Domination by Hendrick a good thing for NASCAR

"A house divided against itself cannot stand." -- Abraham Lincoln, 1858

Nearly 150 years ago our 16th president uttered these words in the halls of the Illinois Statehouse accepting the state's Republican nomination for Senator. Why do I bring up this quote from a pre-presidential Lincoln?

It is because I say nearly 150 years later that a NASCAR Nation of fans divided against themselves can and will stand and thrive. This brings me to the matter at hand and it's our Question of the Week.

Beau Estes co-hosts the Jack Daniel's Post-Race Show with Nikki Alexander. It can be seen following every Nextel Cup race live on NASCAR.COM.

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Is Hendrick Motorsports' absolute domination of NASCAR good or bad for the sport and why? As always, send your responses directly to my e-mail at Beau.Estes@turner.com.

Before I get to my thoughts on the subject let's take a gander at some of the numbers. There have been 10 races so far this season, meaning (thankfully) that I won't need my calculator for percentages. Of those first 10 races HMS has won seven or (getting out my calculator) 70 percent of the time, Jimmie Johnson has four wins (40 percent), Jeff Gordon two (20 percent) and Kyle Busch one (10 percent). This has left mere scraps for Gibbs, Roush Fenway, RCR and others to fight over and perhaps more surprisingly, has Tony Stewart and Dale Jr. winless well into the month of May.

All of these stats bring me to reason No. 1 why this development fills me with glee. If you don't think Tony Stewart is ready to leap from a last-lap wreck and sprint to the finish line on foot for a win Ricky Bobby-style, you're not watching the same guy as me. As much as "The Tiger" has lost weight he's bursting at the seams due to this development. Wrecking Tony is one thing, making him inconsequential is quite another.

Also, somewhere in the Roush Cave I'm sure Jack Roush is on the Roush Phone rousing (or Roushing if you prefer) NASA scientists at 3 in the morning demanding the latest aerodynamic charts for Darlington. Right now, I'm sure he's a mad (read angry, not insane) scientist and owner. Remember, he declared war against Toyota before the season, but now has a much bigger battle to contend with -- merely competing. Who among us would have thought that a year ago?

The point is, HMS has raised the bar. They've taken the sport to a higher plane and what makes it exciting for NASCAR fans is the fact that guys like Tony Stewart, Dale Jr. and Matt Kenseth are going to be forced to chase them down. And you know what? They will, but the question is when.

That brings me to my second reason why this development is great for NASCAR racing. Ladies and gents we are looking at a possible run at NASCAR immortality here for HMS. I'm talking history here.

In the modern era of NASCAR (beginning in 1972), the highest single season win percentage for a team owner came way back in 1975 when King Richard won 13 of 30 races. Those totals gave Petty Enterprises a whopping 43.3 winning percentage (I know 43 for the 43, here we go again). What makes this even more stunning is that Petty himself did all the winning. This was before the era of four- and five-car teams.

More recently, HMS has approached this number with Jeff Gordon's Petty-tying 13-win season plus a Terry Labonte victory at Richmond in June of 1998 to go 14 of 33 nearly 10 years ago. That's winning at a 42.4-percent clip, or nearly 28 percent below what they are doing now. Interestingly enough, the most wins by a single owner in a season (modern era only) goes to Roush Racing. Two years ago they won 15 races in a 36-race season.

The bottom line is this -- all of the past numbers are in serious, serious jeopardy. We might be looking at a blitzkrieg on the record books the likes of which we've never seen. Imagine all the interest that can be generated from an all-out HMS assault on NASCAR history.

It's great if you're on either side of the fence. If you are an HMS fan you get to see your guys try to chase down a Richard Petty record. If HMS doesn't rev your engine, you can root for a market correction that sees the Hendrick boys fall flat on their faces. In either case as a fan, there is clearly a reason to watch and this is what NASCAR needs. And as a footnote, this formula has proved to be a smashing success in other sports (see: Woods, Tiger and Jordan, Michael).

Now, with all of this in mind, I prefer this "chase" much more than a points race:

"What does it all mean, baby?" -- Austin Powers

Here is what it means. If HMS wins nine of the last 26 races it will set the modern-era record for winning percentage and wins in a season. In other words, it will have set a new standard of excellence for others to try to chase down.

For those of you who don't think it's doable consider this: nine wins in 26 races is only 34.6 percent, or less than half the pace the team is setting now. In other words, the team could fall on its face and still potentially get it done. Now, as for Mr. Keikhaefer's all-time mark, that would take some doing. HMS will need to win exactly half of the remaining races -- 13 of 26.

