Buddies in shop is where it stops

Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon’s crew chiefs are competitors, yet teammates.

CORNELIUS, N.C. (AP) — Chad Knaus burst through the doors, almost an hour late for a lunch appointment.

“I’ll take a bloody mary!” Knaus called from halfway across the room, a distance not great enough to mask his frazzled demeanor from his waiting party.

“That’s my boy,” Steve Letarte replied from his seat at the table. “Nothing wrong with unwinding a little bit.”

Less than 24 hours before they headed to Phoenix for what proved to be a pivotal race in their fight for the Nextel Cup title, the Hendrick Motorsports crew chiefs squeezed in a late lunch and a quick round of nine holes at the local country club.

There’s no doubt Knaus would rather have been working, fine-tuning the race cars Jimmie Johnson needs to hold off Jeff Gordon in the race to the championship. But his intense work ethic nearly destroyed him before, and taking time to live a little has become a priority.

It doesn’t always come easy, though, and Knaus sometimes needs a swift push from Letarte to get out of the race shop and onto the links.

Don’t think, though, that Letarte is the slacker. He most certainly puts his hours in. But with a young family at home and vast interests outside of racing, Letarte recognizes when he’s done all he can to get Gordon ready.

Devoting every waking minute, obsessing over the tiniest details, will never guarantee a trip to Victory Lane.

The crew chiefs couldn’t be more different, and yet they have so much in common.

It’s made them a perfect fit for each other and provided the balance both need to manage the very best race teams in NASCAR. It’s also taught them teamwork is always the best strategy — even when you’re trying to beat your friend.

Yes, the two have been locked into a tight championship battle for the past three months, but they’ve refused to let it interfere with what’s grown into one of the best working relationships and friendships in the garage.

“We’re competitive, don’t think for a minute that we’re not,” Knaus said.

“It’s just that there’s a time to be competitive and a time to forget about work for a few hours,” Letarte finished.

They’ve clearly mastered it, combining to win 16 races this season while dominating the points standings all year. Gordon built a lead of more than 300 points during an incredibly consistent “regular season” and Johnson heads into Sunday’s finale with a comfortable 86-point margin over his teammate in the title hunt.

It’s been a magical season for both teams, and if only there could be two champions...

But there can’t be, and Johnson staked his claim on the title by scoring his fourth-straight victory on Sunday in Phoenix to widen the gap over Gordon.

Although Gordon finished a solid 10th, he conceded the title as soon as he got out of his car. A crestfallen Letarte climbed off the pit box and made the long, slow walk back to the garage.

A few hundred yards away, Knaus was subdued. His gain was Letarte’s loss, and Knaus just wasn’t comfortable reveling in the moment. He quickly credited the hard work and teamwork the two have put in all year, acutely aware that if the 24 and 48 teams didn’t work hand-in-hand, neither would be successful.

Team owner Rick Hendrick struck gold when he put these two crew chiefs together in the same shop late in the 2005 season. Gordon had just missed the Chase and needed a change atop his pit box. The job went to Letarte, 28, who started at Hendrick as a 15-year-old parts assistant while still in high school.