After the race today NBC announced that a Rick Hendrick owned plane crashed some where in the bull mountains of Virginia heading towards Martinsville speedway. For those who don’t know Rick Hendrick owns many of the chevy cars run in nascar including Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Terry Labonte, and Brian Vickers.
http://jayski.thatsracin.com/cupnews.htm
I think stuff like this is horrible. But one good thing that happened today was that a Hendrick car (#48 Jimmie Johnson) won the Subway 500. I think this will show how close knit NASCAR teams really are. They are like a big family and I believe that all the teams will have “open arms” for all of the Hendrick employees/family members.
From what I read on this site Rick Hendrick’s son, Ricky, was one of the people on the plane. He was an up and coming driver that quit racing a few years back. Other people were John Hendrick, the Hendrick engine builder Randy Dorton, 2 pilots and 5 other people who are not identified yet. My info is just coming from that one site and it is not all absolutely confirmed yet. I just heard Rusty Wallace on TV extending his wishes to the Hendrick team. He also mentioned how he thinks the airport there and at Talladega are the two dangerous airports that they go to and it was a matter of time before something bad happened. He also wanted there to be better equipment at the airports so that things like this wouldn’t have happened and wont happen again. Please put these people, along with their families, in your prayers.
-Kyle 
How awful.
It’s gonna be tough for the team to race with such heavy hearts (though I know they will).
My sympathies to them.
I have a new mini-update…It was confirmed that Ricky Hendrick, John Hendrick and Randy Dorton were 3 of the 8 people killed. Ricky was a truck driver until 2002 due to a racing injury and then owned the #5 busch car for Hendrick Motorsports.
-Kyle
They are now saying a total of 10 people on board have been confirmed as dead. This is a very sad day in motorsports. Condolances out to all effected. Hopefully the teams can stay on track and win something for them.
There are two articles on the NASCAR website.
http://www.nascar.com/2004/news/headlines/cup/10/24/bc.car.nascar.hendrick.ap/index.html
http://www.nascar.com/2004/news/headlines/cup/10/24/rickyhendrick_martinsville/index.html
HMS just lost Papa Joe Hendrick in July - and now this. Condolences to the whole HMS family.
This has been the second plane that has crashed in a span of a few years in NASCAR, a while back Jack Roush crashed his small plane but walked away. Planes are a big part of nascar, and many of the drivers like Rusty Wallace have a pilots license I hope they all take more precautions before flying.
If i hear any updates i will post them here, until then our thoughts and prayers are with the Hendrick motorsports family
To learn more about those killed and what this has done to the NASCAR family visit This Site
Apparently due to thick fog the pilots had difficulties with visability and slammed into the side of a mountain, I think all of the victims bodies have been found.
One of the people killed in the crash was Joe Jackson, an executive of DuPont (who sponsors Jeff Gordon). DuPont sponsors at least 5 FIRST teams, and is the major sponsor for several of them.
Tis a sad day in motorsports history.
Hope that everyone can sustain their emotions against this tragedy.
Let Hendrick and Co. be remembered for what they done and what they were.
I watched the Hendrick Press Conference today and I really thought the drivers handled the whole situation pretty good. For those of you who watched and noticed Brian Vickers and Kyle Busch didn’t say much, I think I know why they didn’t. Brian Vickers considered Ricky Hendrick his best friend and Kyle Busch’s car was owned by Ricky Hendrick.(same car that Brian Vickers step out of last year to go to Nextel Cup.) This will show how strong NASCAR’s teams are and how they aren’t just out to beat each other on the track. They are all a close-knit family, so they help each other when in need.(Reminds me of FIRST, how if a team needs a part, normally the first team you go to will let you borrow it.) There is a new wristband they are putting out that will raise money for Rick Hendricks charity. From what I understood, they will be available here but they site wasn’t working for me here lately.
-Kyle
I have another update.
Hendrick Plane Failed to Climb