Dale Earnhardt Jr. and crew chief Steve Letarte continue
to climb the
NASCAR® Sprint Cup standings with their
fourth top-10 finish of the season in Saturday night's
Samsung Mobile 500 event at Texas Motor Speedway.
Following the race, Letarte received Federal-Mogul’s
MOOG® chassis parts
“Problem Solver of the Race” Award
for the third time in just seven starts with the No. 88
team.
The MOOG Problem Solver award honors the crew chief
whose problem-solving expertise helps drive the largest
improvement in average lap speed during the second half
of each Sprint Cup event while finishing on the lead
lap. The MOOG chassis parts-equipped No. 88 Chevrolet
once again posted the best second half with a 0.062-
second improvement over the final 167 laps for a ninth-
place finish at Texas.
“Every time the No. 88 car came out of the pits, it was
significantly better at every point on the track, with
exceptional handling. That’s a testament to Steve’s
talents as a problem solver,” said Federal-Mogul
Motorsports Director Tim Nelson. “Dale Jr. and Steve
make a great team and their performance in the first
seven races shows they’re a force to be reckoned
with.”
The No. 88 car started in 28th position but picked up 10
spots before the first round of pit stops. Earnhardt
consistently ran in the top 12 all night and cracked the
top 10 for the third and final time with fewer than 20
laps to go. Since a disappointing 24th-place performance
at Daytona, the #88 car has finished no lower than 12th
and was runner-up at Martinsville last week. Earnhardt
now stands 6th overall in Sprint Cup points.
“It’s just a matter of time before Dale Jr. and Steve
get their first win together – they’re making huge
progress each week,” Nelson said. “We’re pleased that
they rely on MOOG components to provide the precise
handling and superior durability they need to be
successful on every track.”
MOOG steering and suspension components are the leading
choice of NASCAR crew chiefs and automotive service
technicians and are available through thousands of
leading repair locations throughout North America. The
unique benefits of MOOG products are highlighted in
Federal-Mogul’s “Smart Choice” campaign, which
reinforces the message that longer lasting, better
performing replacement parts are today's best option for
technicians and consumers.
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 www.FMe-cat.com electronic
catalog.
