Johnson and Gordon cash in for Hendrick's team
The venue may have changed, but the dominance by Hendrick Motorsports has not.
Less than two weeks after giving Rick Hendrick his seventh NASCAR Nextel Cup owner's championship in South Florida, Jimmie Johnson joined teammate Jeff Gordon yesterday in collecting nearly $1 million in sponsor bonuses at Cipriani, a Manhattan hot spot that hosted the National Motorsports Press Association's annual Myers Brothers media luncheon.
Along with the checks came a variety of trophies in all shapes, sizes and materials - from solid crystal to a 24-karat 1/12-scale model of Johnson's No. 48 Chevrolet.
Yet the really big money won't come until tonight's season-ending, black-tie awards banquet in the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria hotel. There, two-time defending champion Johnson, runner-up Jeff Gordon, teammate Kyle Busch, and the seven other drivers who finished among the top 10 will be presented checks with seven-figure totals for their on-track performances in 2007.
And you can bet that the focus of the evening will be squarely on Hendrick's stable, which won half of the 36 Nextel Cup races this season, and saw Johnson and Jeff Gordon put on a spectacular stretch drive to determine the series champ.
"This was, by far, the best year I've ever seen by Hendrick Motorsports," Jeff Gordon said. "All four teams were performing and communicating and working together, and the results showed.
"I've seen years where we've been dominant, years where the No. 48 was dominant. . . . But to see the year Kyle Busch had, and for Casey Mears to get into Victory Lane, I think it speaks volumes about what kind of organization we have."
While Juan Pablo Montoya drew a chuckle upon receiving his Raybestos rookie-of-the-year award - "I never worked so hard in my life to finish 20th," the Colombian said of his final spot in the standings - another award handed out yesterday went to the newest member of Hendrick Motorsports, Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was voted NASCAR's most popular driver for the fifth consecutive year.
While Johnson and Jeff Gordon combined for 16 victories, 41 top-five finishes and 54 top-10 finishes, Junior's farewell tour with Dale Earnhardt Inc. produced no wins, seven top-fives and 12 top-10s. Citing those statistics, Jeff Gordon and Johnson were asked whether they might have set the bar too high for Earnhardt, who will debut the No. 88 Chevrolet in February.
"One of the main things I admire about Junior is that he made the decision to come to Hendrick Motorsports knowing the pressure, knowing the expectations," Jeff Gordon said. "I was impressed that he was willing to open himself up to that kind of criticism if it didn't go well. But I also think he believes in himself enough to know that if he gets in the right equipment, with the right organization, that he's going to be able to do his job."
Johnson agreed.
"You look at how hard he ran at the end of the year. He had some crazy things happen to him, but I've never seen him try so hard," he said. "I certainly believe he has the ability to go out and win races with us next year."
Earnhardt talked about his expectations of fitting in with his new teammates.
"I don't know that we'll hang together, but we've all got great respect for each other, and I'm excited to get the working relationship going," he said. "Those guys want to help me, and if I can help them, I will."
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