Jimmie Johnson's Pit Crew Changed During Texas Race

Filed under: Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup, NASCAR

In a move akin to replacing a playoff team in the midst of their championship battle, Jimmie Johnson's pit crew was replaced by crew chief Chad Knaus in the middle of the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, leaving the future of his original pit crew in question with two races left.

Following teammate Jeff Gordon's crash -- and subsequent fight -- with Jeff Burton, Knaus opted to replace his No. 48 pit crew with Gordon's over-the-wall crew.

The Texas race is the third-to-last in NASCAR's Chase to the Sprint Cup championship. Johnson came into the race as the points leader and one of three drivers with a realistic chance to claim the championship. But the four-time defending champ finished ninth and lost that lead to race winner Denny Hamlin, who now has a 33-point edge.

Knaus made the call after the crew lost track position for Johnson in four of their first seven pit stops. On one stop, the front tire carrier had a split-second of trouble getting the tire onto the wheel. On another stop, some of the lug nuts came off the right front wheel and the tire changer had to take a couple of extra seconds to put them back on.

"Ultimately, its my decision, obviously," Knaus said in an interview on ESPN afterwards. "We needed to do something. This is a team; the 24/48 shop has always operated as a team and that's the way we see it."

 

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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2010/11/07/jimmie-johnsons-pit-crew-changed-during-texas-race/

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