Evernham still influences

By CHRIS JENKINS

AP Sports Writer

If a crew chief is the NASCAR equivalent to a head coach in the NFL, Ray Evernham might be the Bill Parcells of pit road.

Evernham won three Cup series championships as the crew chief for Jeff Gordon and the No. 24 team in the 1990s, raising the bar for the rest of the garage by bringing more technology and professionalism into the sport. After leaving Hendrick Motorsports to start his own team a decade ago, Evernham now works as an analyst for ESPN.

He’s no longer directly involved in competition, but his continuing influence on the sport can be seen up and down pit road.

By Evernham’s calculation, at least 11 current Sprint Cup series crew chiefs — and several more in the Nationwide series — worked for him at some point in their careers. It’s a track record similar to that of Parcells, who helped groom numerous assistants to eventually become NFL head coaches.

Evernham says that as a crew chief and team owner, he owed employees the same kind of guidance he received from mentors early in his career.

“It feels good that you’re able to pass some of it down,” he said. “You have a sense of duty if you care about the sport.”

While Evernham is distancing himself from the team he founded — the organization once known as Evernham Motorsports has merged with Richard Petty’s team, and Evernham is in the process of selling his ownership stake — many of the crew members he hired continue to play key roles in the team’s hierarchy.

But Evernham’s legacy is most apparent at Hendrick.

Chad Knaus, who was a mechanic and crew member for the No. 24 team under Evernham, has guided Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team to four straight series championships. Steve Letarte, who began working for the No. 24 team as a teenager, occupies Evernham’s former spot as Jeff Gordon’s crew chief. And Lance McGrew, who once worked under Evernham on a team in the second-tier series now known as Nationwide, is leading Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88 team.

“I don’t think it’s a coincidence,” Letarte said.

Letarte says he learned about leadership, work ethic and attention to detail from Evernham. And he believes being associated with success has made it easier for former Evernham crew members to climb the ladder.

“It’s improved your resume enough that it opens doors,” Letarte said.

Evernham said his team attracted people with the kind of personality to eventually become crew chiefs.

“I think they had it within them to go and learn,” Evernham said. “Most times, they seek you out.”

McGrew remembers his job interview with Evernham, simply being “in awe” and hoping he got the job.

Knaus was less reverent in his job interview, showing off the bordering-on-cocky confidence that would eventually become his calling card as Johnson’s crew chief. As part of the interview process, Evernham asked perspective employees if they had a five-year plan for their careers.

“Chad looked at me and said, ‘I want to have your job,’” Evernham said. “And that’s the guy you hire.”

Letarte said Evernham encouraged employees to voice dissenting opinions, although they didn’t necessarily win many arguments.