Hendrick team not resting on laurels for '04

HARRISBURG, N.C. -- Rick Hendrick is one of the most successful car dealers in the country, having established himself in that business for some time.

He's also one of the most successful car owners in NASCAR, and he enters his 20th season with a four-car team that is second-to-none.

But NASCAR is a funny business. Simply because you had a good season doesn't guarantee a repeat.

	All of Rick Hendrick's teams visited Victory Lane in 2003. Credit: Autostock

"Most businesses you're in for 20 years, you can rest on your laurels," Hendrick said. "You built a good company, and you can just cruise. But in this sport, you're only as good as your last race. We feel a tremendous amount of momentum going into this year."

He should. All four of his teams won in 2003, from Jeff Gordon's three victories with the No. 24 to Jimmie Johnson's three victories with the No. 48 to Terry Labonte's one victory with the No. 5 to Joe Nemechek's one victory with the No. 25.

Nemechek is gone - leaving the team late in the year - but in his place comes rising star Brian Vickers. All Vickers did last year was win the Busch Series championship in one of Hendrick's cars.

Johnson finished second in the NASCAR point standings, while Gordon was fourth and Labonte 10th. No other team had more drivers in the top 10.

"We didn't have any change," Hendrick said. "We're rolling back into the year with everybody in place. We're pretty pumped up about it."

	Jimmie Johnson finished strong in 2003. Credit: Motorsports Images and Archive.

He should feel pretty good. With the start of the 2004 season looming, Hendrick Motorsports appears to be as good as ever.

"We're as good as we've ever been, but the thing that's different is the fact that (the teams) all work together better than they've ever worked together," Labonte said. "I see that continuing into this year. That's pretty difficult to accomplish that because you have so many different crew chiefs that have egos and don't really like to share information. But I will say that our team doesn't really have that problem. That's really important."

That's Hendrick has been looking for since he pioneered the modern multi-car team back in the 1980s. Drivers and crew chiefs have come and gone, but the lineup Hendrick has for 2004 fits the model Hendrick wants.

"I don't know where we stack up in a lot of things, but I do believe that we work together as good as anybody or better than any of the teams out there," Hendrick said. "We worked hard on that. We kind of took a blood oath and said, if you're going to be here, you've got to do that. It's worked."

	Jeff Gordon says the new "Chase for the Championship" suits his game just fine. Credit: Brian Cleary/Motorsports Images and Archive

If you want any more proof, look no further than Hendrick's newest team, the No. 48 of Johnson. Paired with Gordon's No. 24, Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus have six victories in their only two years in the sport.

And last year, after an impressive late-season run, Johnson fell 90 points short of the championship.

"We were very close," Johnson said. "I made some mistakes that I could have been a little bit more patient and not crash cars. Also, we had some parts failures. You look back, and there's five or six races where something happened that if one of those weren't there, we may have been the champion.

"We need to lower our DNF count. None would be ideal, but that's the thing, to not have as many DNFs. That's going to apply, regardless of what the points structure is."

Johnson, who had three DNFs last year, talks about the points structure because had NASCAR's new system been in place in 2003, he would've won the title on the strength of seven top-three finishes in the final 10 races.

So looking ahead to '04's schedule, Johnson simply smiles.

"I don't have any problems with it," Johnson said.

Gordon, too, likes the final 10-race dash that will crown the champion.

"The end of the season is always good to us," Gordon said. "Those racetracks that are on there are great tracks for us: Kansas, Atlanta, New Hampshire, Martinsville, I can just go on and on. I'm very excited. I'm excited about the chemistry of all of Hendrick Motorsports, but especially the 24 car."

A run at a fifth championship seems certain.

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"I feel really good about where our race team is," Gordon said. "We haven't had anybody leave. We've only been able to build our team stronger in the off-season and really get geared up with the new rules changes and the new tire.

"Robbie and I sat down and looked at where we were weak, and we improved those areas. We're really excited about that."

Labonte seems excited about 2004, too, or at least as excited as the veteran can get. Labonte silenced some critics last year with a victory at Darlington, his first in four years. And Labonte also got in to the top 10 in the points for the first time in five years with a solid end-of-season run.

Sponsor Kellogg's re-signed with Labonte, who also has crew chief Jim Long back.

"One of the keys to success in any sport is continuity," Labonte said. "Coming back in 2004 with Kellogg's and the No. 5 team gives all of us the opportunity to build on what we started last year.

"Everyone worked hard to get this team back into the top 10. The challenge now is to stay there."

	Terry Labonte silenced many critics with his Southern 500 win in 2003. Credit: Autostock

The challenge for Vickers might be tougher. Many expect him to win the rookie-of-the-year title this season, and some think he could win some races and compete for the championship. That's a lot for a 20-year-old, but the pressure isn't coming from his race team.

"That's one think I like about being at Hendrick Motorsports," Vickers said. "Ricky or Papa Joe or Rick, they don't put that kind of pressure on you. They know you're going to perform when you're calm, cool and collected. That's the way they like to see you, so that's the way they keep it."

Vickers' replacement in the Busch Series, 18-year-old Kyle Busch, doesn't face quite the pressure as his "older" teammate. But much is expected from Busch in the future, if not this year -- perhaps in the form of another Busch Series championship.

Meanwhile, the Nextel Cup championship is clearly in the sights of Hendrick Motorsports. Johnson and Gordon probably should make the cut for the final 10 races, and Labonte and Vickers will take a crack at it, too.

Four guys going after the title? That's enough to make an owner sweat.

"I hope I have that problem," Hendrick said with a smile. "I hope that's a problem I have to deal with."