DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. (AP) - As Jimmie Johnson celebrated another NASCAR championship in November, car owner Rick Hendrick was already thinking ahead.
He was calculating moves to make Johnson and his three teammates better. It didn’t take Hendrick long to figure them out, either.
Two days after Johnson hoisted his fifth consecutive Sprint Cup trophy, Hendrick made significant changes to his organization. It’s the kind of shop swap that could keep NASCAR’s most dominant team, Hendrick Motorsports, atop the ultra-competitive racing world.
Hendrick says his four-car team fell way behind in 2010. Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were winless, and Johnson faced his toughest challenge in winning a fifth consecutive championship.
Hendrick responded by moving everyone except Johnson and longtime crew chief Chad Knaus.
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