Weekend That Was: RIR

Can you imagine what kind of season Hendrick Motorsports could be having if the organization hadn't got off to such a slow start in 2007?

I mean, they didn't win either of the first two races on the schedule -- with Kevin Harvick of Richard Childress Racing capturing the season-opening Daytona 500 and Matt Kenseth of Roush-Fenway Racing reaching Victory Lane in the second race at Fontana in California.

Can you believe that?

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As much as Hendrick has dominated NASCAR's Nextel Cup Series since then, the fact that it took them three races to win is probably more shocking than the fact that Hendrick has now captured seven of the last eight.

The latest was Jimmie Johnson's fourth win of the season last Sunday at Richmond International Raceway (watch video). Hendrick teammate Kyle Busch finished second, and Jeff Gordon, the most revered Hendrick disciple, finished fourth to maintain his stranglehold on first place in the all-important driver points (watch video).

In the aftermath of the latest Hendrick conquest, Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus were asked if the organization has become the New York Yankees of racing -- the one that many love, but the overwhelming majority seems to love to hate.

"We're doing our jobs. That's what it's about," said Johnson, who wasn't about to apologize for all the winning he has been doing.

Johnson argued that other teams have come close to knocking them off. Denny Hamlin, for instance, has threatened to get to Victory Lane for Joe Gibbs Racing in every Car of Tomorrow race. Harvick and Tony Stewart, another Gibbs driver, also had moments at Richmond where they looked every bit the contender before pit-road incidents did them in. And others have threatened to win in some of the other races.

But as the Cup Series heads to Darlington this weekend, is it in desperate need of one of the other teams breaking through? Is it good for the sport to have Hendrick dominate so thoroughly?

Again, Johnson understandably refuses to apologize for his team's success, and the success of the teams within the Hendrick team.

"I think we put on good races and we've been racing hard for these victories even amongst our teams," Johnson said. "I don't think you've seen anything like you would in Formula One, where the red car is winning all the time ... and things like that. We're really racing for these victories and that's why NASCAR is such a great sport." (Continued)