Hot tracks ahead for Hendrick Motorsports

Rick Hendrick isn’t the type of team owner to rest on his laurels, but the next four tracks on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series calendar probably bring a smile to his face – even if it’s just for a moment. That’s because these are tracks where his teams have a good deal of experience and have experienced a good deal of success. Hendrick Motorsports has won a combined 46 races at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (10 victories), Richmond (Va.) International Raceway (nine), Darlington (S.C.) Raceway (12) and Lowe's Motor Speedway (15). Then figure in the fact that his crew went seven-for-seven at these tracks during the 2007 campaign, with Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Casey Mears each winning at least one race. “We definitely have some tracks where we've been successful, but that's in the past,” Hendrick said. “We can't sit back and rely on that (past performances) to carry us through. I'm really proud of our restrictor-plate program and everything our guys have accomplished on that side, so we're looking forward to Talladega. Richmond and Darlington are great tracks, and we always love running at Lowe's Motor Speedway. All the teams view that one as a home game, so there's bragging rights on the line. We have more testing to do and more gains to make with this new car, but we'll be ready."