Hendrick angst

By DAVID GREEN

It's fashionable now to overreact and exaggerate, so let's just go with the flow and indulge in some of that. Let's wring our hands (or clap them, as emotions may dictate) and ask impatiently, "What's wrong with Hendrick Motorsports?!?"

This is the juggernaut, you may remember, that won exactly half of last year's 36 Cup Series races. Each of four drivers contributed to the onslaught as Hendrick dominated in a way that only Kiekhaefer (1955-56), Petty Enterprises (1967) and the Wood Brothers (1973, 1976) have ever done.

And, after starting the season with Daytona Speedweeks preliminary victories by Dale Earnhardt Jr. in his first two competitive events in Hendrick equipment and a Daytona 500 pole by two-time defending Cup champ Jimmie Johnson, it looked as if the Hendrick beat was just going to go on.

Alas, it has not.

Dale Jr. finished ninth at Daytona, and he was the only Hendrick driver in the top 10. Johnson was 27th, Casey Mears 35th and Jeff Gordon 39th.

Sure, Johnson and Gordon were second and third at Fontana and Dale Jr. was third last week at Atlanta. Top threes are pretty strong, something to be elated about -- unless you're Hendrick Motorsports.

And there's the matter of Kyle Busch, who left Hendrick for a ride at Joe Gibbs Racing. Busch got the first Cup Series victory for Toyota last Sunday, and is generally acknowledged as one of the sport's top talents. Did Hendrick stumble by losing Busch?

OK, enough indulging. It's early -- way early. There's still plenty of time for the Hendrick team to get rolling. There are still 32 races for them to flex their muscles and make everybody forget about their "underachieving" in the season's first four events.

Earnhardt is arguably the best performer of the quartet now, and whether he is a better or worse driver than Busch is an argument that can be spun at least two ways. But the assessment here is that, all factors considered, the driver switch was good for both drivers and both teams.

We'll see later today (weather permitting, of course) whether the Hendrick team returns to its 2007 form -- or if its "slump" continues into a fifth weekend.