David Gilliland and the No. 38 Long John Silver’s Ford Fusion delivered another impressive performance at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, and crew chief Frank Kerr picked up his first MOOG Steering and Suspension “Problem Solver of the Race” Award in Sunday’s Camping World RV Sales 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup contest. Gilliland and Kerr finished seventh, giving the Front Row Motorsports team its second straight top-10 finish at Talladega.
Sponsored by global vehicle components manufacturer Federal-Mogul Corporation, the MOOG Problem Solver of the Race Award is presented to the crew chief whose car posts the best second-half improvement in average lap time while finishing on the lead lap. The MOOG-equipped No. 38 Ford improved by a race-high 0.214 seconds on the 2.66-mile superspeedway.
Although the 38 team didn’t qualify well (24th), Gilliland and Kerr came into Sunday’s race knowing they could run among the leaders, just as they had during May’s Aaron’s 499 at Talladega, when Gilliland pushed Front Row teammate David Ragan to victory. Front Row announced late last week that Ragan and Gilliland were being renewed for the 2014 season.
“Front Row continues to make significant progress year after year, and David Gilliland and Frank have been a major part of that success,” said Federal-Mogul Motorsports Director Tim Nelson. “Frank gave David a strong car at the start and he kept getting more speed out of their MOOG-equipped chassis all afternoon.”
Kerr became the 18th different crew chief in 2013 to win weekly MOOG Problem Solver honors. With just four races to go, it appears the battle for the $100,000 MOOG “Problem Solver of the Year” Award has come down to five crew chiefs: Matt Borland (No. 39 Chevrolet, Ryan Newman) and Gil Martin (No. 29 Chevrolet, Kevin Harvick), tied with four weekly MOOG wins; and Todd Gordon (No. 22 Ford, Joey Logano), Kevin Manion (No. 1 Chevrolet, Jamie McMurray) and Paul Wolfe (No. 2 Ford, Brad Keselowski), who each have three.
MOOG Steering and Suspension is the preferred brand of professional technicians and NASCAR crew chiefs, and MOOG components are recognized as the automotive service industry’s “Problem Solver,” with innovative designs that improve on original parts by providing increased durability, improved performance and easier installation, said the company. Many of the same MOOG technologies utilized in Sprint Cup competition are featured in MOOG ball joints, tie rod ends and other components available for today’s passenger vehicles.
For more information regarding the MOOG Problem Solver awards and MOOG products, visit the brand’s technician-focused www.moogproblemsolver.com website or contact your MOOG supplier. Like MOOG on Facebook at www.facebook.com/moogproblemsolver. To identify the right MOOG part for virtually any application, use the convenient, free www.FMe-cat.com electronic catalog.
