The ongoing struggles of #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. were not the sole reason for the sweeping changes made at Hendrick Motorsports. A day after Rick Hendrick shuffled the driver and crew chief lineup for three of his race teams, the team owner said the entire organization had grown complacent because of all its success. Even Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus, fresh off their fifth consecutive championship, were “off this year,” Hendrick said. “This was not a Dale Earnhardt – not a move that we made, this major of a move, because of Dale or his situation,” Hendrick said Wednesday. “I am excited about making all four teams better. We need to be better across the board. We are not going to leave any stone unturned.”
Hendrick said he called a companywide meeting after the Nov. 7 race at Texas, where Johnson’s crew was benched in the middle of the event and Denny Hamlin outran the No. 48 team to take the lead in the championship standings. No personnel decisions were made during the meeting. “No one suggested in that meeting that we shift people around,” Hendrick said. “It was about how each individual could make this organization better.” In the two weeks after the meeting, there were discussions between Hendrick and his management team, and the shakeup was revealed Tuesday afternoon. “A tremendous amount of thought went into it, and it was not a (decision) from the hip,” Hendrick said. “It’s not one of those things that you can vote on; it’s one of those things you have to pull the trigger and go do it.” The owner said he has now matched driver and crew chief based on personality fits. “I think everybody was excited last night, and it sparked a new amount of energy in our company,” he said.(in part from the Associated Press)(11-24-2010)
