Hendrick Motorsports: A House Divided or United?

Hendrick Motorsports with the best equipment and most talent money can buy may be a house divided.

There are two shops, one housing the 24/48 team and the other housing the 5/88 team.  There is little doubt that all is flowing well in the shops of the 24 and 48 teams.  Chad Knauss and Steve Latarte have sealed the deal with their drivers.

Now we venture to the other shop.  Mark Martin, the wily veteran, proved this year he can run with the young guns and perhaps should have been chosen Athlete of the Year.  Alan Gustafson makes great calls, stays cool under pressure, sets the cars up to perfection and most of all has the confidence and respect of his driver.  This combo proved to be near perfection in 2009 with Martin runner up to his teammate JJ for the championship.

Let us now proceed to the part of this shop, home to Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Lance McGrew.  McGrew, as the latest crew chief, was dealt a daunting task.  It is his job to reconfigure a team by undoing habits of old.  McGrew has unlimited resources and the most popular driver.  He has had to shoulder some blame for Jr's problematic performance on track deservedly or not. 

Time for excuses is running short and rapport between he and Dale Jr. is still a work in progress.  The level of comfort, respect and confidence between driver and crew chief that garners success does not appear evident.

Three of the four Hendrick teams are functioning at optimal levels.  The fourth team with Earnhardt Jr. and McGrew have much to prove.  Can they do it in 2010?

Will Alan Gustafson steel the limelight from Chad Knaus?  All teams under the Hendrick banner should be working from the same playbook and supporting one another.  We strongly suspect each team has their own little black book.  McGrew is probably in the first chapters of his while Knauss has several volumes in his library.

Hendrick Motorsports has it all, but is it united?  Perhaps not!

Just my thoughts............