Chad Knaus Named 2025 Smokey Yunick Award Recipient

Knaus was Inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2024

Speedway Motorsports President and CEO Marcus Smith, left, presents the
Smokey Yunick Award to Hendrick Motorsports Vice President of Competition
Chad Knaus on Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

 

One of NASCAR’s most successful crew chiefs, Hendrick Motorsports Vice President of Competition Chad Knaus, was named the recipient of the venerated 2025 Smokey Yunick Award prior to Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. 

 

Named after the legendary mechanic and innovator Henry "Smokey" Yunick, the annual recognition was instituted in 1997 to recognize an individual from humble beginnings who demonstrated exceptional innovation and made a major impact in the world of motorsports. Yunick passed away in 2001, and Charlotte Motor Speedway has continued the award in his memory.

 

Knaus joins a legendary list of NASCAR greats who have received the honor, including Ralph Moody, Ray Evernham, Dale Inman, Richard Childress, Rick Hendrick, Waddell Wilson, Larry McReynolds, Ernie Elliott and Harry Hyde.

 

Speedway Motorsports President and CEO Marcus Smith presented the award to Knaus before the green flag of the eighth running of the Bank of America ROVAL ™ 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the track where his No. 48 team found so much success during his 20-year career on top of the pit box.

 

"This means a lot to me," Knaus said on Sunday. "I have been a Smokey Yunick fan for my career, quite honestly, and the biggest reason is because of the stemming of invention and pushing the boundaries – that if there's not a rule, try to exploit that opportunity. When I was a young man, the stories, and the lore of Smokey Yunick, was there. That was a bit of a fuel for me – it was something that I wanted to try to create.

 

"That was something that was really cool for me. It's unfortunate I never got the opportunity to meet [Yunick]."

 

A seven-time Cup Series champion, Knaus was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2024. Over the course of a 20-year career, Knaus earned 82 career wins – 81 with fellow NASCAR Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson and one with Charlotte-native William Byron. Knaus and Johnson scored eight points paying victories and four All-Star Race triumphs at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

 

A native of Rockford, Illinois, Knaus grew up helping his father, John, an accomplished short-track racer throughout the Midwest. At 14, the younger Knaus served as crew chief when his father captured the Rockford Speedway track championship. He began his NASCAR career in 1991 as a member of Stanley Smith's race team, and has also worked for Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, Tyler Jet Motorsports and Melling Racing.

 

Since 2023, Knaus has also been an active board member with the Charlotte chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities.

 

 

source: Charlotte Motor Speedway Media

2024 NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductees

 

Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus, who as a driver and crew chief duo won a NASCAR record-tying seven Cup Series titles, lead the newest class of inductees into NASCAR’s Hall of Fame.

Two drivers – one from the Pioneer Ballot and one from the Modern Era Ballot – and one crew chief were elected Wednesday to become the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s class of inductees in 2024.

 

Joining the Hall of Fame from the Modern Era Ballot:

 

Jimmie Johnson: Johnson, 47, won seven Cup championships, equal with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the most all-time. Five of those titles came in succession between 2006 and 2010, a NASCAR record. That stretch of success surpassed the previous mark held by Cale Yarborough, who won three straight titles from 1976-78.

 

Johnson also won 83 races in a career dating back to 2001 and spanning 689 races. He is a two-time winner of the Daytona 500 (2006 and 2013). He also won four times each in the Coca-Cola 600 and Brickyard 400, adding two Southern 500 crowns along the way.

 

Johnson’s racing career began with motorcycles and off-road trucks. He eventually moved to asphalt – first in the American Speed Association circuit and then a brief stint in what is now the Xfinity Series. Once there, he caught the attention of current Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon, who advocated for his addition to Hendrick Motorsports.

 

It is an incredible honor to be voted into the @NASCARHall with the Class of 2024.

What makes this moment even more special is being inducted with @chadknaus. We re-wrote the record books together, so it’s only fitting we are inducted together. Congratulations also to Donnie… pic.twitter.com/HQSeBTmISo

— Jimmie Johnson (@JimmieJohnson) August 2, 2023

Chad Knaus: Leading his father to multiple track championships as a teenager, Knaus was destined to be a successful crew chief at stock car racing’s highest level. His NASCAR start came at Hendrick Motorsports as an assistant in the body shop, learning under Hall of Famer Ray Evernham as part of the “Rainbow Warriors.” His breakthrough came in 2002 when he was paired with Johnson on a fourth Hendrick team – the start of one of the most productive partnerships in sports history.

 

The pair combined for seven Cup championships, including a NASCAR-record five in a row. They won 81 races over 19 seasons. Knaus won his 82nd – and final – race with Hendrick driver William Byron in 2020. He trails only Dale Inman and Leonard Wood for all-time wins by a crew chief. Knaus, 51, currently serves as Vice President of Competition for Hendrick Motorsports.

 

Joining the Hall of Fame from the Pioneer Ballot:

 

Donnie Allison: After winning the 1967 Cup Series Rookie of the Year, Allison partnered with famed mechanic Banjo Matthews where he experienced his most success. In 1970, Allison won three races for Matthews, including the Coca-Cola 600. The following weekend he finished fourth in the Indianapolis 500, setting a record for best-combined finish in the two-race crossover that still stands today.

 

Allison, 83, who ended his career with 10 wins and 17 poles in 242 starts, might be best-known for his role in NASCAR’s most famous moment – his 1979 Daytona 500 fight with Cale Yarborough.

 

Donnie Allison reflects on career after Hall of Fame selection | NASCAR https://t.co/MV7nuJrsbT pic.twitter.com/GoVklEjepT

— Flyin18T Motorsports (@Flyin18T) August 3, 2023

Landmark Award

Janet Guthrie:The first woman to compete in the Daytona 500, will be honored with the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.

 

The 2024 Hall of Fame class will be formally inducted in January 2024.

 

This was the third class determined under the redesigned format for Hall inductions.

 

There were 10 nominees on the Modern Era ballot and five on the Pioneer ballot – designed to honor those whose careers began more than 60 years ago. Two Modern Era candidates and one Pioneer candidate now compose each Hall class.

 

We’re proud to announce that Janet Guthrie will receive the NASCAR Hall of Fame 2024 Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to #NASCAR. #NASCARHall pic.twitter.com/RPZslmPHVM

— NASCAR Hall of Fame (@NASCARHall) August 2, 2023

 

source: Motorsports.com Media