Recent Martinsville success helps mend memories

MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- The sun washed over Martinsville Speedway in all its glorious splendor Sunday, shining down from one of those clear skies so brilliantly blue that the entire world seemed a better place.

It was in stark contrast to Oct. 24, 2004, which broke gray and overcast at dawn and not only never got any better, but in fact got a whole lot worse. They ran Subway 500 races both then and Sunday, and the two stock-car events were as different as the weather that made up the two days.

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On that tragic day in 2004, the Beech 200 King Air plane that had been carrying 10 people for Hendrick Motorsports from Concord, N.C., crashed in the Bull Mountain area seven miles from the Blue Ridge Regional Airport in Martinsville, killing all those on board.

Among the dead were Ricky Hendrick, son of Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick; John Hendrick, Rick's brother and president of the organization; Kimberly and Jennifer Hendrick, John's 22-year-old twin daughters and Rick's nieces; Jeff Turner, general manager of Hendrick Motorsports; and Randy Dorton, the organization's chief engine builder.

Jimmie Johnson won the race that day and wasn't told of the tragedy until afterward, cutting short what he thought was going to be a long celebration in Victory Lane.

Rick Hendrick hadn't attended that race because he was ill. For a long time afterward, he didn't attend subsequent events at the Martinsville track because it brought back too many horrible memories.

But Sunday, when Johnson won the Subway 500 again, Hendrick was there to lend a congratulatory hand and a crushing hug in Victory Lane. It capped a weekend in which Hendrick and his family also attended the grand opening of Levine's Children Hospital at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, N.C., which also contains the Ricky Hendrick Centers for Intensive Care -- comprised of a pediatric intensive care unit and a cardiovascular intensive care unit.

"I stayed at home last year, and I think I stayed home the year before. I came back the first year [after the plane crash]. And actually sitting at home is tougher than being here with the guys -- because that's what Ricky and John and Randy and all of them want me to do," Hendrick said Sunday.

"It's hard to do. But as soon as I walk in here and get with the guys [on the Hendrick race teams], these are my family, too -- all the fans, you guys [in the media]. I'm with people that care about us."

Chasing the championship

When Johnson won the Goody's 500 Nextel Cup race at Martinsville last spring, Hendrick lingered behind in his Charlotte home. But he watched with great interest as two of his drivers, Johnson and Jeff Gordon, battled furiously with each other over the final laps before Johnson emerged victoriously.

For a long time Sunday's race looked like it was shaping up as a repeat of that one. Gordon actually led a race-high 168 laps to Johnson's 147 -- and for many of those when Johnson was in the lead, Gordon was right behind him.

Once again, Hendrick was caught right in the middle. No one seems to be able to handle it better -- and that appears to be one of the main reasons Johnson and Gordon have 13 race victories between them this season and are ranked one-two in points, with Gordon holding a 53-point edge over Johnson.

"You don't want to see 'em wreck each other. You want to see 'em race clean," Hendrick said. "And I think you saw it. Jeff didn't try to hold Jimmie up. When Jimmie got there and he was quicker and got to the inside, [Gordon] didn't try to muscle him or anything like that. You know, he's racing for a championship -- and if he can narrow it down to just two more cars, then that's to his advantage.

"I shouldn't say this, but people are going to remember who won the '07 championship. They might not remember who won the race and finished third here when we're in New York [for the season-ending awards banquet]."

With four races to remaining in the Chase for the Nextel Cup, the two Hendrick drivers are 115 points clear of third-place driver Clint Bowyer. Tony Stewart, lurking in fourth place, dropped to 249 points back and appears out of contention for the title.

"Hopefully it's down to two of us," Hendrick said.

Hendrick has presided over a two-man race for the championship within his organization previously. In 1996 it came down to the final race of the season when Terry Labonte edged out Gordon for the championship by a mere 37 points.

"I got them all together the week before and I said, 'I'll tell you what I'm gonna do. I'm going to go to the loser first,'" Hendrick said. "'And then after that, I'm going to go to the guy that won it. So know it before you see it. And don't think I'm playing favorites by going to the guy that loses. I want you to know what I'm going to do.'

"I think it helps the guys to know how I feel."

No favorites

No one thinks Hendrick plays favorites at his organization these days. When the No. 24 Chevrolet of Gordon's team and the No. 48 Chevy of Johnson's team are battling, everyone involved knows Mr. H cares the most about everyone getting through it without anything bad happening.

"He does everything he can to assure all of us that everything is going to be all right," said Chad Knaus, Johnson's crew chief. "When something happens on pit road with the 24, he'll scurry down there and pat them on the back. So he's busy. He's like a little queen bee, running from back and forth between the teams and making sure everything's all right.

"It's got to be tough for him because of the fierce competitive nature of our organization. But he thrives on that. He loves that. He loves the fact that we're battling amongst ourselves."

Johnson said that no one can possibly comprehend the other daily demons that Hendrick must battle, in the wake of the tremendous personal losses suffered that day in October of 2004.

"I could never imagine it getting any easier for him," Johnson said after Sunday's latest victory. "In the situation he's in, if he can somehow, if his mind will give him a break thinking about his son passing on the plane, then he goes to his brother, his nieces, close friends and on and on.

"I can't even begin to understand what kind of pain he has to deal with every time coming here. I wasn't sure he was going to be here today. But he was there in Victory Lane -- and to see him smiling and happy is awesome."

After a pause, Johnson added in pure amazement: "The stuff that man has lived through, and still he shows up with a smile on his face."

Hendrick said he draws strength from his race teams just as surely as they obviously draw strength from him.

"You can't undo what was done," Hendrick said. "This week we dedicated a children's hospital [intensive care units] in Ricky's name. We cut the ribbon Saturday morning. So, you know, it's been a hard week. But every week is a hard week. It's just, you miss all those folks.

"Just being with these guys and supporting them is real important to me. I wanted to be here."

As Hendrick smiled again, shook another round of hands and offered a parting hug to a motorsports representative, the sun was still shining down on Martinsville Speedway even as the shadows began to encroach again.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.