November 11, 2007
By Kim Roberson

Kim Roberson

It is pretty much all over when it comes to which owner will add this years Nextel Cup trophy in his cabinet…we even know what building it will be in. The only mystery that remains over the next two weeks is: will it be back-to-back for Jimmie Johnson, or will the Drive for Five finally be complete for Jeff Gordon?

Not to take anything away from Clint Bowyer. I still hold out hope that somehow, he might find a way to actually pull this rabbit out of his helmet (a-la Kasey Kahne in the Nextel ads at the beginning of the year); however I will admit that I am not willing to hold my breath to see that happen.

This season has been close to unconscious for Hendrick Motorsports. Of the 34 races that have been run this season, HMS has come away with 17 of the trophies. If Jimmie Johnson wins today, he will become the ninth driver in the modern era to win ten or more races in a single season. It has been nine years since a driver last won more than ten races. Jeff Gordon won 13 in 1998, following up two ten-win seasons in ‘96 and ’97. This year Gordon, who is lurking in 2nd place, has six wins. Teammates Kyle Bush and Casey Mears each have one win to add to the total.

When you think of the career of Jimmie Johnson against, Jeff Gordon, you might think that Gordon, who has 81 total wins to date, would far surpass the man who is seen by many to be his prodigy since they started racing head-to-head. A quick look at the stats since 2002 would prove otherwise. Johnson’s success at the track began almost as soon as he climbed behind the wheel of the 48 car.

Looking at the 24 vs. the 48 over the last six seasons shows two teams that were very evenly matched for the first two years, 2002 and 2003. Johnson and Gordon each won three races; both had 20 top-ten’s in both years. (Johnson actually had 21 his rookie season). In 2004, Johnson found his legs, and began surpassing Gordon’s stats, with eight wins to Gordon’s five. In 2005, both men had four wins; although Johnson had 22 top-ten’s and Gordon only had 14. Last year, when Jimmie won his first championship, he had three more wins than Gordon, and six more top-ten’s. This season, Johnson has more wins, although Jeff has 28 top-ten’s to Jimmie’s 22. Overall, since 2002, Jeff Gordon has 23 wins, 82 top-five’s, and 125 top-ten’s. Jimmie Johnson has 32 wins, 85 top-five’s and 132 top-ten’s.

Much like Jeff has been mentor to Jimmie, Jeff’s former crew chief, Ray Evernham, was mentor to Jimmie’s current crew chief, Chad Knaus.

NASCAR Winston Cup Scene voted Evernham “Crew Chief of the Decade”, and Winston Cup Illustrated voted him “Person of the Year” for 1999. He is considered by many to be one of the best crew chief’s that has ever sat atop a pit box. Chad began with the 24 team in 1993 as a fabricator, eventually moving up to manage chassis and body construction.

At the track, Knaus worked as a part of the “Rainbow Warriors”, changing tires on race day. Knaus took what he learned under Evernham and joined Dale Earnhardt Inc. in 1997, acting as Car Chief for the 1 team of Steve Park. In 1999, he re-teamed with Evernham, who had since departed HMS to start building his own team with the re-emergence of Dodge in NASCAR. Evernham hired Chad to help with the Dodge Development team as Dodge began their effort to get back into Winston Cup, and in 2001, Chad was given his first crew chief position with Melling Racing. In 2002, Rick Hendrick brought Chad back into the HMS fold, teaming him with rookie driver Jimmie Johnson. The rest, as they say, is history.

Knaus and Johnson have been so successful, there have been rumblings that one day, Knaus might surpass Evernham as one of the best crew chief’s that ever worked in NASCAR.

It seems the students have become the masters at HMS.

There is no doubt that Rick Hendrick has an eye for talent. From his first year in NASCAR, when he had Geoff Bodine driving the 5 car in 1984, he knew how to get his cars to win. In the subsequent 23 years, his teams have a total of 166 wins in Cup, second only to Petty Enterprises. Unless catastrophe happens over the next eight days, he will add his seventh Cup championship to his list of accomplishments, his 11th championship overall; again, second only to Petty Enterprises ten Cup championships. He has four consecutive Cup championships, with Gordon winning in ’95,’97, and ’98, and Terry Labonte winning in ’96, and this year he will either crown a five-time champion, or a back-to-back champion in Gordon or Johnson.

Many claim HMS is full of “cheaters”, but I think if you look at what they have done, they are more innovators than cheaters. The infamous T-Rex car, run in the All Star race in 1997, was confiscated by NASCAR after the race, and while it was within the rules of the time, it was seen as the ultimate innovation. NASCAR studied the T-Rex, designed by HMS engineer Rex Stump, and it is believed that many of the designs in the T-Rex helped formulate what is now the Car of Tomorrow. The “cheating” of 1997 has come full circle to be a part of the future of NASCAR.

Today is the last race for the CoT in 2007. Next week is the last race for the current car, ever. The combination of the men behind the wheels, the men on the pit boxes, the knowledge of both driver and crew chief of how to work both old and new car to their best advantage, and the man running the whole show has all but ensured HMS their second championship in a row. Now it is up to the 24 and 48 teams to decide who gets to wear the crown next weekend.

Here’s hoping it is an exciting and nail-biting ride to the finish in Homestead.

The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.