Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Chad Knaus is being promoted from pit lane to the Hendrick Motorsports executive suite.
The 49-year-old was in charge of the No. 48 car for all of Johnson’s championships and has been working with William Byron since 2018.
Hendrick Motorsports announced on Tuesday that Knaus will become vice president of competition at the end of the season to oversee all of the team’s cars and its transition to the next generation NASCAR Cup Series spec car coming in 2022.
“After all these years, my competitive desire has not changed at all, but now I have a family that deserves my attention. This new executive role will allow me to compete in a different way with all four of our teams while spending more time with my wife and two young children,” Knauss said in a release on the move.
Johnson, who is planning to compete in the IndyCar series in 2022, posted a video congratulating Knaus on the news.
Knaus made the playoffs a record 17 times as crew chief and won 82 races, which puts him third all-time behind NASCAR legends Dale Inman and Leonard Wood.
Hendrick Motorsports said that Byron's new crew chief will be announced at a later date.