Preview Of 2011's Top 5 Sprint Cup Teams: #2- Hendrick Motorsports

What???  Hendrick comes in second??  They may win the championship, and I believe they will win races with all four drivers, but I do not feel they are the strongest team in 2011...yet.  I said yet...  I believe they will finish 2011 as the strongest team, but with a slow start due to off season changes they will not have the strongest season as a whole. 

For Mark Martin, and for NASCAR, 2011 may be the end of an era.  After 2011, Martin may end up driving full time for another team, but will more likely go back to semi-retirement.  This man of steel has shown us in the past not to count him out, so don't this year.  He will be re-training Crew Chief Lance McGrew who comes over from the old 88 team and will be housed now with Jeff Gordon.  Look for these two veterans to make a hard charge come Summer.

2011 was one of the worst years ever for Dale Earnhardt Jr., but believe it or not, it was a better year than 2009.  He had more top 10's and top 5's, finished 4 spots better in points, and went from 5 DNF's to 0 DNF's.  However, none of the stats were very good in 2010, no matter how bad 2009 was.  The hope for the 88 team rests mostly in the changes of the off season and the enthusiasm those changes have caused.  Now that Jr. will be housed with Jimmie Johnson, led by Steve Letarte, and driving Jeff Gordon's cars from last year, there seems to be a true excitement from him heading into Daytona.  It will be up and down in the beginning of the season, but if they can get some top 10's early and often, look out.  I think Jr will win by August, will make the Chase, and finish in the top 10 in points.  Don't wake me up.

Is 2011 the beginning of the end for Jeff Gordon, or the end of the beginning?  I know he his not about to retire, although he has spoken more and more of retirement in the past few years.  2010 was aggravating to Gordon to say the least.  He had only 1 top 5 in the last 15 races, but 2 finishes worse than 30th.  He had no wins and only one pole, his lowest pole total since 1997.  This year, he will have Alan Gustafson as his Crew Chief and will be housed with Mark Martin.  Look for Gordon to have the most initial success out of the changed teams.  If he can remember how to charge at the end of a race, and I think he can, look for Gordon to enter the Chase in the top 5 and finish top 3.

Is Johnson a fix for six??  I don't think so.  Although he and Knaus showed strong desire once challenged in October, he didn't show the same fire the whole year.  His May, July and August were so so with only 2 top 10's and no top 5's.  However, I did forget to mention June... In June he had 2 wins and an average finish of 3.25.  Although I don't think he will win the championship, he still has the ability to pound out win after win when he gets on a roll.  I think Johnson will enter the Chase with a few wins in the top 5 in points, but with a couple of DNF's in the Chase, only finishes around 5th.  His luck in the Chase can't last forever.  He has not had more than one finish outside the top 15 in the Chase since his first championship in 2006 which he made up for with 5 straight top 2 finishes.

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