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Matt Borland, crew chief for Ryan Newman and the No. 39 Quicken Loans Chevrolet SS, became the season’s first multi-race winner of the MOOG^® Steering and Suspension “Problem Solver of the Race” Award following Saturday night’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 NASCAR^® Sprint Cup contest at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. Newman and Borland twice came back from a lap down and overcame loose handling to post their fifth top-10 finish in 11 starts.

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 greatest improvement in average lap time over the second half of each Sprint Cup event while finishing on the lead lap. The MOOG-equipped 39 car, which started 21^st, was 0.124-second faster over the final 183 laps of Darlington’s 1.37-mile oval.

Responding to Newman’s concerns about loose handling, Borland made a series of track bar, wedge and other chassis adjustments to help improve the Stewart-Haas team’s position over the second half of the 367-lap race. A caution on Lap 301 gave Borland another chance to dial in the car’s steering and suspension system for the final sprint to the finish. With the help of a caution on Lap 328, Newman advanced to 13^th and then picked up three more spots in the final green-flag run to finish 10^th.

“There are times, especially when you don’t have the fastest car on the track, that your crew chief’s ability to sense changing track conditions can make a huge difference in your finish. Matt made every conceivable adjustment to help Ryan capture another top 10,” said Federal-Mogul Motorsports Director Tim Nelson. “He was solving problems all night long and that’s why he has added another MOOG award to his resume.”

In addition to weekly MOOG Problem Solver honors, Federal-Mogul sponsors the $100,000 MOOG “Problem Solver of the Year” Award, which is presented to the crew chief with the best overall performance throughout the 36-race season. Borland now holds a one-win advantage over 9 other crew chiefs in the standings for the year-end award.

As the automotive service industry’s “Problem Solver^®,” MOOG is the preferred brand of professional technicians and NASCAR crew chiefs. Federal-Mogul’s MOOG steering and suspension product engineers work in partnership with Sprint Cup teams to develop and test innovative designs that help provide race-winning performance and durability. Many of these same technologies are featured in MOOG ball joints, tie rod ends and other components available for today’s passenger vehicles.

For more information regarding MOOG steering and suspension parts, visit the brand’s technician-focused www.moogproblemsolver.com website or contact your MOOG supplier. To identify the right MOOG part for virtually any application, please use the convenient, free www.FMe-cat.com electronic catalog.

Chad Johnston, crew chief for driver Martin Truex Jr. and the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota Camry, became the 10^th crew chief to win the prestigious MOOG^® Steering and Suspension “Problem Solver of the Race” Award in 10 NASCAR^® Sprint Cup starts this year following Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Johnston received his award after the 56 team survived an early accident, a three-and-a-half-hour rain delay and near darkness in the closing laps to finish seventh on Talladega’s 2.66-mile track.

Sponsored by MOOG Steering and Suspension components manufacturer Federal-Mogul Corporation, the MOOG “Problem Solver” award is presented after each Sprint Cup event to the crew chief whose car posts the greatest improvement in average lap time over the second half while finishing on the lead lap. The 56 Toyota was one of the few cars to improve its performance – by 0.010-second per lap – in the rapidly cooling temperatures brought on by a string of thunderstorms moving through the region throughout the day.

“We had everything – rain, hail, lightning and a couple of ‘Big Ones,’ but Chad and Martin just held on and waited for the race to come to them,” said Federal-Mogul Motorsports Director Tim Nelson. “This was the sort of day where you just throw out the playbook, yet Chad somehow kept finding the right setup for his MOOG-equipped steering and suspension following each delay.”

Johnston was challenged early when the 56 Toyota was collected in a multi-car accident on Lap 43, but the car’s MOOG steering and suspension components withstood the punishment and the Michael Waltrip Racing crew quickly addressed other damage to avoid falling a lap down. From there it was up to Truex and Johnston – now in their third season together – to identify necessary adjustments in the highly variable weather conditions.

“A lot of credit goes to Chad for having the car handling so well at the end when the field was running three wide in near darkness. That helped Martin avoid the final pileup and come out of Talladega with a hard-earned top 10,” Nelson said.

With the seventh-place finish, the 56 team moved up two spots, to 13^th, in Sprint Cup points.

MOOG, the automotive service industry’s “Problem Solver^®,” is the preferred brand of professional technicians and NASCAR crew chiefs. Federal-Mogul’s MOOG steering and suspension product engineers work in partnership with Sprint Cup teams to develop and test innovative designs that help provide race-winning performance and durability. Many of these same technologies are featured in MOOG ball joints, tie rod ends and other components available for today’s passenger vehicles.

For more information regarding MOOG steering and suspension parts, visit the brand’s technician-focused www.moogproblemsolver.com website or contact your MOOG supplier. To identify the right MOOG part for virtually any application, please use the convenient, free www.FMe-cat.com electronic catalog.