On to last week's question which was a two-parter ...

What is Jeff Gordon's place in history, and is it now ahead of Dale Earnhardt and why? Also, why do so many people seem to hate Jeff Gordon?

Not surprisingly, the responses were heated and passionate. However, I was caught a bit off guard by the number of Jeff Gordon fans and their thoughts. Here's the best of the bunch on both sides of the fence...

From Cody in Ayden, N.C.
Earnhardt was just a different breed in a class all his own really. Earnhardt was a "man." He was and will always be the best driver the sport has ever seen. The difference is, Gordon can't force his car to do what he wants it to do; he is only as good as his car. Dale Earnhardt did his winning with a single-car team and nowhere near the resources that Jeff Gordon enjoys today.

This seems to be a popular sentiment. Earnhardt definitely had an intangible "it" factor that many of his supporters were touched by and therefore touched on in their letters to me.

From Rusty in Charleston, S.C.
In this fan's mind jeff will never be DALE. He'll never have that thing that DALE had -- that thing inside that made him the best ever. Go back and look at what Mike Helton said the day we lost DALE -- " NASCAR has lost it's greatest driver ever!!!!!!!!!!"

Notice the type on Jeff and Dale's name. That is the work of Rusty, not me. Trust me, if Earnhardt had run for president in 2000, he would have carried the Carolinas. I now know there are Red States, Blue States and a new designation -- "3" States.

HMS a dynasty?

In American sports, nothing galvanizes a fan base like a dynasty. David Caraviello says that's what Hendrick Motorsports is working on.

• Complete story, click here

From Earl in Berwick, N.S., Canada
I was in awe whenever I saw Dale Sr. being interviewed alongside Jeff Gordon during rain delays. They were friends, it was so clear. Jeff idolized Dale, his mentor; and I will never forget Dale's description of Jeff, as he called him so many times ..."Boy Wonder."

In time, I hope this angle of the story gets its fair share of press. Most athletes at the top of their games respect and enjoy the talents of their top rivals.

From J.R. in Montgomery, N.Y.
Earnhardt won his last two championships in '93 and '94. After that it was Gordon who was the star. People "hate" Jeff Gordon because he is good, and because it seems through history, he has bested the Intimidator. As you say, a tough pill to swallow.

As it pertains to wins, there is no doubt that Jeff Gordon has passed the great Dale Earnhardt. It seems fair to mention at this point though that the 3 team might have accumulated many more wins had the tragedy not happened in Daytona. If I had a dollar for every e-mail mentioning that I would own a team of my own.

Erik from Tennessee
I have a question. Since when do victories outweigh championships? Championships mean you were the best and/or most consistent driver throughout that particular season.

How many times do I have to say it? I think (my opinion here) the points race is contrived. I'd prefer to see a driver finish first, first and 41st crashing out while trying for first over finishing second every week.

Remember again that these are races, much more than a season-long 'see who can finish safely in the top 10' contest. Do any of you think Earnhardt was ever happy finishing in second? As I outlined above, the HMS run for historic winning in a season is a "chase" I can get interested in.

Below is the best of the best from a raucous week on the Jack Daniel's Post-Race Show ...

From Tom in Kissimmee, Fla.
Does Hendrick Motorsports sell stock?

If so Tom, even the most loyal DEI and Roush Fenway supporters would be lining up with a fistful of cash.

From Bill in Pittsburgh
My whole opinion on Michael Waltrip and the Toyota thing is that Michael should step away from racing and focus on his two drivers.

Sadly, Bill, in effect he has.

From Louis in Rhode Island
Well Beau you were right about a Hendrick car winning the next Car of Tomorrow race.

I'm also able to tell you Louis, that tomorrow the sun will rise in the east and set in the west.

Finally, a couple of quick nuggets on the race ...

• My selection of Carl Edwards was met with much derision in the chat room. What gives people? Carl got a top-10 in his first two starts at Darlington and had engine trouble last year in his third race at the track. Considering the fact that I didn't allow myself to select any HMS drivers (too easy), I could have done worse.

• With a nickname like "The Lady in Black," a title like "Too Tough to Tame" and a unique egg-shaped design due to a farmer's wish to save a minnow pond -- is there any doubt that NASCAR needs to keep coming back to this small town in South Carolina for years to come?

Enjoy the race everybody.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.