Team turmoil

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – For the next edition of Webster's Dictionary, its editors might want to consider a few changes.

First, next to the definition of the word "dominant," they might want to insert a photo of Nextel Cup team owner Rick Hendrick. After all, with four straight wins – his drivers finished 1-2 or 1-3 in three of those races – how else can you describe the way the 2007 season has started off?

"It's kind of one of those starts that you dream about, to be in a position to take advantage of the cars working well," said Hendrick, whose driver Jimmie Johnson scored the win here at Martinsville on Sunday. "The breaks have kind of gone our way. We just want to keep building that momentum and building toward the Chase."

And next to the definition of the word "dejected," they might want to insert a pouty-looking photo of Jeff Gordon, who dug deep into his bag of tricks in an effort to win Sunday's Goody's Cool Orange 500, only to come up short in his quest for his first win since last July, extending a winless streak that now has reached 24 races.

Sunday's race was quite the contrast. Some thought Johnson might yield to his teammate and car owner as they battled in the final laps, but he did just the opposite.

And Gordon wasn't exactly cutting his young "employee" any slack. He made sure Johnson was aware of his presence – either in his rearview mirror or by the progressively hard banging Gordon's No. 24 was laying on Johnson's No. 48.

"The bumps were getting progressively stronger," Johnson said. "They probably would have set off the air bags in a passenger car."

Indeed, Gordon, looking to tie Dale Earnhardt for sixth on NASCAR's all-time win list, wanted the win just as much as Johnson. In an ideal world, both would have shared the victory – but reality is a different animal.

"The only way I could get by him was to wreck him," Gordon said. "He blocked me really bad. I thought that I had a chance at a couple of times but he shut the door real good."

Ever since Johnson came into the Hendrick fold, we've heard plenty about camaraderie and teamwork. But Sunday's outcome may have caused a chink in that everything-is-happy facade.

It was somewhat of an awakening for Gordon, who perhaps thought his teammate would automatically roll over like a loyal puppy. That's not what happened.

While the twosome has been in similar situations before, this one played out differently. Being teammates went out the window, and fangs that normally would be bared by archrivals suddenly surfaced between two guys who have continually professed their respect and love for each other.

Sunday's closing laps evolved into a battle where it was every man for himself.

"I can tell you this: I don't think I would have hit him as hard as many times trying to get by," Johnson said with a modicum of bitterness dripping from his voice.

Gordon was equally as challenging. While he didn't call out his teammate or demand a duel with guns at sunrise Monday morning, there's no mistaking how upset Gordon was.

"I will tell you what, there is going to be some interesting racing going forward," Gordon said.

Sunday's outcome may have decided a question that Hendrick has continually avoided answering over the last year or so: who is the organization's top driver now?

Is it Gordon, the points leader who has won four Cup titles in his career, but none since 2001?

Or is it Johnson, who seems to have a decided edge given that he not only is the series' defending champion, but also because he has won half of this season's first six races?

Maybe what we saw Sunday wasn't just a hard-fought finish, but also a passing of the torch. Perhaps Johnson is No. 1 and has cemented it to such a point that a frustrated Gordon realizes he's in a position he's rarely been before: No. 2, both in the organization's pecking order and Sunday's final results.

Even though it was clear he found himself between the proverbial rock and a hard place, Hendrick tried to play the role of both stern father and consoling uncle to his top two drivers. If there is conflict between Johnson and Gordon, he wants to nip it in the bud.

"Everybody realizes in the organization that if we have a situation where one guy takes the other out, it's going to unravel a lot of hard work that we've put into things this year," Hendrick said. "You just cross your fingers and hope you keep things straight."

While Johnson and Gordon both tried to puff out their respective chests, Hendrick said feelings may be a bit strained now but will soon be smoothed over.

After all, in the grand scheme of things, the fact that Gordon still is atop the points and Johnson is third probably is just as important as who finished where on Sunday.

"That happens when you run 1-2 out of the same stable," Hendrick said. "These guys want to win. Nobody wants to run second to anybody, and I think that's a good thing. I think [Monday] morning we'll look at the points and say it was a good weekend."