Jimmie Johnson’s Former NASCAR Crew Chief to Skip Kansas Race for Daughter’s Birth

No matter which field of work a person is in, personal matters always takes precedence above all else. Unsurprisingly, NASCAR is no exception. Crew Chief Chad Knaus is skipping Thursday’s Cup race at Kansas Speedway. As it turns out, he and his wife Brooke are expecting the birth of their second child.

In light of this, Hendrick Motorsports will temporarily replace Knaus with the former Crew Chief, Keith Rodden. Rodden will guide William Byron, who is gunning for a final playoff spot.

“Originally, this was going to be a stretch of back-to-back off weekends for us and everything was going to go to plan so I could be home for those two weeks,” Knaus revealed in a press release. “Unfortunately, we now have two races in one week due to the shift in the schedule from the pandemic.

“Either way, we still have a great plan in place so that I get to be by Brooke’s side, and we can welcome our baby girl together.”

Rodden has plenty of experience in NASCAR

The former Crew Chief has got 138 Cup Series races under his belt and has advised the likes of Jamie McMurray and Kasey Kahne. In fact, under his guidance, Kahne took his final Cup win on July 23, 2017, at Indianapolis.

Additionally, Rodden and McMurray won the 2014 All-Star Race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

It is worth noting that Hendrick Motorsports anticipated this situation and kept Rodden on standby. He assured that he knew Knaus for a long time and that they were good friends.

The 39-year-old also revealed that he worked with William Byron on many occasions in the event that Knaus was unavailable.

He insisted that the team’s goal is to win and bring a trophy back for Chad Knaus and his daughter. Interestingly, Rodden will be Byron’s third NASCAR Crew Chief in his Cup career after Knaus and Darian Grubb.

“I’m excited for Chad and Brooke on having their second child,” Byron said. “This is an important moment for them as a family. While we will miss Chad at the track on Thursday, I know that Keith will do a good job taking over during his absence.

“No matter the situation, the goal remains the same for the No. 24 team and we’re all committed to it.”

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