Matt Borland, crew chief for Ryan Newman and the No. 39 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet SS, received his first MOOG “Problem Solver of the Race” Award after the 39 team completed its third top-10 finish of the year in Sunday’s Auto Club 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Auto Club Speedway, Fontana, Calif.
Sponsored by global vehicle components manufacturer Federal-Mogul Corporation, the MOOG Problem Solver of the Race Award is presented following each Sprint Cup contest to the crew chief whose car posts the greatest improvement in average lap time during the second half of the race while finishing on the lead lap. Newman and the 39 Chevrolet topped the field with a 0.354-second improvement over the final 100 laps to finish 10th at Fontana.
“Ryan wasn’t happy with his qualifying run on Friday, but Matt gave him a strong car at the start and they made great adjustments to their MOOG-equipped chassis throughout the day,” said Federal-Mogul Motorsports Director Tim Nelson. “You can tell that Ryan and Matt are really making progress together, and it won’t be long before they put the 39 team back in the winner’s circle.”
Borland became Newman’s crew chief in late October 2012, after having served as competition director for Stewart-Haas Racing. He and Newman won 12 races together at Penske Racing between 2002 and 2005. With three top-10s in five starts – including a fifth-place finish at Daytona – it appears the duo has found the consistency needed to make a serious run at the Chase field this year.
As the automotive service industry’s “Problem Solver,” MOOG is the preferred brand of professional technicians and NASCAR crew chiefs. Federal-Mogul steering and suspension engineers work in partnership with Cup teams to develop and test innovative designs that help provide race-winning performance and durability. Many of these same technologies are featured in MOOG ball joints, tie rod ends and other components available for today’s passenger vehicles.
For more information regarding MOOG steering and suspension parts, visit the brand’s technician-focused www.moogproblemsolver.com website or contact your MOOG supplier. To identify the right MOOG part for virtually any application, use the convenient, free www.FMe-cat.com electronic catalog.
