Johnson enriches the Hendrick fairy tale

Everything is storybook these days for Hendrick Motorsports, an organization so good it must garner consideration as the best in the American sporting world.

Sure the New York Yankees boast an All-Star lineup, fielding the top-paid player at virtually every position. But when was the last time they hoisted a championship trophy?

Hendrick wins championships like Joe DiMaggio used to, which is to say more often than not. Joe D. won nine in 13 seasons; Hendrick's won eight in the last 14.

And the Hendrick boys notch wins like Babe Ruth used to hit home runs. Ruth's 60 in 1927 accounted for 14 percent of all home runs that season. Over the last three seasons, Hendrick has won 30 percent of all races.

This includes Jimmie Johnson's victory in Sunday's Goody's 500 at Martinsville Speedway, which just so happens to have fallen on the anniversary of Hendrick's very first Cup win, which came 25 years ago at Martinsville.

Things weren't so storybook back then. Or actually, maybe they were.

As Rick Hendrick tells it, he was ready to close up his fledgling race shop because there weren't enough sponsorship dollars to keep it open even one more week. But then Geoff Bodine swooped in and won at Martinsville, saving Hendrick Motorsports from extinction.

"If we had not won that race 25 years ago, Hendrick Motorsports probably would not be here today," Hendrick admitted last week.

It's hard to imagine, because these days Hendrick winning has become commonplace (read boring). This is, of course, what happens in the middle of every dynasty. Fans start complaining about parity, about how they can't stand to watch another Bulls/Yankees/Patriots title run.

But what gets overlooked is the hard road taken to get there. These teams weren't always good, not even the Yankees. They were built by someone – players, coaches, owners – who had visions of something greater.

Ruth made the Yankees; Michael Jordan transformed the Chicago Bulls; Bob Kraft turned around the New England Patriots; and Rick Hendrick, through perseverance, has created a dynasty in NASCAR that doesn't appear to be ending anytime soon.

Johnson, the three-time defending champion, is just entering his prime. Jeff Gordon, at 37, sits atop the points standings. The other two drivers in the Hendrick stable, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin, are virtual afterthoughts in this conversation, and together they represent two of the sport's most popular drivers.

By all accounts, Hendrick is the glue – a masterful manager of personalities. He's the one who convinced Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus they were better together, a stroke of genius that's led to three straight titles. He's the one who lured Earnhardt away from the company that bore his father's name. He's the one who talked Martin out of part-time retirement.

Twenty-five years ago, Hendrick wasn't even at the track when Bodine won. He was back home in North Carolina, going to church with his wife. He found out about the win via a call on a pay phone to his mom.

Since that day, Martinsville has played an integral role in the legacy of Hendrick Motorsports. It's where, five years ago, a plane crashed en route to the track, killing 10 members of the Hendrick organization, including Ricky Hendrick, Rick Hendrick's son. And it's where three seasons ago Johnson, struggling to find his way in the Chase, took the checkers to begin his run at his first of three straight titles.

It can be said that Sunday Johnson officially announced his candidacy for title No. 4. And he didn't do it quietly.

In muscling his way past Denny Hamlin in the closing laps, Johnson, who struggled early in the race, reasserted the already understood position that Martinsville is his house. He used his front bumper, albeit respectfully, to move Hamlin out of his way with just 15 laps to go, clearing a path for this fifth checkered flag in the last six races at Martinsville.

"I heard some comments when we were doing interviews on the frontstretch, where people assume and expect us to win," Johnson said after notching his and Hendrick's first win of 2009. "We don't take this for granted.

"We didn't have an easy day today. We had to stay together as a team, work through a lot of changes, a loss of track position to make the car better and fight for the front, count on pit stops, count on good driving. It took a team effort today."

Really, the struggle was much the same as it was 25 years ago – fighting the car, fighting for position, rallying from the back – only now, as Johnson noted, winning is expected, which may be why Hendrick was on hand to celebrate.

"Yeah, you know, I didn't get to take a picture with Bodine 25 years ago, but we got to take one out there today with Jimmie," Hendrick said. "It was a special day."