Knaus, 48 team stumped for second week in a row

HAMPTON, Ga. -- Sunday evening, while his men surrounded their No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, crew chief Chad Knaus, who had helped push Jimmie Johnson's ride back to the garage area while looking absolutely engrossed in thought, continued in that mode.

When the car was stopped behind its hauler -- located on the end of the row, closest to the gate out to the racetrack to denote its driver's status as the previous season's champion, Knaus walked around it, furrowing his brow and while not exactly scowling, definitely not smiling.

Kobalt Tools 500

Official Results

Pos.	Driver	Make
1.	Kyle Busch	Toyota
2.	Tony Stewart	Toyota
3.	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Chevrolet
4.	Greg Biffle	Ford
5.	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet
6.	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet
7.	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet
8.	Matt Kenseth	Ford
9.	Brian Vickers	Toyota
10.	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet
13.	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet

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He opened the car's hood and looked inside, then borrowed a mechanic's glove to burrow into the engine compartment.

Hardly saying a word, Knaus left, heading toward the far end of the garage and picking his way through a mass of mechanics, equipment and onlookers that could only occur during the breakdown of a circus site -- or the packing up of a Sprint Cup garage.

It was only 15 minutes after the checkered flag had fallen over the Kobalt Tools 500. Two-time defending Cup champion Johnson had just finished 13th -- only his second finish worse than sixth in his last 10 Atlanta Motor Speedway starts -- and Knaus was nearly beside himself.

Knaus walked halfway down the row of transporters until he found Hendrick teammate and fellow crew chief Tony Eury Jr., whose No. 88 Impala SS and driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. had finished third behind race winner Kyle Busch and Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota teammate Tony Stewart.

The men talked for maybe five minutes, before Knaus walked quietly back to his transporter, where he again stood alongside the car, his chin resting in his hand as he stared at the silent, black-and-silver piece. Then he walked away to lean on a nearby pit cart.

When asked if the good timing that enabled Johnson to get not one, but two free passes to get back on the lead lap in the race's final 93 laps was one positive that could be taken away from the day, Knaus finally smiled, though the revelation was little consolation.

"Yeah -- sometimes you need a little bit of luck, and we got some [Sunday]," Knaus said. "We were able to stay on the lead lap -- barely."

That Johnson could get back on the lead lap with 93 laps left and fall back off it only 25 laps later, was a statement of how the day had gone. Sunday's outing was bad enough that Johnson barely ever scratched into the top 10 in the running order over 325 laps, and was the last car on the lead lap at the checkered flag.

"It was just out of control," Knaus said of his team's Impala. "I didn't get it -- same as last week [at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a 29th-place finish]. I don't know what happened [but] trust me, we're working hard trying to get it figured out.

"I mean, it's not like we're going home and relaxing, but I don't know ... We're working. We're working to get smarter every time we get on the racetrack and sometimes it's just as important to learn what doesn't work as what does work." (Continued)