve got a mechanical issue. Yes, we can say all that we want that if they slow down, they do it right, this, that, and the other. You can’t do that in a competitive environment, right.”
Knaus went on to speak further on the penalty levied for a loose wheel on the track, which involved the jackman, tire changer, and crew chief being suspended for a set period. He mentioned Bubba Wallace Jr.'s case and said:
“So they (Wallace’s team) had an issue at COTA. A wheel came loose. Honestly, from my opinion, I think that was a mechanical problem that resulted in a loose wheel. Wheel comes off. Then you take the guys that they thought were the best that were on that pit crew and you take them off, right. So those guys aren’t participating anymore. So how many of those penalties were a result of those guys that were the better guys not being on that team?”
NASCAR crew chief Cliff Daniels echoes Chad Knaus's sentiments on loose wheel issues
Kyle Larson's suspended crew chief Cliff Daniels echoed Chad Knaus's views on NASCAR's loose wheel issue and the penalties levied for the same. Daniels made his thoughts clear on the topic back in April this year and said:
“If something fails or something doesn’t go according to plan, and a wheel, heaven forbid, comes off, which we all agree is a massive safety issue, we’re then going to make it an even bigger safety issue the next time that team comes to the track because we’re going to suspend two of those guys for four weeks that are the best experts that that team has at the time to put on their car. So we’re going to go ahead and put them on the sidelines for four weeks and we’re going to bring in two guys that are less experienced to go pit the car and do the same thing. So that in itself just doesn’t make sense.”
Listen to the complete interview below:
It remains to be seen what changes will be made by NASCAR to curb the occurrence of loose wheels on track.
