Crew chief Kenny Francis wins NASCAR MOOG ‘Problem Solver’ award

Kenny Francis, crew chief of the Budweiser Ford driven by Kasey Kahne, was presented the NASCAR MOOG “Problem Solver of the Race” Award in recognition of the team’s first top-10 finish of the season, in Sunday’s Shelby American Sprint Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Sponsored by Federal-Mogul Corporation, manufacturer of MOOG steering and suspension parts, the MOOG 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 the race while finishing on the lead lap. Kahne posted a race-best 0.386-second improvement over the final 134 laps in Las Vegas to finish ninth overall.

The top-10 finish is the highlight of the early portion of the 2010 season for the team, which had strong cars but fell victim to crashes in each of the two previous Sprint Cup races. Kahne ran particularly fast after a series of mid-race adjustments to the car’s precisely tuned, MOOG-equipped chassis, which resulted in dramatically improved steering and handling performance.

“Kasey and Kenny brought a strong car to Las Vegas and Kenny made it even more competitive with several track bar and tire pressure adjustments to match rising track temperatures,” said Federal-Mogul Motorsports Director Tim Nelson. “That’s the type of problem solving that helps win races.”