CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Before they’d ever lined up for a race, Jimmie Johnson felt he was onto something with Chad Knaus. Ahead of the 2002 season, Hendrick Motorsports decided to establish a fourth team. Knaus, a young tire changer and fabricator in the shop, had expressed interest in becoming a crew chief, even telling Hall of Famer Ray Evernham that he eventually wanted his job during their initial interview. Johnson, a young California native who was starting to break into NASCAR, was impressing on and off the track, and Rick Hendrick had met him through his son, Ricky. It wasn’t the lengthiest…