CONCORD, N.C. –- Chad Knaus, Hendrick Motorsports’ vice president of competition, is excited to see NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon join the organization full time in 2022 as vice chairman.
Knaus was a tire changer for Gordon and the No. 24 team in his early years at Hendrick Motorsports. Gordon raced for the organization full time from 1992 to 2015 while Knaus worked his way up the ranks to become the crew chief of Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team in 2002. Now the two will be working on the same umbrella in executive roles instead of competing at the track.
“I think it is fantastic,” Knaus said on SiriusXM radio. “Obviously, I am huge fan of Jeff Gordon … I have a lot of respect for him on a lot of different levels … I meet with Jeff frequently; I chat with him frequently and I enjoy our conversations. I enjoy his guidance and I think he is going to be a huge asset to us.”
Hendrick Motorsports announced on June 23 that Gordon will join Hendrick Motorsports as second in command to team owner Rick Hendrick. Gordon drove for Hendrick Motorsports for the entirety of his NASCAR Cup Series career, notching 93 wins, 325 top-five finishes and 477 top-10s along with four Cup Series championships.
“He’s never not been a part of Hendrick Motorsports,” Knaus said. “He’s always here, coming around and chatting with the guys, the drivers, the crew chiefs. He is a part of this company and to be named vice chairman I think it a real honor for him.”
Like Gordon did after he retired from full-time racing, Knaus decided at the end of 2020 to step back from being at the track every weekend to spend more time with his family. While he isn’t gone 38 weekends out of the year anymore, Knaus’ life has hardly slowed down. He and his wife Brooke are the proud parents to Kipling, who will be 3 in August, and Vivienne Mae, who will celebrate her first birthday at the end of July.
“He’s all boy, man,” Knaus said of Kipling. “He busted his lip the other day and had to go get stitches and now he his hobbling around because he did a flying dive off of his bed onto the ground and twisted his ankle. Vivienne is just sweet as can be, man. Just a cute, sweet little girl and she is just starting to walk.
“It’s a lot of fun and I really enjoy being a father.”