Steve Letarte, crew chief of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet driven by Jeff Gordon, was presented the NASCAR® MOOG® “Problem Solver of the Race” Award after Gordon nearly caught race leader Tony Stewart in the closing laps of the Price Chopper 400 at Kansas Speedway.
Presented by Federal-Mogul Corporation, manufacturer of MOOG chassis parts, the MOOG Problem Solver of the Race Award is presented following each Sprint Cup event to the crew chief whose car posts the largest increase in average lap speed from the first half to the second half of a race while finishing on the lead lap. Thanks largely to the work of Letarte and crew, the No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet posted a race-best .309-second improvement over the final 134 laps of the 1.5-mile Kansas tri-oval.
Gordon, who started the day in ninth position, battled a variety of handling problems in the early portion of the race. Letarte made a series of adjustments throughout the day to dial in the car’s handling by optimizing tire grip on the MOOG-equipped chassis.
By the final restart with 26 laps to go, Gordon had the setup he needed to close what had been a sizable gap with Stewart. The No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet outran Greg Biffle (No. 16 Ford) and Juan Montoya (No. 42 Chevrolet) over the final green-flag run but ran out of time before it could catch Stewart’s No. 14 Chevrolet.
“Steve Letarte did a masterful job of utilizing the adjustability of the MOOG brand’s precise chassis components to help put the No. 24 car in a position to win in the closing laps,” says Federal-Mogul Motorsports Director Tim Nelson. “Jeff Gordon told reporters after the race that he didn’t think they had a chance at a strong finish based on the car’s early problems, but Steve’s problem-solving skill in the pits made a huge difference.”
For more information, visit www.moogproblemsolver.com.
