Hendrick makes right moves
LAS VEGAS — Even as Jimmie Johnson chased his record fifth consecutive championship, a feat that would have cemented Hendrick Motorsports as the best team in NASCAR history, the owner knew he needed to make some dramatic changes to his organization.
The overall performance wasn’t up to Rick Hendrick’s standards, only one of his four drivers made it to Victory Lane this season, and nothing has snapped Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s slump.
So he called a lengthy meeting one day after a subpar showing at Texas Motor Speedway, and borrowed from Winston Churchill to explain his feelings to his key personnel.
“It’s not enough that we do our best,” Hendrick told the group assembled before him, “sometimes we have to do what’s required.”
It’s a motto Hendrick lives by.
Hendrick masterfully smoothed over a controversial midrace pit crew swap between Johnson and Jeff Gordon in that Nov. 8 meeting, and challenged the No. 48 team not to back down in their pursuit of points leader Denny Hamlin, who had taken control of the championship race. The end result was a marvelous comeback for the most dominant team of the decade, with Johnson outperforming Hamlin in the season finale to win his fifth straight title.
Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus were honored at the season-ending awards ceremony, sharing the stage Friday night at the Wynn Las Vegas with Hendrick, their boss and the most successful car owner in NASCAR history.
The championship was a record 10th for the organization, which broke a tie with Petty Enterprise for most in NASCAR history — a feat Hendrick never believed possible.
“Honest to goodness, I got into this thing and hoped I could win a race, hoped I could just survive the first year and get enough money to do it again,” Hendrick said in an interview with The Associated Press. “To be able to win a championship? I never that I’d be able to do that. And I’m serious. I watched Richard Childress and Dale Earnhardt, and thought, ‘How in the world am I going to beat them?”‘
Hendrick doesn’t like to take credit for what he’s built, instead shifting the focus to the incredibly loyal group of employees that shape his organization.
“I want to be competitive and I want to win races and championships, but you know what means more to me? Guys who say our place is special, and appreciate their jobs and feel like it’s a family,” Hendrick said. “If you can have that, that’s my championship: My people feel pride and love for the company. You know how many organizations don’t care about anybody? And everything is all about winning, and not the people?
“Not for us,” Hendrick said. “You’ve got to win, you’ve got to perform and you’ve got to take care of each other.”
