Hendrick sets Gordon and Johnson apart

by Charlie Turner

I'm Charlie Turner co-host of the syndicated, mostly NASCAR radio show On Pit Row. Thanks for stopping by OnPitRow.com and the Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie blog. Oh yeah, Steve is an idiot. Follow me on Twitter @onpitrow

November 24, 2007 10:52 am CST 5 Comments

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It is reported that Rick Hendrick has offered Jimmy Johnson and lifetime contract with his Hendrick Motorsports organization.

Not a bad gig there Jimmy. Merry Christmas. You earned it but the following quote found on Scene Daily makes it sound like it’s not a done deal. Jimmy reportedly said…..

"This is home to me. Hendrick Motorsports is home to me. I don’t need a
lifetime contract to say that. I know where my home is. I know where I
want to drive and who I want to work for. I have a contract through
2010. And after that we’ll figure out what is in store for us for the
future. But this is home for me. It’s family, it’s great."

Does that sound like "Hell yes! Sign me up!" to you?

Whatever - that’s not the point that I want to make. What I’m looking at is Dale Earnhardt Jr.

If Johnson signs his lifetime deal - that would put both Jeff Gordon and Jimmy under the same contractual umbrella and that’s fine. Good for everybody involved. Junior is a different deal.

For one thing, Jr just joined the team and hasn’t run a race for HMS. Success on the track is expected - how much is yet to be seen. Wins and championships on pace with the #24 and #48 teams will be awfully tough to achieve though.

The other thing I see is the conflict that exists between DEJI - that is Dale Earnhardt Junior Inc. (not to be confused with TEI) - and the Hendrick marketing machine. As big as Johnson is with his two straight Cup titles, his popularity still pales compared to Gordon’s. And even Jeffy isn’t in Junior’s ballpark. Dale Earnhardt Junior is Jeff Gordon without the Haters, when it comes to selling stuff.

So if, down the road, Junior piles up wins and Sprint Cup Championships to an extent that Mr. Hendrick might feel tempted to offer up the same lifetime deal, I wonder how it would go. With Junior - DEJI - it would be more of an offer of merger - and a totally different reality. I don’t see it working. Mostly, I don’t see the Earnhardt’s advantage there.

Even with all of the mutual respect and admiration expressed by Mr. H and Jr, their relationship within HMS may always be different than that between Hendrick, Gordon and Johnson. There’s nothing wrong with that. But will it affect long term performance on the track?

Picture credit: Sandy Macys - AP

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Hendrick Motorsports, Jeff Gordon, Jimmy Johnson, Nextel Cup Series

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Comments

5 Responses to “Hendrick sets Gordon and Johnson apart”

robert bourne on November 24th, 2007 3:21 pm

I don’t think so not between Jr. and Hendrick..I can se Johnson leaving in 2010 despite his staements..and Gordon retiring..so Junior is the mainstay for Hendick in the future…
4ever3 on November 24th, 2007 11:55 pm

Hendrick would never offer Jr a lifetime contract anyway. Jr has stated that in the future he would like to drive for Richard Childress in his black number 3, and he has also said in the past, although less frequently, that he could see a return to DEI later in his career. Whith all that it would be difficult for me as a car owner to offer him a lifetime contract. I would try to keep him for as long as I could mind you, but with him being such a big star it would be virtually impossible for me to keep him forever.
Charlie on November 26th, 2007 9:42 am

Whether RH actually offers the contract or not, I agree that JR will likely not ever sign a lifetime deal with anyone. Because of that, Jr will never be a total equal on that team. That is my feeling anyway. Thanks for the comments guys.
Diecast Dude on November 27th, 2007 2:13 am

Hmm…

Check my blog tomorrow. I have an idea about how this could play out.
2008 OPeR Award: Best Owner/Team | On Pit Row on January 1st, 2009 12:54 pm

[...] third straight championship probably would have been enough, but throw in the recruitment and successful integration of NASCAR’s biggest box-office star, Dale Earnhardt Jr, the addition for ‘09 of [...]

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