With heavy hearts, Hendrick team goes back to work

<p>Jeff Gordon tugged at the thin blue wristband, which contained the message: "Life Is A Team Sport."</p><p>Never did those words seem more poignant.</p><p>Gordon and the other drivers from Hendrick Motorsports went very public with their grieving on Friday, appearing together at Atlanta Motor Speedway just five days after the plane crash that killed 10 people and devastated their close-knit team.</p><p>The son, brother and twin nieces of owner Rick Hendrick were flying to the race in Martinsville when the plane slammed into a mountain not far from the track. The team also lost its general manager and chief engine builder.</p><p>"I think they would be proud of us to be able to come out here and just keep doing what we love to do, what they loved being part of," Gordon said. "There will be a time when we can all move on from this tragedy."</p><p>Certainly, it won't be this weekend. But, in a sport that carries the somber threat of death at every turn, Gordon and his teammates _ Jimmie Johnson, Terry Labonte and Brian Vickers _ knew it was time to get back to work.</p><p>They practiced in the afternoon. They qualified for Sunday's Nextel Cup race in the evening. They amazed those around them with their vulnerability, but also with their determination to make some sense of it all.</p><p>Elliott Sadler was back in his camper, watching on television as the Hendrick drivers and crew chiefs remembered their friends.</p><p>"One of the most difficult things I've ever had to sit and watch," Sadler said. "My whole insides were pretty much torn up and just bawling at each emotion they were showing. I felt like I was sharing it with them."</p><p>Gordon's wristband is a symbol of the bone-marrow donor organization started by Hendrick after he was diagnosed with leukemia. Now, it takes on a whole new meaning.</p><p>"Take time to think about those people you love, how you appreciate them, and thank them while you can," said Robbie Loomis, Gordon's crew chief. "When we're young, we think life goes on forever."</p><p>It does go on for those left behind.</p><p>Gordon and Johnson are still in contention for the season championship with only four races left. The Atlanta race will likely have a huge impact on their title hopes.</p><p>"I've never been so inspired and driven in my life," Gordon said, his somber look turning resolute.</p><p>He's second in the standings, trailing Kurt Busch by 96 points. It's an imposing deficit to overcome, but hardly unattainable.</p><p>"I think it would be a great story to win this championship," Loomis said. "The biggest thing that's going to help is the support for one another, the love we can give to one another every day, and just doing our job."</p><p>Vickers was hit especially hard by the tragedy.</p><p>His No. 25 car was owned by Hendrick's 24-year-old son, Ricky, who gave up his own racing career after being injured in a crash. In just two years behind the wall, the younger Hendrick showed plenty of business savvy. In all likelihood, he would have been running the family's entire operation someday.</p><p>Vickers came along with his teammates to the infield media center, but he didn't want to answer any questions. He made a short statement, then spent most of the time staring at the floor.</p><p>"I lost a dear friend," Vickers said, his voice wavering. "They will all be deeply missed for a long time to come _ until we all get a chance to see them again."</p><p>Beyond the enormous personal toll, the crash took many of the key players in one of NASCAR's most prominent teams.</p><p>Randy Dorton ran the engine-building department, ensuring there was enough power under the hood for Gordon to win all four of his Cup titles and Labonte to capture the second championship of his career.</p><p>General manager Jeff Turner ran the business side of things, overseeing a massive operation that employs more than 400 workers at its Charlotte, N.C.-based compound.</p><p>Jeff Andrews, who was Dorton's right-hand man, will move up to run the engine department. He already was handling many of the day-to-day duties.</p><p>"Randy's organization is extraordinarily deep," said Patrick Perkins, the team's director of marketing. "Randy was the visionary, but those guys below him took care of fulfilling the vision and setting the vision, too."</p><p>Rick Hendrick won't be attending Sunday's race, and no one knows when he'll resume his role in the daily operations. In the meantime, he's appointed close confidant Bobby Rice to keep an eye on things.</p><p>Rice, partner in a North Carolina accounting firm, has long been involved with Hendrick's massive network of car dealerships. Those who already worked under Turner will take on added responsibilities.</p><p>"We will miss the leadership of a person like Jeff Turner," Perkins said. "But he brought us up well. We'll pick up the slack."</p>

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