Page 23 - ARUBA TODAY

A23
SPORTS Tuesday 12 February 2019
Hendrick sends

statement with

sweep at Daytona

By JENNA FRYER ter the Daytona 500 and
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) turn a fledgling little Chev-
— Rick Hendrick was telling rolet team into one of the
the truth when he insisted most valuable properties in
this year was going to be sports. He still believes that
much improved from last with hard work and the
season, the worst in team right people, a team can
history. step back and admire a
He moved personnel and glistening race car, confi-
split up seven-time NASCAR dent that girl is a winner.
Cup champions Jimmie Hendrick still has his folksy Team owner Rick Hendrick, center, celebrates his 700th pole award with drivers, from left, Chase
Johnson and Chad Knaus. Southern charm, still longs Elliott, Alex Bowman, Hendrick, William Byron and Jimmie Johnson after qualifying for the Daytona
He had a Navy SEAL deliv- for those simpler days of 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019, in Daytona Beach, Fla.
er an inspirational speech racing, still wants to arrive Associated Press
to all of Hendrick Motors- in Daytona knowing his for Chevrolet, our organiza- him causing the crash.
ports, met with all four of his cars are the very best in the tion, and these drivers. I'm Johnson for a year has in-
teams and held luncheons field. really proud." sisted he can still win a re-
and team-building events. So consider Sunday the first And that was before John- cord eighth championship,
When he sent his teams to day in a new era at Hen- son bulldozed his way into and now he must do it with
Daytona for the 36th time, drick Motorsports, where victory lane. first-year Cup crew chief
he sent them to win. William Byron and Alex Johnson is tired of losing Kevin Meendering. Just as
Message delivered. Bowman gave NASCAR its and tired of social media Knaus used qualifying to
Hendrick horsepower youngest front row in Day- trolls telling him he should prove he's motivated in his
routed the competition in tona 500 history by qualify- retire. He also was under new role, Johnson used the
qualifying for the Daytona ing first and second. Byron mounting pressure from his Clash to prove he's got a
500 with a 1-2-3-4 sweep recently turned 21 and be- youngest daughter, who lot of fight left in him.
for Chevrolet. A few hours gins his second season with had prayed every night for The best car rarely wins the
later, Johnson finally won Knaus, who split with John- Daddy to win again. Daytona 500. And the rac-
a race after none last sea- son after 17 years. Johnson's opportunity ing formula for the show-
son. Knaus made a statement in came as a race-ending case race is unlike the re-
Hendrick Motorsports is now 2002 when he and Johnson rainstorm descended on mainder of the NASCAR
2-for-2 at Speedweeks with debuted at Daytona and Daytona International schedule, in which a com-
the front row for Sunday's won the pole in their first Speedway. It was time to pletely different rules pack-
season-opening Daytona race together. He opened go, and his aggressive pass age will be used to deter-
500 and Johnson's victory this chapter of his career on Paul Menard triggered mine the champion.
in the exhibition Clash. The the same way: winning the a 16-car wreck in a field These season-opening wins
proud Hendrick organiza- pole with Byron in their first of 20. It was what he had at Daytona are morale vic-
tion is using NASCAR's big- race together at the Day- to do to win an exhibition tories, nothing more. But
gest stage to show how tona 500. race worth little more than it's exactly what Hendrick
serious the boss is about re- It was the fifth consecutive a trophy, and he was un- needed for his team to
bounding from 2018, when year a Hendrick car has remorseful as he watched show it will be better this
Johnson was winless for won the pole for the Dayto- video replays that showed year.q
the first time in his career, na 500 and it was the 700th
Alex Bowman and William pole for Chevrolet, the only
Byron had forgettable first partner Hendrick has had
seasons, and Chase El- in racing. As Hendrick last
liott's three late victories season worked through a
were among the few bright massive personnel consoli-
spots. dation, Chevrolet struggled
"Last year sucked. I ain't with its NASCAR introduc-
gonna do that no more," tion of the Camaro and
Hendrick told The Associ- won just four of 36 Cup
ated Press just one week races.
before his cars left North Rolling off the trucks as the
Carolina for Daytona. four fastest cars for the Day-
If this was a sequel to "Days tona 500 was an important
of Thunder," with Randy message for the carmaker
Quaid again playing a ver- and its flagship team.
sion of Hendrick, the car "Well, you know, Chevro-
owner might guarantee a let has been awfully good
Daytona 500 victory. Hen- to me," Hendrick said.
drick, after all, is from a "That was my first dealer-
romantic time in NASCAR ship. It's all I've ever raced.
when a car salesman from It's all my dad ever raced.
Virginia could scrape to- That bowtie, we're bowtie-
gether the money to en- proud. What a great day