Hendrick Survives Heat in Milwaukee
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (July 2, 2002) -- Heat was definitely the biggest challenge at The Milwaukee Mile on Sunday in West Allis, Wis., and Ricky Hendrick endured every lap of it, rolling to a 15th-place finish in the GNC Live Well 250 NASCAR Busch Series event.
"It was really hot in the car," said the driver of the No. 5 GMAC Financial Services Chevrolet. "The ground was registering 102 degrees in the pits but it was at least 150 in GMAC Chevy.
“At one point, about halfway through the race, I was seeing stars. When my dad (Rick Hendrick) asked me if he needed to get a replacement driver, they cleared up pretty quickly.
“I don't care how much you train, how much endurance and stamina you have, it was hot in there."
Hendrick started the day from the 12th spot after qualifying at a speed of 120.506 mph (29.874 seconds) on Saturday. On Sunday, Hendrick stayed in the top 20 all day en route to the 15th-place finish.
"The Milwaukee Mile is very unique," said Hendrick. "Between last year's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race and this year's Busch race, I think we've learned how it get around it pretty well.
“The big thing today was working with the heat. We should have been a little more prepared to deal with it, but we survived and came out all right. Everyone says I am young and tough and I can handle it.”
"We'll take a good strong finish any day," Hendrick continued. "I feel like I say it all the time, but this team is building. We are new to the Busch Series and we are learning and working on so many new things all the time. We are trying some different things in the pits and we will always be working on our communication.
“We had an uneventful race, but in this business I think that is a good thing."
Hendrick and his No. 5 GMAC Financial Services team will take the green flag under the lights in the Stacker 2/GNC Live Well 250 on Friday, July 5 at 8 p.m. EDT at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. The event will be telecast live on FX and broadcast worldwide on more than 300 MRN Radio affiliates.