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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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."

For Johnson, car chief Ron Malec will fill the role of interim team leader. Since Malec is a tire carrier on the over-the-wall crew on race day, Hendrick's former Busch Series championship crew chief Lance McGrew will be on the box to assist with race calls.

"After last year when Chad had his first deal it kind of, I guess, helped me out in this aspect of already preparing for this," Malec said. "We all took on new roles. We all have to step up a little bit and it's going to be hard to replace a crew chief by me just stepping up and saying I'm crew chief because I still have other jobs to do on the car.

"It's going to be a disadvantage to us for sure [but] it's not that difficult for me to move up a position, take on a little extra work and still perform well on Sunday."

It started out pretty well Friday.

"I think, looking back on last season, it forced us to be more prepared leaving the shop, more prepared each morning when we woke up for practice and qualifying," Johnson said. "We really had to think things through and couldn't operate from the hip as freely as before.

"I think that helped us and I think that is more ingrained in our culture at Hendrick to have a plan as we go to each race weekend, each morning, each practice session, each time we are on track."

Duchardt isn't pleased with the task at hand the next six weeks, but said his teams will go out and give it all they have.

"A crew chief is an integral part of the race team, an important part ... a leader on the weekend," Duchardt said. "But what we talk about a lot in this sport [is that] it takes a team to win a race.

"We're fortunate to have some of the best drivers that ever sat in a racecar and we have a very good system, we feel, at Hendrick. And so our expectations haven't changed. The suspension is unfortunate and we'd rather not have it that way -- but we're focused on going out and trying to win this weekend."

The involved Hendrick drivers said the biggest thing the penalties might do is create an awareness of what tolerances they have to work within.

"I'm extremely disappointed in NASCAR and the decisions that they've made -- but I will say we're crystal clear going forward," Gordon said. "It is what it is though. We're ready to move on and put it behind us and get back to trying to win races and get those bonus points and get ourselves solidly in the Chase."

Johnson made a stronger statement on his Thursday night show on XM Satellite Radio.

"Hendrick has to change how we do things -- we need to digitize our cars ... scan our cars to make sure that we do not ever find ourselves in this position again," Johnson said Thursday night. "We'll go spend a couple million bucks and figure how to do it so we're safe."

NASCAR positioned the COT as a means for car owners to save money, but Johnson said on his show the penalties and the potential for them to continue to grow isn't something his team can trifle with.

"I don't know where we are saving money, but we've got to do this," Johnson said. "We can't find ourselves in this situation again and I think it has sent a message through the garage area that you got to step up your game and make sure you are within this new parameter."