we all know that back in terry labontes hayday with hendricks he was the man with the plan,the #1 driver at hendrick,he had 2 championship wins.
jeff gordon came in and kinda took over that from him.he became the #1 driver at hendrick ms.
are we now seeing the 48 car take over that role at hendrick?it seems like all the emphasis is put on jimmie johnson now.
am i right or wrong on this?
2007-03-18 07:35:46 · 8 answers · asked by 'HUMVEE' 5 in Sports ➔ Auto Racing ➔ NASCAR
i stand corrected about terry's 2 championships.
and i did not realize that gordon was part owner of the 48
2007-03-18 09:03:41 · update #1
1984 Terry won the championship with Billy Hagan, not Hendrick. Jeff Gordon won the 1995 championship, Terry had some great years at Hendrick, but Gordon was already the top driver when Terry came along in 94 to Hendrick.
Jeff Gordon is the present, Jimmie is the long term plan. I would not be surprised if Jeff retires before the age 40.
2007-03-18 10:35:37 · answer #1 · answered by rwhz199 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think Jimmie is an important driver for Hendricks, however Gordon is not ready to pass that tourch yet, as we all can see with his early success this season. Remember Gordon is part owner of the 48 car. Anyway in a few short years Johnson will be the #1 guy for Hendricks. For now Gordon has that position.
2007-03-18 14:52:30 · answer #2 · answered by bolddragon 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think emphasis is being put on Jimmie because he's got what it takes, but emphasis is also being put on the other drivers too...I don't think he's getting more than another as each Hendrick team has access to the same resources...it's whether the individual team digs into the resources. My brother works in the engine dept for Jimmie and has been frustrated as Hendricks is now building engines for other drivers (Martin and others) and this is taking away from the quality of Jimmie's engines....a portion of Jimmie's engine at Daytona was made out of the wrong material because they had used the piece on someone else's engine...he didn't get preferential treatment there....a non-Hendrick driver with a Hendrick engine got it. Jimmie's team is lucky to have people who work good together and have what it takes to be a Championship team.
2007-03-18 20:21:39 · answer #3 · answered by windfall187 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Jimmie is definitely the emphasis right now. Rick Hendrick knows his organization is capable of winning championships and right now Johnson has the best team as well as team chemistry in the organization. Kyle Busch is getting more experience and will shortly be the #2 driver in the next couple of years, but that title belongs to Jeff Gordon. Jeff's team really hasn't been that good since the 2001 season when Robbie Loomis and he won the Winston Cup. The one team I feel bad for is the #25. Ever since the Hendrick plane crash this team has struggled as it was Ricky Hendrick's project. Recapping I see:
1.Johnson- #48
2.Gordon- #24
3.Busch- #5
4.Mears- #25
2007-03-18 14:59:33 · answer #4 · answered by SteboSTC 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Since he is the reigning Nextel Cup champ, it would make sense that it will be the Jimmie Johnson show at Hendrick until he looses the Cup at the end of the season.
2007-03-18 17:55:38 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
just for the record, terry labonte only won 1 of his 2 championships for rick hendrick
2007-03-18 15:53:02 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, the emphasis is on Johnson. I don't think it's quite right that this happens. All of the drivers should have equal equipment and equal attention. It seems that one half of the team is neglected and they don't do so hot. If an owner can't handle four cars, then they should cut down and focus on one or two cars.
2007-03-18 14:46:19 · answer #7 · answered by CollegeGal2010 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Jeff Gordon is partial owner of Jimmie's car
2007-03-18 14:50:17 · answer #8 · answered by oneworld09 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