Car of today, COT seems like yesterday for Hendrick

MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- To Rick Hendrick, it feels like 1998 all over again.

That was the last time the Nextel Cup car owner won four races in a row before Sunday, when Jimmie Johnson held off teammate Jeff Gordon to reach Victory Lane at Martinsville Speedway. It comes on the heels of Kyle Busch's win last weekend at Bristol, which was preceded by back-to-back victories by Johnson's No. 48 squad at Atlanta and Las Vegas.

But the Hendrick dominance goes even deeper. On Sunday, his drivers occupied three of the top four spots, with Busch placing fourth. Hendrick drivers finished second and third at California, first and second at Las Vegas, and first and third at Bristol. Gordon enters the off weekend as the points leader, with Johnson third and Busch fifth.

"It is kind of one of those starts that you dream about," Hendrick said. "You would like to be in that position, to take advantage of the cars running well. We have a lot of momentum, everybody is working well together, and the breaks have kind of gone our way."

Sunday marked the third time Hendrick cars have won four consecutive races on NASCAR's premier circuit. In 1998, Gordon won four straight by himself. In 1996, a Terry Labonte victory at Charlotte followed Gordon wins at Dover, Martinsville and North Wilkesboro. Both times Hendrick won the series title, with Labonte and Gordon finishing 1-2 in 1996.

But each of those streaks came late in the year, when the Hendrick drivers were clearly the class of the field. Now there are other variables, like a Car of Tomorrow that's capable of shuffling the competition every week. There are Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin, whose cars have been better than their finishes. And there are 30 of 36 Nextel Cup events still to come.

"I hope we can maintain the momentum," Hendrick said. "It's going to be competitive. Everyone would like to have a shot. It feels good, but you have to be a realist. Tony Stewart had trouble at Bristol, cars that could have won a couple [of races] are in the middle of all this. I'm thankful we got the breaks, and are good enough to be up front."

The reason? Gordon cites chemistry, and drivers and crew chiefs willing to cooperate. That was never more evident than at Martinsville, where Johnson's car was slowest in Saturday's opening practice. So crew chief Chad Knaus went to Steve Letarte, his counterpart on Gordon's team, and asked for information on their setup. He copied every nut and bolt on the No. 24 car, and used it to win the race.

"I think we've seen it all throughout the history of this sport. When you get a group of guys together that work well together and you keep them together, they usually continue on to have success," Gordon said. "I think that's what we've done so far."

The lone exception is Hendrick's No. 25 car, which spun out and finished 42nd at Martinsville. Driver Casey Mears has one top-10 on the season, that coming last Sunday at Bristol. His team switched crew chiefs the week before the Daytona 500, with Darian Grubb replacing Lance McGrew.

"I can't wait to get Casey Mears and Darian Grubb a little more experience, and get the cars working the way they want them, because I think they're capable of being up there, too," Gordon said. "But it's going to take some time."

But three out of four isn't bad for Hendrick, who seems more than capable of placing a trio of drivers in the Chase for the Nextel Cup for the second consecutive season.

"We just want to keep building that momentum," he said, "and getting ready for the Chase."