Hendrick Hungrier Than Ever - By: Kenneth026

A lost streak doesn’t lose the sense the purpose. For Chad Knaus on the car race tracks, the 2011 season ended not so much in failure as much as just Jimmie not getting on top. After several seasons of dominance, he bowed out to an Edwards-Stewart fight to the finish. After 5-consecutive sprint cup titles, the No. 48 team ended 2011 6th in points. Has Rome fallen? No, for Chad Knaus it was time to step back, reflect and rebuild. "For sure," Knaus admitted. "But definitely going over there and coming back here makes me realize we need to be thankful for what we've got, embrace it. Because if you embrace it and really get that reality check every once in a while, you're going to understand it, appreciate it more. And you’re going to perform better.”
Where did this reality check take place, you ask? On the shores of South Africa while the rest of the crew tested the waters of the Daytona International Speedway car race tracks. Instead of the drafting and cornering, Knaus studied how the oceans of the Atlantic and Indian came together to impact cloud formations, the true face of poverty and rhinoceros straight out of the National Geographic. While not going completely Dian Fossey, he did have a life-changing experience. "Living in the United States, we're so confused by what reality is," Knaus said Wednesday during the NASCAR media stop at Hendrick Motorsports.
Not only did they not get the Sprint Cup for the first time since 2006, but it was the first time since 2000 that the Hendrick Motorsports Team won fewer than 5 races and didn’t have a single driver in the top 5 in points. Even worse was the plane crash Rick Hendrick suffered at the onset of the offseason. They’re down… but they’re surely not out. In fact, Hendrick wants the team to bounce back better than ever. "I usually hedge a little bit," Hendrick said. "This year I'm not. I'm going to be really disappointed if we don't have all four cars in the Chase. And I'm going to be really disappointed if we don't win the championship."
On the car race tracks, there is something serious to offer. Jimmie Johnson feels as dominant as ever, Jeff Gordon is coming off one of his strongest showings in a very long time, Junior surprised the naysayers by pushing himself into the chase, and the addition of Red Bull-refugee Kasey Kahne means that you’ve got 4 drivers all on the rise. 2011 is behind us. There is no looking back. And Chad Knaus, leading the “pissed off #48 team” as Hendrick describes it, is as cool-headed as ever, "I'm not going to say taking a trip re-energizes me and I found some golden orb down there that made it all worthwhile," Knaus said. "I will tell you that being able to unplug a little bit helps. It helps the mind. I'm not super familiar with that aspect of life.”

About the Author

Kenneth Scott is a good writer and loves to write on various topics. Now he is sharing information about cars race track.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Kenneth026/209798

Additional Articles From - Home | Recreation & sport | Motor racing