For the second straight year, Ryan Newman and the #39 Haas Automation Chevrolet used the Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville (VA) Speedway to relieve a variety of early-season ills, posting the team’s first top-five finish of the season and picking up much-needed Sprint Cup points. Following the rain-delayed race, Newman’s crew chief, Tony Gibson, was presented the NASCAR MOOG “Problem Solver of the Race” Award from Federal-Mogul Corporation.
The MOOG Problem Solver Award is presented following each Sprint Cup event to the crew chief whose car posts the largest increase in average lap speed from the first half to the second half of the race while finishing on the lead lap. The #39 Chevrolet, which was mired in 26th position at the start due to the weather-related cancellation of Friday’s qualifying session, picked up a race-best average of 0.062-second over the final 254 laps to finish fourth overall.
“Ryan and Tony had the fastest car in Friday’s practice session, so they had to be disappointed with their starting position after the cancellation of qualifying. It didn’t take long to see that they had the same speed and handling precision today,” said Tim Nelson, Federal-Mogul director of motorsports. “Tony put a great car on the track and made all the right calls for an impressive finish.”
Newman’s car – equipped with precision engineered MOOG chassis parts – quickly navigated through the field in the early going, improving to 13th place by Lap 113 and cracking the top five on Lap 180. The Stewart-Haas Racing-owned Chevrolet was in and out of the top 10 until the closing laps, when it jumped to second place on a double-file restart on Lap 497. Newman caught a bad break two laps later when another caution left him in the outside lane for what ultimately became a two-lap drag race to the finish.
“I don’t think anybody could have done it from the outside on the front row with old tires,” Newman said. “But to get a top four, I can’t complain.”
Available through leading vehicle service providers and parts stores across North America, MOOG chassis parts help deliver the consistent, precise steering and handling response needed to ensure success in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition. That’s why MOOG is the preferred chassis brand of crew chiefs and professional technicians.
The benefits of MOOG parts and other leading Federal-Mogul repair solutions are at the center of the company’s innovative new "Smart Choice" multi-brand campaign designed to reinforce the message that longer lasting, better performing premium replacement products are today’s best option for professionals and do-it-yourselfers.
For additional information regarding MOOG steering and suspension products, visit the brand’s technician-focused www.moogproblemsolver.com website or contact your MOOG supplier. To learn more about the Federal-Mogul “Smart Choice” campaign, simply visit www.FMSmartChoice.com.