CONCORD, N.C. – This weekend, Hendrick Motorsports drivers are looking to add 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. Jeff Gordon became the first Hendrick Motorsports winner when he claimed back-to-back wins in 1997 and 1998. Jimmie 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 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.
“New Hampshire is a really tough track,” Jimmie Johnson, three-time New Hampshire winner, said. “Track position is really important and fuel mileage always seems to come into play. It’s a pretty scrappy race.”
Hendrick Motorsports has double-digit victories at 10 different Sprint Cup Series tracks, including: 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 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
“New Hampshire is a track I enjoy racing on,” Earnhardt said. “I love short-track racing, and the corners and the speeds there kind of lend itself to that style. It’s just a little bit frustrating that I haven’t won there because I feel like it’s a track that I should be capable of winning.”
Watch for yourself to see if Hendrick Motorsports can make it 11 tracks with double-digit wins on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network.