By Rebecca Gladden

November 7, 2004

Last Sunday’s MBNA Bass Pro Shops 500 in Atlanta created unexpected and sometimes conflicting emotions for race fans and participants alike.

In the closing laps of the race, three drivers in the Chase for the Championship were among those competing for the win: Mark Martin, Dale Earnhardt Junior, and Jimmie Johnson.

Mark Martin is a sentimental favorite to win the championship due to his age, his veteran status, and his nice-guy persona. Dale Junior is enormously popular among fans, judging by the sea of red in the stands each week. Then there's Hendrick driver Jimmie Johnson. While he has his share of fans like any other driver, it is safe to say that almost everyone was pulling for Johnson on Sunday - even Martin’s and Junior’s fans.

After all, it had only been a week since the tragic crash of a Hendrick Motorsports plane in which 10 people perished, nine of whom were coworkers or family members of HMS owner Rick Hendrick; the tenth was Cup driver Tony Stewart’s helicopter pilot.

In the Busch race on Saturday evening, Kyle Busch was driving a car that had been owned by Ricky Hendrick, one of those who died in the crash. Busch finished a close second to Cup driver Matt Kenseth and as badly as Busch wanted to bring the win home for the Hendrick organization, he was simply unable to get by Kenseth after a restart, with two laps to go:

"That's all I had," Busch apologized after the race. "Kenseth gave me the bottom. I just couldn't hold it down there."

If wishes were horses - or horsepower - Busch would have been able to hold the bottom and pass Kenseth for the win. His narrow loss simply added to the sense of angst that hung heavy in the garage throughout the weekend, like the gray fog that had covered Martinsville the morning of the plane crash. A win for any of the Hendrick drivers on Sunday would provide a small ray of light - and hope - for all those affected.

Mark Martin’s Viagra Ford had been the class of the field throughout the day, leading 227 of 335 laps. But the timing of late race cautions and pit stops, coupled with Martin’s inability to get by a lapped car, gave Johnson the opportunity to pass him on lap 310. One lap later, the final caution of the race came when Dale Junior crashed, attempting to squeeze in front of Carl Edwards. Martin pitted during the caution and came out of the pits behind Johnson, but was unable to make up the distance before the race ended.

Even folks who normally root for Martin, the likable veteran, or Earnhardt, the fan favorite, found themselves cheering Johnson on, almost wishing - just this once - that their driver didn't win. The impassioned Victory Lane celebration did not disappoint.

"The Number 6 car was coming," Johnson said after the race. "But I had ten angels riding along. I feel bad for Mark. He had the dominant car, but things happen for a reason."

Drivers and crew members from all the Hendrick teams, including Jeff Gordon, Terry Labonte, and Brian Vickers, celebrated with Johnson and his crew, wearing their hats backwards in a tribute to Ricky Hendrick. Tears of sadness, joy and relief flowed freely. Even NASCAR veteran Larry McReynolds reported being glued to the TV during those heart-rending moments after the race.

Johnson's crew chief Chad Knaus discussed the importance of the win on the Lowe's racing website: "I don't think that you can begin to compare the victory we pulled off Sunday with any other victory we've had. It's just two totally different situations. The meaning and purpose behind the victory we had last week is so much more than racing."

When is a win more than a win?

When it is a symbol.

A symbol of triumph over tragedy. A symbol of courage, unity and survival. A symbol that the NASCAR community, as it always does in trying times, puts differences and rivalries aside in favor of the things that matter most.

A symbol that, while gone from our sight, Jimmie Johnson's ten angels will never be forgotten.

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. Although we may not always agree with what is said, we do feel it's our duty to give a voice to those who have something relevant to say about the sport of auto racing.