Why Kenny Francis is my favorite crew chief

Kenny Francis has held quite a few different jobs in NASCAR, but the most important one so far is being Kasey Kahne’s crew chief. Kasey and Kenny have been together since Kasey’s breakout 2006 season, where Kasey and Kenny went on to win a season high of 6 races and finished 8^th in the final standings. After the 2006 season, something went wrong. No, it wasn’t how Kasey was racing or how Kenny was calling the race. It was the unstable ground that these two were on. Evernham Motorsports, with all their merges, almost screwed Kasey and Kenny.

But, in 2010, Kasey got a dream ride; driving for RickHendrick. Now, the question that was on everyone’s mind, not just the Kasey fans, was if Kenny was going to head to Hendrick with Kasey. How could he not?
Hendrick is the best team in NASCAR. Such a great opportunity for both! Later that year Kenny made a decision. He was going to leave Richard Petty Motorsports and head to Hendrick with Kasey in 2012.

What about 2011? Kenny andKasey headed to the now dissolved Red Bull Racing for one year. Kasey finishedout the 2010 season at Red Bull and without Kenny. 2012 is going to bring so much to the table for both Kasey and Kenny. So much opportunity to shine and show the skeptics that they can win races and compete for championships.

Now on to what this is really all about. Ever since Kenny was paired with Kasey in 2006, I’ve been a fan. Kenny and Kasey work so well together. It’s amazing really, how well they work together. You don’t see that kind of relationship between drivers and their crew chiefs anymore.

Kenny is my favorite crew chief for many reasons. You’ll never see Kenny crack under pressure. Kenny is so calm and collected; you would never really know what he’s thinking. He has such a good way of hiding that. He doesn't let anything faze him. Even when he’s happy, Kenny keeps all his emotions in check. One of my favorite things about Kenny is when he‘s talking to Kasey on the radio and he says things like ‘Go
hard.’ makes me take in a completely different way. It’s very funny. I love how he works with Kasey. Even though he’s a crew chief, he still thinks like an engineer. He has an engineer’s brain and the brain of a race. Kenny spent his early years as a racer from Florida, but decided to pursue a job other than
racing.

Kasey and Kenny are a lot alike. Kasey and Kenny don’t do a lot of talking, so I think that’s how Kenny knows how to work with Kasey so well. I think that’s how Kenny knows how to talk to Kasey. They learn so much from each other and it’s great to listen to them talk on the radio or interact before a race. I don't think people know how much Kasey and Kenny are alike. They never really been ones to talk a lot. They are both quiet guys and I think that's how Kenny knows how to work with Kasey. They've never gotten mad at each other, which is a really good thing.

Kenny is probably one of the most UNDERRATED crew chiefs in the garage and one of the smartest too. There are a lot of people in the Hendrick camp that are thrilled to have Kenny on the team. Chad Knaus is excited to learn different things from Kenny. As I recall, Chad called himself a Kenny Francis fan. Who wouldn’t want to be a Kenny Francis fan? I am super confident about the 2012 season for Kasey and
Kenny. With Hendrick equipment and the insight from the other crew chiefs, 2012 may very well be the start of an amazing partnership with Kenny Francis and Hendrick Motorsports.