Sabates: All things equal, no one can touch Hendrick (cont'd)

"Ray Evernham, he left for the big bucks. He became very rich overnight because of Dodge," Sabates said. "Then you had Kyle Busch. He had to leave because he didn't fit there. He was going to leave or they were going to leave him. And I think Rick did that kid a big favor -- because I think Kyle Busch is going to be a much better person, not being at Hendrick.

"You know, Rick and I are very, very close. And he was telling me the other day, 'If Kyle had been the way he was the last six or seven races of the year in the first half of the year [in 2007], I never would have even thought about bringing Dale Earnhardt Jr. in.'"

Now that's he's on board, though, Earnhardt should be a good fit for the Hendrick organization because of his laid-back style and his long relationship with the Hendrick family, according to Sabates. (read more)

"You've got to remember Junior was very close friends with [the late] Ricky [Hendrick, Rick's son]. I mean, Ricky used to live across the street from me, and Junior was there all the time. They had a real friendly relationship, and I think that has transferred to Rick," Sabates said.

"I think Rick looks at Junior more as Dale's boy than he does him as Dale Jr., which is great for Dale Jr. because then he can look at Rick as a father figure, not as a boss figure. Dale would not be a good fit with Jack Roush, because Jack would expect him to do this [racing stuff] 24 hours a day -- and Dale doesn't want to do that. Rick is a great fit. But the pressure is going to be on him to win."

That pressure will be intense, Sabates added.

"I just think he's going to have his work cut out of him. He's with the best organization in racing -- and if he doesn't win six or seven races this year, people are going to say, 'What's wrong with him?' Nobody's going to be asking what's wrong with Hendrick," Sabates said.

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What also sets Hendrick apart from other teams, Sabates added, is money. As in Hendrick has lots of it because of various other business ventures.

"Hendrick isn't like a lot of other car teams. Chip's livelihood is automobile racing. He doesn't have another business. Roush now has a partner who demands a return on the big money he paid him," Sabates said. "[Joe] Gibbs has to live off this business; it's how he makes his living. [Richard] Childress doesn't have any other income, plus he's got a partner who owns 50 percent of his business, anyway. So this guy has a responsibility to make cash.

"Rick doesn't need a dime. If he breaks even, he's happy. If he loses money, he's still happy."

That makes it difficult for other teams to compete on a level playing field, Sabates argued -- although he added that he doesn't begrudge Hendrick anything he and his organization have earned.

"It's hard to do. That's what I'm saying," Sabates said. "No one is going to be able to catch Hendrick. Unless NASCAR makes a rule that Hendrick can have three tires and the rest can have four, no one will catch them. No one is ever going to catch them.

"That doesn't mean they're going to win every championship. That doesn't mean they're going to win every race -- because they don't. But that means when you go to the racetrack, that's the team you have to beat every week. You can beat 'em. People have beaten them before; but you've got to have a lot of luck to beat 'em. All things being equal, you can't touch 'em."