Rick Hendrick to miss Ford 400 to be with ill niece
Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick will miss Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race to be with a family member. // Chuck Yadmark, NASCAR Scene
HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Rick Hendrick will not attend the Ford 400 today at Homestead-Miami Speedway because a niece of his is being prepared for an emergency liver transplant, Hendrick Motorsports general manager Marshall Carlson announced Sunday afternoon.
Alesha Gainey, 29, is in critical condition at a North Carolina hospital, Carlson said.
Hendrick will be the winning car owner in the 2009 Sprint Cup Series today as he owns the cars of the two contenders, Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin, going into the season finale. If Johnson wins, it would mark his fourth consecutive Cup title. If Martin wins, it would be his first title in his 28-year career.
“Rick obviously wishes he could be here,” Carlson said. “He is incredibly proud of the accomplishments of the teams and has asked me to personally express to each of the teams his total confidence in their capabilities. They know exactly what needs to be done and obviously they know how to do it.
“Rick’s priority at this point is supporting his family at this critical time.”
Gainey is the daughter of Rick’s brother John, who was one of 10 people killed in a Hendrick Motorsports plane crash in October 2004 on the way to a race at Martinsville Speedway.
