Hendrick says team's chemistry is 'better than ever'
Team owner Rick Hendrick wasn't on hand for Jimmie Johnson's win Saturday night at Phoenix International Raceway, missing his organization's first NASCAR Sprint Cup victory of the season.
Hendrick lauded crew chief Chad Knaus' call to keep the team in track in the closing laps, gambling that it had enough fuel to complete the race. That call netted two-time defending series champion Johnson the trip to victory lane.
Teammates Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Casey Mears have some strong finishes to their credit, but it was Johnson who managed to take the organization to victory lane.
"It feels good, and I think it's a sign of things to come, but we know there's still work to do," Hendrick said. "I'm just proud of the way the
entire organization has stepped up and made a collective commitment. When you feel like you're a little behind, it's real easy to get down on yourself, but no one had that attitude. Everyone approached it in the right way and pushed forward. We've been working hard, testing and doing all the things we need to be doing. One win doesn't change that. The big focus is making the Chase [For The NASCAR Sprint Cup] and competing for the championship. We want to be in position to make a push in those last 10 races."
While the high-profile organization's struggles have been a hot story this season, the group is actually leading the series with seven top-three finishes. Still, its drivers admit to struggles in some races, and only Dale Earnhardt Jr. has consistently remained in the top 10 in the standings.
"It's difficult to come off a season like we had last year and live up to all the hype and expectations," he said, referring to the 2007 season in which Johnson won the title and Gordon finished as runnerup. "It's not like we finished up 2007 and said, 'OK, we won 18 races this year, so now we've got to win 19 [in 2008].' You can't set goals that way. We know that we won some races last season we shouldn't have won, and we knew coming into this year that it would be near impossible to continue that pace.
"We had a horseshoe and held on to it as long as we could. But I look at the stats and feel really good about the season we've had and the direction we're headed. I think we'll win our share [of races]."
With the addition of Earnhardt Jr. this season, and the move of Mears to the No. 5 team and crew chief Alan Gustafson, Hendrick sees a lot of positives within his organization.
He said the chemistry among the four drivers is "better than ever."
"Everyone is really clicking," he said. "The crew chiefs are working together extremely well, the drivers are communicating, and the information is flowing [between the teams]. I knew it would be pretty good, but it's actually surprised me to see how fast everyone has come together. That doesn't just happen. It takes commitment and effort from everyone. It's been fun to watch it develop."
