Hendrick looks for 1-2-3 sweep

For Hendrick Motorsports, this NASCAR season might seem easy as 1-2-3.

OK, maybe it only looked easy.

No matter if Jimmie Johnson or Mark Martin leaves Homestead-Miami on Sunday with the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, Hendrick Motorsports - which owns both cars - will have plenty to celebrate. The title, whomever delivers it, will be Rick Hendrick's ninth in NASCAR, tying him with Petty Enterprises for the most. And it will be his record-setting 12th overall, joining three truck titles.

But there's a piece of history still out there for Hendrick to chase.

Johnson, Martin and Jeff Gordon, all of whom race under the Hendrick flag, enter the finale 1-2-3 in the standings. If they finish in those spots, Hendrick Motorsports would become the first team in NASCAR history to truly pull off that feat.

"I hate to be greedy when you think about really wanting to be 1-2-3, but we're sitting there right now with one race to go," Hendrick said Thursday. "That would be so good for the organization. If it happens, it'll be just icing on the cake. We've all thought about it. We've all talked about it. That's our goal."

Has it happened before?

Depends on perspective, really.

Buck Baker, Herb Thomas and Speedy Thompson finished in the top three spots in the 1956 standings after a 56-race schedule. Baker and Thompson both raced for Carl Kiekhaefer, as did Thomas for much of that season. But NASCAR records show Thomas started that season listed as his car's owner-driver, plus also spent some time that year with Smokey Yunick as his team owner.

Hendrick's team is often likened as the Yankees of NASCAR, with good reason.

The results, especially of late, show that whatever is going on in the Hendrick garage tops what everyone else is doing.

At 50, Martin is having what he calls the happiest season of his life. Gordon will likely finish fourth or better in the final standings for the 10th time. And Johnson is on the brink of history, needing only a 25th-place finish to clinch his fourth straight title, breaking the record he shares with Cale Yarborough.

The respect level the drivers have for Hendrick is clear. Even Martin, a venerable elder statesman in NASCAR, calls the owner "Mr. Hendrick."

Said Hendrick: "I want to go on the record, I'm only 10 years older than he is. I want it to be Rick."

Wallace will run Toyotas: Rusty Wallace Racing is moving its Nationwide Series team from Chevrolet to Toyota next season.

Wallace, who is a NASCAR analyst for ESPN, also will represent the Toyota brand on a national basis.

His team will field cars for Steve Wallace and Brendan Gaughan after using Chevrolets the past two seasons.

Penske adds Power: Will Power won't be waiting around for a ride next year.

Penske Racing has hired the 28-year-old Australian to drive full time next year after giving the Indy Racing League driver a part-time gig last season. He will drive the No. 12 Verizon Wireless Dallara/Honda for a team that features three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe.

Power drove for Penske last season while Castroneves dealt with legal issues. After Castroneves returned, Power stayed on temporarily and finished fifth at the Indianapolis 500. Penske eventually brought him back, and Power finished third at Toronto and won at Edmonton.

A crash on Aug. 22 in Sonoma, Calif. ended Power's season. He broke four bones in his back, had a concussion and chipped his left front tooth in a collision.

Power said he's on pace to be healthy for next season.

Champion wants challenge: Formula One champion Jenson Button admitted Thursday he took a pay cut to join McLaren and team with 2008 winner Lewis Hamilton.

"I am actually earning less than I would have been at Brawn, so it's not about the money and everybody involved knows that is not the case. It's because it's something new," Button told BBC Radio.

Button had won only one grand prix before capturing the 2009 title in a Brawn car. He finished 11 points ahead of Red Bull's Sebastien Vettel of Germany.

Raikkonen takes year off: Former world champion Kimi Raikkonen confirmed Thursday that he will take a one-year sabbatical from Formula One next season and said it's uncertain whether he will return in 2011.

The Finnish driver, who was replaced by Fernando Alonso at Ferrari, said he prefers to take a year off and wait for a spot with a competitive team after failing to reach a deal with McLaren. McLaren opted to sign current champion Jenson Button to partner with Lewis Hamilton.

Latest Comment View all comments