Gordon: No ‘I’ in HM team
LOUDON, N.H. - The deck is stacked at Hendrick Motorsports.
Even without crew chief Steve Letarte, who is serving a six-race suspension for violations discovered at Infineon Raceway last month, 2007 Nextel Cup points leader Jeff Gordon was able to pull off a thrilling second-place finish Sunday in the Lenox Industrial Tools 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway.
“We’ve got a lot of depth and we’ve got a lot of good people,” Jeff Gordon said of the Hendrick organization.
Jeff Gordon was also quick to point out that the Hendrick success is more about the organization than the individual driver.
“You can take me out of the driver’s seat and that car is still going to be competitive out there,” Jeff Gordon said. “Our teams and our organization are just that good.”
NASCAR does allow suspended crew chiefs to communicate electronically. In addition, Hendrick Motorsports brought in extra staff to aid interim crew chief Jeff Meendering.
“We had enough guys up there that were helping (Meendering),” Jeff Gordon said.
Since 1984, Hendrick Motorsports has amassed six series championships and collected 159 victories at NASCAR’s highest level.
“I think we’ve spent so many years building up the race teams and the organization, that it’s never revolved around one person,” Jeff Gordon said. “It’s not me, it’s not the crew chief or the guys building the engines. It’s everybody’s group effort that makes it happen.
“I think it would be a shame on us if we lose a person for six weeks and fall to pieces. That means that we didn’t have a strong enough team to begin with and I even think (Letarte) would admit that.”
Jeff Gordon has been keeping a close eye on two other teams who look like strong candidates to be there when the 10-race Chase for the Nextel Cup begins on Sept. 16 at NHIS.
“The DEI cars (of Martin Truex Jr. and Dale Earnhardt Jr.) have really come on strong and maybe surprised a few people,” Jeff Gordon said. “They are so solid now that they are a factor.
“The (Joe Gibbs Racing) cars have been strong. . . . (Denny Hamlin’s) win (Sunday at NHIS) could be the first of many for them.”
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