Their approach is as different as their personalities - one intense and calculating, the other playful and gambling. At any other place and time, Chad Knaus and Steve Letarte probably wouldn’t be the top two crew chiefs in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.
Knaus is a gearhead who immerses himself in his work and little else; Letarte is a people person who enjoys every minute of the day. They are opposites working under the same roof, toward the same goal.
Their boss, car owner Rick Hendrick, is smart enough to stand back and watch his geniuses at work. He doesn’t care how they get to a championship, as long as they get there. Five Nextel Cup championships have taught Hendrick racing is about people, not cars. And rarely have two people been so different. And successful. rtunately for Knaus, he shows more patience in calling a race than he did running one. Don Coble, My Nassau Sun
Many people see Letarte and Knaus as the good cop/bad cop duo at Hendrick, with Letarte being the good cop. Knaus is viewed as a fiery Vince Lombardi type while Letarte is more of a Tom Landry kind of leader. Like Landry, the fire is there for Letarte, just not on the surface.
“I have it, I just don’t show it, ” Letarte said. “That’s where people get it wrong about me and Chad. I think our personalities are much closer than people realize. We’re cut from the same cloth. We want the same things; we just apply them in a different way. “
The drill sergeant approach doesn’t work for Letarte. He’s a positive reinforcement guy. Terry Blount, ESPN.com
Most crew chiefs will tell you their childhood dream was to be a driver. Knaus is no different.
But because his dad was the driver, and because he “wrecked a bunch of stuff” when given the opportunity to drive, he decided his focus was best served under the hood.
“I remember when I was young watching these crew chiefs on television, thinking, ‘I can’t wait to be Dale Earnhardt’s crew chief or Rusty Wallace’s crew chief. ’ It’s exciting. I’ve got a lot of responsibility, a lot of great, great guys that work for me. I wouldn’t change it for the world. ” David Newton, ESPN.com
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