Rick Hendrick Misses Season Finale
fanhouse.com
by Holly Cain
Filed under: Chase for the Sprint Cup, Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports announced Sunday morning that team owner Rick Hendrick would not be trackside at Homestead Miami Speedway for that afternoon’s Ford 400 NASCAR season finale, but instead remained back in Charlotte, N.C., for a family emergency.
Hendrick’s 29-year-old niece Alesha Gainey is in critical condition at a Charlotte hospital being prepared for a liver transplant, Hendrick Motorsports general manager Marshall Carlson told reporters. Gainey is the daughter of Hendrick’s late brother John, who was killed in a plane accident in 2004 along with Hendrick’s son Ricky and two other of John Hendrick’s daughters.
“Rick’s priority at this point is supporting his family,” Carlson said. “He’s so proud of his teams but needs to be with his niece and her family.”
Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson earned his fourth consecutive Sprint Cup championship later in the day, defeating HMS teammate Mark Martin by 141 points. Johnson’s title also gives HMS its ninth Cup championship, which ties it with Petty Enterprises for the most in Cup Series history.
Rick Hendrick Misses Season Finale originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.