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Rick Hendrick – Ya Just Don’t Get It!

An Opinion



March 314, 2009

By Allen Madding

Allen Madding

Several years ago, Active Motorsports was struggling to compete in the then NASCAR Winston Cup Series. These were the days for Friday and Saturday qualifying. The team consistently was making a final attempt on Saturday to make the show and sitting in the garage nervously waiting to hear if they made it or were packing up to head to the house. The team consistently had good handling cars that could pass two or three other cars in the turns only to get passed by seven or eight cars on the straight-aways.

It was obvious to even the most casual observers that the team was severely hampered by lack of horsepower from engines that would struggle to pull the hat off of a crewmember’s head. But, because of the internal politics involved, no one on the team was allowed to say anything about the poor performing engines. The engine builder would walk into the shop every week and make a boisterous exclamation of the dynamometer’s finding of superior horsepower for this weekend’s race.

Everyone with-in earshot knew the weekly proclamation of horsepower was a bald face lie, but no one could say anything for fear of losing their jobs. Every Monday, the team would assemble and review the weekend’s performance or lack there of, and the team members would be asked for their ideas on improving the on track performance while not being allowed to address the lack of horsepower.

One week, the crew chief spoke up and said, “Well, it appears we have the handling in the turns at Rockingham. Now we need to figure out the handling for the straight-aways.” The crew chief eventually left, as did the crewmembers and eventually the team shutdown.

Fast forward to 2009. Rick Hendrick was interviewed this week at Martinsville to address the fans crying out for Tony Eury, Jr.’s replacement as crew chief on the No. 88 team. Hendrick with a smile explained that the team met for three hours to discuss the team’s poor performance. He quickly stated that there was no consideration for removing Tony Eury, Jr. from atop the No. 88 pit box.

What he was proclaiming was determined as the solution from the three-hour meeting is that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. will change his diet and will start working out.

Before someone can determine a solution, they must first identify the problem. The No. 88 has unloaded at several racetracks and run in the top ten at the beginning of an event. With every pit stop and every chassis adjustment, the car has gotten progressively worse. So the problem seems to be that the wrong adjustments are being made during the course of a race.

Conversely, Jimmie Johnson in the Hendrick No. 48 and Chad Knauss and crew seem to improve their car with every pit stop. Sunday the No. 48 team began the day in 20th and began adjusting an ill handling car improving it’s handling with every pit stop. Johnson took the lead with the No. 48 and was in contention for the win for the last 100 laps.

Mike Wallace commented on this issue during Sunday’s NASCAR Now’s episode after airing the tape of Hendrick proudly announcing Dale, Jr.’s new diet and exercise changes.

“That isn’t going to make the car handle any better,” said Wallace.

Rick Hendrick has built a racing empire at Hendrick Motorsports that has won championships with Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. But one can bet the family farm that getting Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to eat healthier and workout regularly is not going to win the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship.

As Mike Wallace points out, it is not going to resolve the handling issues on the No. 88. But at least when the No. 88 Chevrolet is completely sideways and so loose that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. looks like he is swatting flies coming out of the turns trying to straighten the car out, he will be in really good shape and not get worn out quite so fast from wrestling a poor handling car.

Perhaps Hendrick needs to put Tony Eury, Jr. on whatever diet Chad Knauss is utilizing.

You can contact Allen Madding at .. Insider Racing News
You Can Read Other Articles By Allen Madding

The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.

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