CONCORD, N.C. – This weekend, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be looking to take another step toward the next round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
But all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers will have another goal in mind in the process -- adding another milestone win for the organization at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Over the years, Hendrick Motorsports has accumulated nine wins at the 1.058-mile track. And those nine victories have been won by five different drivers. Gordon became the first Hendrick Motorsports winner when he claimed back-to-back wins in 1997 and 1998. Johnson was the second with more back-to-back wins in 2003. Next, Kyle Busch took the checkered flag in 2006. In 2009, Mark Martin was the fourth Hendrick Motorsports driver to visit Victory Lane at New Hampshire. And most recently, Kasey Kahne became the fifth teammate to find Victory Lane for the organization when he did so in in 2012.
With those nine wins in the books, a win this weekend would make New Hampshire Motor Speedway another Hendrick Motorsports double-digit victory track.
But the drivers know that will not be an easy feat to accomplish, particularly during the Chase.
“New Hampshire is a scrappy track – it's tough,” Johnson said. “We qualified well last time out but didn’t have the finish we needed. As you can tell, the Chase is going to be intense, and drivers are going to be fighting for every inch on the racetrack.”
Hendrick Motorsports has double-digit victories at 10 different Sprint Cup Series tracks: Martinsville (22), Charlotte (18), Dover (18), Pocono (17), Darlington (14), Daytona (14), Atlanta (13), Talladega (12), Bristol (10) and Richmond (10).
New Hampshire is one of four tracks where the organization is on the brink of double-digit wins, joined by Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Phoenix International Raceway and the Fontana, California, oval, where Hendrick Motorsports has also earned nine wins apiece.
One driver looking to clinch his first win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and be the sixth different winner for Hendrick Motorsports to find Victory Lane there is Earnhardt.
“We’ve got a pretty good track record at New Hampshire. I think we’ve gotten top 10s in the last four races there, and hopefully the guys have worked on some things to improve and we’ve got a competitive car going into this week,” he said. “It’s a bit of a challenge, but a fun one.”
Watch for yourself to see if Hendrick Motorsports can make it 11 tracks with double-digit wins on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network.