It would be easier to get Rick Hendrick to drive a Ford than to talk about Rick Hendrick. Any conversation with him about the success of Hendrick Motorsports centers around one thing -- people. In our 20-minute talk before the Atlanta race, Hendrick mentioned at least 19 people. If you throw out the first minute for the, "Hi how ya doing," then that is one person per minute. And I might have missed a few along the way.

I first met Hendrick about 18 years ago. Every story I have done with him or on him comes back to the same thing, the people in his organization. I've known a number of them over the years too, and most reflect the class and quiet confidence of the man they call "Mr. H."

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There have been 33 Nextel Cup races this season. Sixteen have been won by a driver from Hendrick Motorsports. Jimmie Johnson has eight wins, Jeff Gordon six, Kyle Busch won at Bristol in the spring and Casey Mears won at Charlotte in May. That might be the most impressive stat of the season -- four different drivers for one owner winning sixteen races. Now that means a tip of the hat to the guys at Roush Racing as well (sorry, I can't say the "F" word in the new ownership name). They have sent four different drivers to Victory Lane this season as well, combining for six wins.

For the record, Hendrick Motorsports now owns 165 victories in the NASCAR Nextel Cup series. That is second only to Petty Enterprises (268). Junior Johnson is third (132), followed by Roush Racing (100), a tie between the Wood Brothers and Holman-Moody (96) and Richard Childress Racing with (86). How does he do it?

"It is all about people," Hendrick said.

Told ya. According to the Hendrick Web site, more than 500 people now work at Hendrick Motorsports.

"I don't care what you're doing or what your business is, it's all about the people. They have to be able to work together, believe in each other and be able to share information. They have to be motivated to come in and go through it everyday. It's no different in the racing business than it is in the automobile business."

And Hendrick has been pretty successful there as well. Hendrick grew up on a farm and quickly learned the rules of survival; rely on others to help and be ready to help others when needed. It served well as a child, as an automobile dealer and the owner of a racing organization.

"I grew up living on a farm and we had to depend on other people when there were rough times, when you had to irrigate your crops and needed to borrow water. We learned from those experiences and you take them with you.

"I had the opportunity to learn in the automobile business. When I was starting, I took people I knew with me, people that could do the job. And then we attracted new people and that's how the business grew."

And grew, and grew and grew into one of the largest ownership chains in the country. Something like 65 dealerships in 10 states. I think they make a lot of money.

You can trace the Hendrick success story right to the roots on that farm. That's where his parents, "Papa Joe" and Mary Hendrick taught their son a lesson or two about teamwork. It would be hard to find anyone in racing that was not a fan of "Papa Joe." He served his country in the Air Force in World War II, began his racing career in the early 1960s and was part of the Hendrick Motorsports family right up until his death in 2004 at the age of 84. Good genes there.

To call him a "part" of the organization is a gross injustice. Sorry about that Papa Joe.

"He would do things for people around the farm and never ask for anything," Hendrick said.

"He would lend a tractor, cut hay, take grain to the market and then they would help us when we needed it. It was a community, people working together. My mom and dad instilled that in me. We needed help from the neighbors to get things done. I learned that early on, to rely on other people. I've used that same philosophy in business and in racing. I like to give people opportunities and see them succeed."

And that's pretty much what he has done. And it's not just with his drivers. Those stories about the kid that came in to sweep the floor hoping to be a crew chief one day really do come true in racing. Hendrick has one of the best examples in Steve Latarte, crew chief for championship leader Jeff Gordon.

"I mean really, I'm competitive," Hendrick said. "I'm motivated and I like to win. But, really, I enjoy people. I don't like controversy. I enjoy seeing people become a success. You see guys that come in and start by cleaning up the shop the way Stevie Latarte did and become a crew chief. Chad Knaus [Johnson's crew chief] was a body hanger; Darian Grubb [crew chief for Casey Mears] has a mechanical engineering degree from Virginia Tech and is now a crew chief."

And there's more. Like Dale Earnhardt Jr. joining the Hendrick lineup in 2008. Hendrick has had a long relationship with Earnhardt, and he's really excited about bringing in another guy he knows pretty well, Junior's crew chief.

"I'm looking forward to next year with Tony Eury Jr. I took Tony to see his first race [a Busch race in Atlanta]. I still have the picture of Tony at the track with his hat on sideways. I look forward to his future as part of our team."

The team grew from a small foundation in 1984 to a super-team in 2007. In 1984 it was a one-car operation with Geoff Bodine as the driver. The team won three races that year. Hendrick flirted with a multi-car team, occasionally running a second car in selected races in 1984 and 1985. In 1986 the second car became a full-time program with Tim Richmond as the driver.

"When I started racing I had the opportunity to put two teams together," Hendrick said. "I had one team already and then the Folgers people came along and wanted to sponsor a car. Well, I already had a car but I got Tim Richmond to drive and Gary Nelson was a young and talented guy and I put them together and figured with two teams we would be better off than with one."

Yeah, most of the time, but not all of the time.

"It was a lot different then. If you caught a guy from Gary Nelson's team in Harry Hyde's shop or the other way around, the guy would be dead. Back then, teams didn't work together."

But they do now, at least at Hendrick, and all that work and all those years are really paying off.

"We have to have good drivers but we also have to have the best stuff around them to make it work," Hendrick said.

So what makes the difference between winning and losing? You guessed it.

"Again, it's all about the people," Hendrick said. "You have to let them know that you care about them and the operation and then they'll care about you. You have to let them know what you want to achieve and they'll let you know what they want to achieve, too. You have to get input from everyone. It's not just the people in the race shop, it's the people answering the phones, doing the tours, they all represent the team. They all want to do their best and that contributes to the effort."

If you speak with people that work in the organization, you will hear them talk about the Hendrick Motorsports family. Ricky Hendrick was a big part of that and so was "Papa Joe" and Rick's brother John. But through it all, the good, the bad and the tragic, Rick Hendrick has been the head of the family. Everyone wants to get the job done right for Mr. H.

"I always feel that it's kinda like they're my kids. I take a lot of pride in the fact that we've got a lot guys you didn't have to lure away from other companies. So many of them have worked their way up the ladder. And that sends a signal to other people, too, that your people are enjoying doing their job.

"It's a very rewarding feeling. I take a real sense of pride seeing guys working hard, guys that had a dream just like you had a dream."

And those dreams can come true.

The opinions expressed are those solely of the writer