Knaus, who signed a five-year extension in 2010 that took him through the 2015 season, has bickered with Johnson during races this year, and Johnson even said last month that he wouldn’t be surprised if Knaus isn’t his crew chief for his entire career.
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But Knaus, whose name keeps popping up in rumors in the garage about his future, said he is set for 2015.
“I haven’t heard any of that (rumor mill) stuff. … No, man, I’m set,” Knaus said Sunday after Johnson won the AAA Texas 500. “I don’t foresee a change with the 48 car from a driver or crew chief standpoint in the near future.
“I don’t foresee that happening. If it does, I’ll have to be a reporter because I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do after that.”
Johnson said a week earlier at Martinsville that he wanted Knaus to be his crew chief as long as Knaus wants to. The two began working together when Johnson was a rookie in 2002 and Knaus is the only crew chief Johnson has had in Cup. Their win Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway was Johnson’s 70th of his career.
“A crew chief’s lifespan is much shorter than a driver’s,” Johnson said. “They live in dog years and drivers can carry on much longer. I’ve been accused of being loyal to a fault in the past, that’s me. I have no plans or desires to make a change.
“When Chad decides he’s had enough of being the guy on the box, it will be his decision to step down. As far as I’m concerned, we’ve made it 13 years in this thing. I want to see it go as long as it can.”
