Billy Scott, crew chief for Clint Bowyer and the No. 15 Maxwell House Toyota Camry, won his career-first MOOG Steering and Suspension “Problem Solver of the Race” Award after Bowyer made a late charge to finish sixth in Sunday’s Cheez-It 355 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen International. It was Scott’s fifth race as crew chief for the Michael Waltrip Racing-owned team.
Sponsored by Federal-Mogul Motorparts, the MOOG Problem Solver of the Race Award is presented following each Sprint Cup event to the crew chief whose car has posted the greatest second-half improvement in average lap time while finishing on the lead lap. Bowyer and the MOOG-equipped 15 car delivered a race-best 0.096-second differential on the 2.45-mile road course.
The 15 team, which started the race in 18th position, was looking to solidify its spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup field. Consider that mission accomplished, with the team maintaining its 50-point cushion above the cutoff with just four races to go before the season-ending 10-race playoff. The Toyota’s late charge – moving up from 19th place with 30 laps remaining – gave the team its ninth top-10 finish and much-needed breathing room heading into next week’s Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway. The race was won by Joey Logano and the MOOG-equipped No. 22 Ford.
“Clint and Billy were working on their setup all day, but the 15 car really seemed to come alive after Billy’s last round of chassis adjustments,” said Tim Nelson, director of motorsports for Federal-Mogul Motorparts.
With his first-ever Problem Solver award, Scott becomes the 15th different crew chief to win the MOOG brand’s weekly honors this season. The battle for the prestigious and lucrative ($100,000) MOOG “Problem Solver of the Year” award remains largely unchanged, with rookie crew chief Justin Alexander (Paul Menard/No. 27 Chevrolet) in the lead with three weekly MOOG awards, followed by five crew chiefs with two wins apiece.