HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Rick Hendrick understands you don't mess with a good thing. That's perhaps why one of his top priorities was to sign potential four-time champion Jimmie Johnson and sponsor Lowe's Companies, Inc. to long-term contract extensions, something that was announced Friday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Johnson's five-year deal keeps him employed under the Hendrick Motorsports banner through the 2015 season. And he'll have Lowe's sponsorship on the hood, and money backing the team's financial status, through at least 2013.

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It's a huge, huge, huge deal for both of us. We feel really good about it. Lowe's has always been extremely good in their incentives. They like to win and Chad and Jimmie delivered. I think everybody's happy in this deal.

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-- RICK HENDRICK

Now it's a matter of keeping crew chief Chad Knaus in the fold.

"It's a huge, huge, huge deal for both of us," Hendrick said. "We feel really good about it. Lowe's has always been extremely good in their incentives. They like to win and Chad and Jimmie delivered. I think everybody's happy in this deal."

The Johnson-Knaus-Lowe's partnership began in 2001. Eight years later, they have combined for 47 wins and three championships, which could very easily become four at the conclusion of Sunday's Ford 400. So it was imperative for Hendrick to get a deal done, and get it done quickly.

"Any time you're dealing with a guy who has accomplished what he has in the sport, it's a huge commitment on both parts," Hendrick said. "You're looking at five years -- really six, because that counts next year and five beyond -- and we want to be together. But at the same time, he deserves the best financial deal there, too, trying to make it a good deal for everyone."

Earlier this year, Lowe's sold the naming rights for Charlotte Motor Speedway back to Speedway Motorsports, Inc. after 10 years. But Hendrick said the home improvement company obviously continues to see a return on investment by sponsoring the No. 48 Chevrolet. In addition to money and marketing, the company provides gift cards and cash to crew members.

"It's been a phenomenal partnership with Lowe's," Hendrick said. "They build a lot of marketing around Jimmie and Chad and the race team. They have been some of the best partners we've had in this sport."

Hendrick said a long-term partnership like Johnson, Knaus and Lowe's remains viable because the dynamics of NASCAR sponsorships have evolved in recent seasons.

"In the last 10 or 15 years, you've had more sponsors coming in that are using their driver as a spokesman and in their marketing, more so than you did way back when you had tobacco and beer and other sponsors," Hendrick said." When you get all that chemistry working well, it's to everybody's advantage to keep it going.

"It's almost like a brand, building a brand with a driver and sponsor. I think that's why you see these things last. Both the driver, the sponsor and the owner want to get these deals negotiated early so they can get on with business. They're not simple but they're important."