Two-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart secured his first win of the
year and the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet's crew chief, Darian
Grubb, was selected as the NASCAR MOOG Problem Solver of the Race in
the Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Sponsored by Federal-Mogul Corporation, the MOOG Problem
Solver of the Race Award is presented to the crew chief whose car posts
the largest increase in average lap speed from the first half to the
second half of the event while finishing on the lead lap. Stewart and
the No. 14 Chevrolet posted a 0.595-second-per-lap improvement on Atlanta's
1.54-mile quad-oval track.
Stewart's win came in convincing fashion, with the No. 14 car's MOOG-
equipped chassis delivering what the driver described as the best
handling he has experienced all year. The driver used this advantage to
capture the lead after a restart on lap 301 and then power away from the
field. He beat Carl Edwards to the checkered flag by 1.316
seconds.
The victory clinched Stewart's spot in the 10-race Chase for the Sprint
Cup championship finale, which begins in two weeks at New Hampshire
Motor Speedway. Grubb's MOOG Problem Solver of the Race Award is his
second of the year, putting him in a four-way tie for second place in
the battle for the season-ending MOOG Problem Solver of the Year Award. Shane Wilson, crew chief of the No. 33 Chevrolet driven by Clint
Bowyer, leads the pack with three MOOG Award wins in 2010.
"We've got seven crew chiefs with a legitimate shot at MOOG Problem
Solver of the Year honors," says Federal-Mogul Motorsports Director Tim
Nelson. "This is one of the most challenging and prestigious awards in
Cup racing because there are so many variables at play, both in the pits
and on the track, during every race. The only constant is the fact that
each of these crew chiefs and drivers has chosen MOOG chassis parts for
their car."
For additional information, visit www.moogproblemsolver.com.
