Dale Earnhardt Jr. Crew Chief Greg Ives Receives MOOG® ‘Problem Solver of the Year’ Award

Southfield, Michigan, December 3, 2015  Greg Ives, crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the Hendrick Motorsports-owned No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS, received Federal-Mogul Motorparts' prestigious MOOG® “Problem Solver of the Year” Award – including a handcrafted MOOG ball joint trophy and a check for $100,000 – during today’s NASCAR® Sprint Cup NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Ceremony in Las Vegas. Ives is the eighth recipient of the award, which honors the crew chief with the best overall performance during the Sprint Cup season. MOOG is the Official Steering and Suspension of NASCAR.

Ives won the year-end MOOG award after earning a series-leading five weekly MOOG “Problem Solver of the Race” Awards. The weekly Problem Solver award is presented to the crew chief whose car delivers the greatest second-half improvement in average lap time while finishing on the lead lap. Runner-up for the Problem Solver of the Year award, with four weekly MOOG wins, was Justin Alexander, crew chief for Paul Menard and the No. 27 Chevrolet SS. A record 20 different crew chiefs won at least one weekly Problem Solver award.

“Greg distinguished himself as a true master of pit strategy and in-race technical expertise,” said Tim Nelson, director of motorsports for Federal-Mogul Motorparts. “In each of his weekly wins, he was able to significantly enhance the 88 car’s competitive position through true problem solving excellence on pit road.”

A native of Bark River, Mich., Ives assumed crew chief duties for 88 team prior to the 2015 season. He began his NASCAR career with Hendrick in 2004 and contributed to Jimmie Johnson’s string of five Sprint Cup titles from 2006 to 2010. He moved to JR Motorsports for the 2012 and 2013 seasons. In 2015 Earnhardt and Ives won three races and delivered 16 top-five and 22 top-10 finishes while advancing to the Contender Round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

The MOOG brand, celebrating its 50th year of Cup racing, is the preferred choice of professional technicians and NASCAR crew chiefs.

In recognition of the vital importance of steering and suspension components in overall vehicle safety and performance, NASCAR now mandates that Cup teams use MOOG Problem Solver parts, specifically ball joints and tie rod ends.

To learn more about MOOG products, please contact your MOOG Steering and Suspension supplier or visit the technician-focused www.moogparts.com website. Like MOOG on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/moogproblemsolver and follow the brand on Twitter for product updates and special promotions.