Team owner Rick Hendrick will not appeal the penalties assessed the Hendrick Motorsports teams of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson earlier this week.
“The penalties are excessive,” Hendrick said in a statement. “But we’re not going to put time and resources into issuing an appeal. Instead, we will direct that energy into our internal processes to make sure we have full confidence that our cars will meet standards when presented for inspection each week. We’ve said from the beginning that this would be a learning process [with the car of tomorrow] and there would be a lot of give and take between NASCAR and the teams to figure it out. That doesn’t seem to be the case now, and I don’t think it’s the right direction to go.” Hendrick: Team will not appeal
Knaus lauded his team and its ability to overcome the setback. Johnson won the Daytona 500 last season with interim crew chief Darian Grubb at the helm when Knaus was serving a suspension. The team ran well throughout Knaus’ absence and went on to win the 2006 championship.
“It’s definitely disappointing, but we have a very capable and committed team,” Knaus said of the penalties. “For whatever reason, we seem to thrive on adversity. We’ve overcome challenges in the past, and I know we’ll get through this as well. I didn’t feel like we were outside the box in Sonoma, but that’s NASCAR’s call, and they made it.”
“It’s been a great season so far, and we have a really strong, championship-caliber team in place,” Letarte said. “The penalties are unfortunate and severe, but we’ll put the situation behind us and focus on winning a fifth championship for the No. 24 team.”
He expressed confidence in Meendering’s ability to keep the team on top. “Jeff is my go-to guy,” Letarte said. “We have similar backgrounds, and we’ve both been here [with Hendrick Motorsports] a long time. This is a tough pill to swallow for me, but he’ll do a great job leading the team and keeping things moving in a positive direction. We’ll rally, and Jeff will get more support from the organization than you can imagine.”
Letarte, crew chief for Jeff Gordon, will be replaced by interim crew chief Jeff Meendering beginning this weekend at New Hampshire International Speedway. Knaus, crew chief for Jimmie Johnson, will be replaced by interim crew chief Ron Malec. Both Meendering and Malec have been working as the car chief for their respective teams.
Knaus called Malec an able replacement who is capable of keeping Johnson in contention. The team is fifth in the standings after also being assessed a 100-point driver and owner penalty. “Ron is the only car chief I’ve ever had on the No. 48 team,” Knaus said. “He knows the guys better than anyone, and they all have a ton of respect for him and what he’s accomplished. Ron has been our backbone from the beginning, and he’ll do a terrific job. Letarte, Knaus: Teams will overcome.
Post a Comment