“I’ve never had as much pressure”: When Rick Hendrick orchestrated ‘one of the most radical moves’ involving Dale Jr., Jeff Gordon, & Mark Martin 

In 2010, Rick Hendrick's Hendrick Motorsports earned its tenth Cup Series title. Jimmie Johnson claimed his fifth straight NASCAR Cup championship for HMS, but Hendrick saw a deeper issue involving all four drivers, including Dale Earnhardt Jr..

Hendrick's concern reached beyond Jimmie Johnson as his other drivers, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr., all drove a winless season. Only Gordon made the Chase, finishing ninth. Martin, who had joined the team in 2009 and ended that season as a runner-up in the championship, placed 13th in 2010. Earnhardt landed 21st and missed the Chase for a second straight year.

HMS started the season strong with Johnson winning three of the first five races, and Earnhardt finished second in the Daytona 500. After the conclusion of the 2010 season, Rick Hendrick acknowledged the start, saying (via AL):

"The bottom line was we started the year off pretty decent. When we went to the spoiler we suffered."

Talking about the need for improvement in Earnhardt's performance, Rick Hendrick added:

"I've never had as much pressure. And I knew it when I brought Earnhardt on and that the world would be watching."

Hendrick later swapped crew chiefs among the three non‑Johnson teams. The team announced in November the changes for the following season. Gordon got Alan Gustafson from Martin, who received Lance McGrew from Earnhardt Jr, and the latter was assigned Steve Letarte, who had previously worked with Gordon.

"It's probably one of the most radical moves I've made in my career in racing," he added.

The changes also extended to the physical layout of the team shops. Earnhardt’s No. 88 team would join Johnson's No. 48 in one facility, and Gordon’s No. 24 would share a shop with Martin’s No. 5 team.

"The proof will be in the performance next year" - Rick Hendrick on his team's internal changes in 2010

Rick Hendrick's radical move reshaped crew leadership and shop structure across his teams before the 2011 season. Explaining his changes, Hendrick said it would give his team a better future.

"We need to get better across the board and not leave any stone unturned. We finished 1-2-3 [in the Cup standings] in 2009, but the whole organization got complacent. There's a new energy inside our company now. Everybody is excited about these changes and ready to go attack 2011. But the proof will be in the performance next year," Rick Hendrick said (via ESPN).

However, the 2011 season brought much success to Rick Hendrick despite making wholesome crew changes. Jimmie Johnson earned just two wins in 2011 and helped Chevrolet to the Manufacturer’s Championship. Gordon scored three wins. His second win of the year at Pocono moved him into third on the all‑time Cup wins list.

Earnhardt Jr.'s strongest result of the season was a runner‑up finish at Kansas and Martinsville Speedway. Martin also failed to register a win in 2011 and had to settle for one top-5 finish at Dover.

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Edited by Sumeet Kavthale