“Less is more” approach could be what Hendrick, Earnhardt need

When analyzing the lineup for this year’s Chase for the Sprint Cup, no two absentees are more notable than Hendrick Motorsports teammates Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin.

NASCAR’s most popular driver and its perennial sentimental favorite both fell short of qualifying for the 10-race playoff - the first time Martin has missed the Chase while competing a full season, while Earnhardt will be left out of the Chase for the fourth time in the format’s seven-year history.

Since adding Jimmie Johnson’s #48 team to the stable in late 2001, Hendrick Motorsports has dealt with mixed results amongst its four teams, just as it did prior to the expansion when Jeff Gordon routinely overshadowed his teammates. Three times have each of Hendrick’s Chevrolets visited victory lanes in the same season (2003, 2006, 2007), but never have all four cars placed amongst the top-10 in the final point standings.

A return to a three-car lineup could potentially help the team’s overall performance, and nobody would have more to gain from it than Earnhardt.

As stated, Hendrick competed as a three-car outfit from 1993, when Jeff Gordon joined the Sprint Cup Series full-time, through October 2001, when Johnson debuted for the team at Charlotte Motor Speedway. During that span, Gordon far outperformed his teammates, though Terry Labonte did win a championship in 1996 - the second in a streak of four titles for Hendrick, with Gordon claiming the other three.

For a time, Labonte seemed to almost keep pace with Gordon, though Gordon’s DuPont Chevrolet was the clear frontrunner amongst the Hendrick Chevies. The Hendrick third car, the #25 driven by a variety of drivers including Ken Schrader, Ricky Craven, and Wally Dallenbach, never really fufilled the promise of success established in the 1980s by the Tim Richmond/Harry Hyde pairing.

Much has changed since the clear disparity among the former three-car incarnation of the Hendrick team. Last season, three of Hendrick’s four Chevrolets placed 1-2-3 in the final standings. Taking the #5 Chevrolet, which will be driven by Martin one last time in 2011 before Kasey Kahne takes over full-time, and combining it with the Johnson and Gordon teams could be the recipe for the most dominant across-the-board multi-car team in the sport’s history. There would be no mutt, no straggler of a car to take a little shine off the successes of its teammates.

The problem is, where would that leave Earnhardt? The solution is simple: create another three-car team.

The dream-team paring of Rick Hendrick and Dale Earnhardt Jr., on the surface, appeared to be the union necessary to lead NASCAR’s favorite son to championship glory. Deeper analyzation, however, revealed the potential for an image clash that could create an uncomfortable situation for Earnhardt.

Hendrick Motorsports’ image is that of a consummate professional white-collar organization. Its personnel, including the drivers, attend events in neatly pressed white polo or button-down shirts and neatly pressed black dress pants and dress shoes.

Such an image is a complete 180-degree turn from that which Earnhardt Jr. created during his tenure with his late father’s organization. Earnhardt Jr.‘s image is perhaps best described by an untucked, slightly wrinkled t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans that might have a grease stain or two on them. He is as blue collar as blue collar gets in big-time auto racing, and such a laid-back demeanor is what resonates with many of his legions of fans.

So how does he. find the happy medium, a comfortable, laid-back working environment combined with the power of Hendrick Motorsports’ cars and engines?

Enter Tony Stewart.

Earnhardt Jr.‘s off-track friendship and on-track camaraderie - no superspeedway drafting tandem is more notorious - with the co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing automatically creates an ideal situation. Additionally, if Earnhardt is first when it comes to laid-back, blue collar attitude, then Stewart is a respectable second in that category. The other Stewart-Haas driver, Ryan Newman, also fits the bill.

Stewart wants to expand his team to three and perhaps four cars one day in the future, but has yet to find the ideal situation. Teaming with his good friend would perhaps create such an ideal scenario. In terms of sponsorship, another sticking point in the delayed expansion of Stewart-Haas, Earnhardt remains NASCAR’s most marketable driver thanks to his popularity. While current sponsor PepsiCo likely couldn’t accompany him to outspoken Coca-Cola devotee Stewart’s team, finding funding for Earnhardt’s Chevrolet would be no problem.

For Rick Hendrick, cutting back to three teams would give him a one-two-three punch, the likes of which few if any teams in NASCAR’s history could claim.

For Dale Earnhardt Jr., moving to Stewart-Haas Racing would create the laid-back environment that seems to suit him best of all, while allowing him to maintain his association with Mr. Hendrick and compete in Hendrick cars.