Sony Stewart drove his No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil One Chevrolet from 42nd position to victory and his crew chief, Steve Addington, capped the evening with his NASCAR® Sprint Cup Series-leading third MOOG® “Problem Solver of the Race” Award in the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.
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MOOG Steering and Suspension parts manufacturer Federal-Mogul announced Addington’s Problem Solver award after the No. 14 car posted a race-best 0.047-second improvement in average lap time over the final 80 trips around Daytona’s 2.5-mile tri-oval while finishing on the lead lap. Of course, Stewart did more than finish on the lead lap – he came back to win from the lowest-ever starting position at Daytona, completing the job with an exciting last-lap side-draft pass that gave the MOOG-steered Chevrolet its third Cup victory of 2012.
Stewart and Addington posted the second-best qualifying time for Saturday’s race but were relegated to 42nd position after an inspector found an uncapped cooling hose in the cockpit. The No. 14 was running half a lap behind the leaders until the race’s first caution, on Lap 81, opened the door for the driver known as “Smoke.” Stewart seized the opportunity, powering through the field to grab the lead just 50 laps later. A massive wreck set up a two-lap sprint to the finish, with Stewart seemingly stuck behind the draft of Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle. That’s when the reigning Sprint Cup champion pulled a nifty side-draft to split the pair and capture the lead coming out of Turn 2.
“That was a thrilling move that took a lot of talent, guts and a great-handling car,” said Federal-Mogul Motorsports Director Tim Nelson. “Tony and Steve had some bad luck after Friday’s qualifying, but the No. 14 was every bit as fast over the second half of tonight’s race as it was inqualifying. Steve’s excellent work put Tony in position to win, which is all you can ask of a crew chief, and Smoke didn’t let him down.”
With his latest MOOG award win, Addington now leads in the battle for the prestigious, $100,000 MOOG “Problem Solver of the Year” Award. Five crew chiefs – Jimmy Fennig (No. 17 Ford), Alan Gustafson (No. 24 Chevrolet), Steve Letarte (No. 88 Chevrolet), Chad Johnston (No. 56 Toyota), and Chad Knaus (No. 48 Chevrolet) – are tied for second with two weekly MOOG Problem Solver awards each.MOOG Steering and Suspension components are the leading choice of crew chiefs and automotive repair professionals and have helped drive an unprecedented 46 consecutive NASCAR Cup champions to victory.
For additional information regarding MOOG chassis parts, please visit the brand’s technician-focused www.moogproblemsolver.com website or contact your MOOG supplier. To identify the right MOOG part for virtually any application, please use the convenient, free electronic catalog.
For more information, please visit www.federalmogul.com.
