Gordon, Johnson move on with interim crew chiefs

LOUDON, N.H. -- Hendrick Motorsports, and specifically its defending Nextel Cup championship team for driver Jimmie Johnson, has historically shown the ability to shake off the effects of penalties to its race teams, including suspended personnel.

Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus, in particular, showed great resilience a year ago when Knaus was suspended the first four races of the season: Two of which Johnson won, with two other top-six finishes.

Penalties announced

Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson were hit with severe penalties on Tuesday following their infractions at Sonoma.

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• Hendrick will not appeal

It was more of the same Friday at New Hampshire International Speedway, in the opening hours of six-race suspensions for the crew chiefs of Hendrick's two lead teams, those of championship leader Jeff Gordon and fifth place Johnson.

Gordon's crew chief Steve Letarte and Knaus won't return to the racetrack for a championship event until Michigan in August, four races before the cutoff for the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

After reiterating the team's reason for not appealing NASCAR's penalties for the two cars failing initial inspection at last weekend's race at Infineon, due to front fender irregularities; basically because they wanted to put it behind them -- the teams got down to work.

In the opening 90-minute practice session, Johnson's No. 48 Chevrolet was third on the sheet, and Gordon's No. 24 Impala SS was sixth. That compared to an opening practice at rundown at this event a year ago of 12th and 23rd for the teammates.

After qualifying, Gordon will line up eighth on Sunday for the Lenox Industrial Tools 300, while Johnson starts 10th. Last year, using "standard" cars rather than the Car of Tomorrow mandated in 2007, Johnson was sixth and Gordon, seventh.

Hendrick's vice president of development, Doug Duchardt, said it was the depth of his organization, which enabled the team to elevate Gordon's car chief, Jeff Meendering, to interim crew chief assisted on the pit box by former HMS crew chief and competition administrator Ken Howes.

"For me, probably the biggest challenge of the whole weekend is probably this [news conference] right here," Meendering said, laughing. "We've got so much depth in our organization. We've beefed up our track support a little bit, brought a few extra guys with us and I think it's going to be just as smooth as it's ever been." (Continued)