Season Review-Preview: Hendrick Motorsports
Dale Earnhardt Jr. ended his four-year victory drought at Michigan in June. (Getty Images)
Season Review
Hendrick Motorsports put all four of its drivers in the Chase but ultimately fell short of the Sprint Cup Series championship.
Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne all found Victory Lane and qualified for the playoffs, but none were able to bring team owner Rick Hendrick an 11th Sprint Cup title.
"I'm still very proud of this team and the effort everyone put in," said Hendrick. "It's a special year for us for what we did accomplish even though we weren't able to win the championship."
Hendrick was able to reach the 200th-victory milestone when Johnson took the checkered flag at Darlington over Mother's Day weekend.
"I just want to thank everybody and those folks that gave it their all and gave their lives in '04, my family and friends," Hendrick said of the tragic plane crash that happened at Martinsville eight years prior. "This is a special night, and we're going to remember them."
Johnson's season did include five wins, 18 top fives and 24 top-10 finishes as well as four poles. He was in the middle of the race for a sixth championship until the last race of the year at Homestead, only to be derailed by a missing lug nut and subsequent mechanical failure to end the quest.
"Definitely a disappointing finish to it all," Johnson said after the season finale. "We were putting the pressure on like we needed to. We had strategy on our side, really in position to make it interesting there at the end. A couple of little problems -- well, one problem, and then a fatal issue got us at the end."
Gordon also had a shot at winning the title after enduring an up-and-down regular season. He made the Chase but got off to a bad start that he was never able to recover from.
He did score his 87th career win at Homestead, but it wasn't enough to get a fifth title. His year was also punctuated by a feud with Clint Bowyer, which boiled over in Phoenix.
"You know, our team has worked so hard this year, and I'm so proud of them," Gordon said. "We've had great race cars this year. But, yeah, we kind of do need a reset, and I'm looking forward to the 2013 car. I tested it a couple weeks ago. I thought it went really well. I think we've got some great things in store for that."
Kahne's first season in the Hendrick stable got off to a frustrating start, but he was able to turn it around for a career-best fourth-place finish in the standings.
Kahne teamed with crew chief Kenny Francis to drive his way into the Chase as a wild-card entry. Though he wasn't able to mount a championship charge, he was proud of the 2012 effort.
"As a team, our greatest accomplishment was battling back from a poor start and making the Chase," Kahne said. "I have to thank Kenny for his vision and his preparation of our race cars. He and I and a lot of guys on the 5 team have been a lot of different places in recent years, but we've stuck together and, through hard work, were able to have a great season."
Earnhardt had a memorable season as well for both the right and wrong reasons.
He ended a four-year victory drought with a win at Michigan in June, the site of his last previous checkered flag in 2008.
"They've stuck behind me all these years," Earnhardt said of his legion of fans. "I know exactly what they've been thinking about and how long they've wanted to get back to Victory Lane. This is for them. I appreciate their loyalty and support."
Earnhardt made the Chase and was poised to make a serious run at the title until he was unexpectedly sidelined for a pair of race.
Involved in a 24-car, last-lap crash at Talladega, Earnhardt was diagnosed with a concussion, his second in less than two months, after an August testing accident at Kansas Speedway.
He was forced out of the car to recover, ending any hope of a championship.
"You know your body and you know your mind, and you know when something is not quite right," Earnhardt said of his decision to seek medical help.
But Earnhardt is optimistic about what lies ahead in 2013 and ready to get back on track.
"I really enjoy being at the track and driving cars," he said. "It's been a good year, but this should be par for the course. It's been a good year, but we want to be a lot better than this. I'm not ready to stop trying to be better."
2013 Preview
The Hendrick brigade will once again be a force in the coming year, and the quartet of drivers has a solid opportunity to all return to the Chase.
Johnson's disappointment of how 2012 ended might be even more motivation for the 48 team's quest for a sixth title. Gordon enjoyed a rebirth of sorts last season and is determined to add another championship trophy to his collection. Kahne should be even better after a year in the organization under his belt. And the pairing of Earnhardt with crew chief Steve Letarte will continue to keep the 88 team competitive.
Smart money says Hendrick's depth and resources will help the organization make the transition to the new 2013 Chevy SS Sprint Cup car faster than its competitors. A fast start to the season is definitely in the cards.
There isn't a team as strong as Hendrick right now in the garage area, and the quest for an 11th Sprint Cup Series title will be very much alive next season.
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