By Rick Houston
Jimmy Means couldn’t believe it, so hung up the phone.
Somebody claiming to be Jimmy Johnson, the longtime general manager at Hendrick Motorsports, was calling to offer him a ride for the upcoming fall race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This was too good to be true, so Means hung up. Johnson tried again, and again, Means slammed the phone down.
Finally, one last time, Johnson quickly explained that it wasn’t a joke, that the team’s Folger’s-sponsored number 25 entry would be Means’ at Charlotte, if he was interested. It was a dream gig for Means, who’d long toiled as an independent driver on the Winston Cup circuit. It was a hard-scrabble existence, and it was tough to pay the bills and get enough quality help. At Hendrick Motorsports, Means would have the best of everything.
Means took the deal and qualified fifth before an incredibly disappointing accident not of his own making took Means after he’d completed just 20 laps.
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