Gordon car chief Meendering weighing options with team
By Jeff Gluck
Friday, November 09, 2007
JIM MCISAAC / GETTY IMAGES /
AVONDALE, Ariz. - The car chief for Jeff Gordon's No. 24 Chevrolet says he will wait until after the season to decide whether he will leave Hendrick Motorsports to pursue opportunities as a crew chief.
Jeff Meendering, who joined Hendrick in 1994 and has been part of the No. 24 team since 2000, said several teams are interested in acquiring his services, but he said he hasn't decided whether he will accept one of those positions.
One of those teams is Petty Enterprises and its No. 43 car, which has an opening after crew chief Doug Randolph was hired by Dale Earnhardt Inc. An Internet rumor said Meendering had already decided to join Petty as a crew chief next season.
"I've talked to them," Meendering said Friday at Phoenix International Raceway. "That's one of the options that's out there. I'm just trying to get through the season.
"I'm not committing to anything yet. I'm just looking at my options. I'm not saying I'm going to be doing anything different than [working at Hendrick] this year."
Meendering said his six-race stint as interim crew chief this summer (after Steve Letarte was suspended for rules violations) played "a little" role in showing him that he could do the job as a crew chief.
Gordon recorded a top-10 finish in all six races with Meendering, including four top-fives.
