Interim crew chief Darian Grubb lifts the Daytona 500 trophy Sunday night in Victory Lane. Credit: Gavin Lawrence/Getty Images

Grubb handling attention like a veteran leader

Interim crew chief for No. 48 says not much will change

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Darian Grubb found himself backed into a corner of his hauler, surrounded by three reporters, late last week at Daytona International Speedway.

Talk about on-the-job training.

Credit: Autostock

Daytona 500 Unofficial Results Pos. Driver Make 1. J. Johnson Chevrolet 2. C. Mears Dodge 3. R. Newman Dodge 4. E. Sadler Ford 5. T. Stewart Chevrolet Complete results, click here Victory LaneJimmie Johnson celebrates a Daytona 500 victory Top finishersNewman, Kenseth, Stewart, and Junior talk about their day Rough racingStewart slides into Kenseth and is sent to the back of the field Multi-car wreckJeff Green spins in Turn 3 and collects several others Gordon and Stewart brush wallGordon and Stewart make contact and brush the wall Early cautionRacing is clean until Truex Jr. finds the wall Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

Until then, Grubb was the faceless person who sat next to Chad Knaus atop the pit box on race days. He would make calls such as tire pressure, tire wear, fuel mileage and adjustments.

Now he's the crew chief.

"It's kind of funny,'' said Grubb, who was named Jimmie Johnson's interim crew chief when Knaus was ejected from the Daytona 500 for rigging an illegal device to raise the rear window in qualifying. "I'd say the biggest challenge has been the media side of things.''

The media attention won't die anytime soon, not after Johnson won the Daytona 500, not after NASCAR suspended Knaus for the next three races at California, Las Vegas and Atlanta.

But Grubb, 30, is adjusting well. He has his sponsorship duties down pat, referring to Johnson's car as the Lowe's Monte Carlo from the get-go. He knows how to communicate with Johnson and make adjustments to make the car handle better.

He even seems calm under fire from the media.

In other words, not much has changed.

"Chad has built leadership and skills into all of us,'' Grubb said. "We thrive on our work. We're sitting out in a van 30 minutes before the [garage] gates open to make sure we're the first ones in and the last ones to leave. NASCAR has to push us out.

"Can't say anything is going to change. Everyone just has to do a little extra. Everyone has skill sets to step up and do whatever needs to be done.''

One can better understand why Grubb is so matter of fact about the situation when you realize what he did to get here.

He grew up in Floyd, Va., a town of 431. His mom is a student service specialist in the Animal and Poultry Science Undergraduate Advising Office at Virginia Tech. His dad works in construction.

He spent five years (1993-98) getting his engineering degree at Virginia Tech, a 25-mile trip from home. He grew up a big Tech football fan -- coach Frank Beamer's wife was his sister's second-grade teacher -- but he seldom went to games because he was always somewhere racing.

As a senior, he led Tech's Mini Baja team to a second-place finish in the national series in an all-terrain vehicle nicknamed "Tink,'' short for "Tinker Bell.''

Grubb was working at Volvo in Greensboro, N.C., in 1999, when he put his resume on a free Internet site for those wanting to get into racing.

GRUBB STEPS FORWARD Darian Grubb stepped the right foot forward in the biggest race of his career, writes NASCAR.COM's Marty Smith.  •   Complete story,  click here Crew chief Chad Knaus was ejected from Speedweeks , and lead engineer Darian Grubb will assume duties.  •   Complete story,  click here Smith on KnausMarty Smith reacts to the penalty handed down to Chad Knaus Knaus reactsChad Knaus on his driver's Daytona 500 win and his penalty Highs and Lowe'sKnaus on his pride in the 48 team and the challenges ahead Press PassListen to the media interview the Daytona 500 winner Jimmie Johnson Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

After a short stint with Petty Enterprises developing the Dodge Intrepid, he was hired in 2001 by Hendrick Motorsports to work with Knaus as the lead engineer for then-rookie Johnson.

Since then, he's been sitting on the pit box with Knaus, although his duties at the shop have expanded to lead engineer for the teams of Johnson and Jeff Gordon, and a liaison for the teams of Brian Vickers and Kyle Busch.

"He's a very intelligent guy,'' Knaus said. "He has a mechanical engineering degree, [but] that really doesn't mean a whole lot. That's just a piece of paper.

"But what you've got more so is the fact that he's a racer. He's worked in the production world. He's built racecars. He's an awesome guy. ... I've won a lot of races with Darian on my side, and we're going to win a lot more.''

The pressure, Grubb said, was not getting bumped to Knaus' replacement. The pressure was getting to a position where somebody would want him to replace Knaus.

"There's a few eyes [on me], but I really don't notice it,'' Grubb said. "I'm just here to do my job, keep everything together on the team.''

Grubb was the natural replacement for Knaus. He already did a lot of what Knaus does and he had a good relationship with Johnson.

"Jimmie and I still talk like we always have,'' Grubb said. "We've always had very candid conversations. His direct conversations are always with Chad, but I'm always there and involved with it.''

Johnson said he and Grubb were totally in sync at Daytona, but admitted this week's race at California will be the real test because there are more adjustments to be made than at a restrictor-plate track.

"That's going to be the real challenge, at Fontana how well we work together,'' Johnson said.

But winning the Daytona 500 makes it easier.

"The victory carries a lot of confidence,'' Johnson said.

Grubb said the only time he was nervous was when he got the call telling him he would replace Knaus.

"My stomach went rock-bottom,'' he said. "I was home with my wife, she was sick that day. It was a big call. I had more nerves that night than I did Sunday on the pit box. ''

Now it's business as usual.

"I'm sliding over one [seat] for now,'' Grubb said. "But I can easily slide back when Chad comes back.''