The old cliche is "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." At Hendrick Motorsports, Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus proved that they are the best duo on the team.
But, things outside that combination seemed to not be working as well.
The dominoes began falling at Texas when Jeff Gordon crashed out, while Johnson's team had issues on pit road. In what was the most unbelievable call at any point during the Chase, or the season for that matter, Knaus began using Gordon's pit crew for the remainder of the race.
Meanwhile Johnson's crew began taking apart Gordon's pit box, as if they were the clean-up crew for the race track once the checkered flag fell.
With that, Gordon and Johnson's crew swapped positions. But, then the off-season came. Johnson had his fifth championship wrapped up, yet the other teams did not run like they did the previous season.
So, with that in mind, Rick Hendrick decided that the other three teams needed some remodeling.
For 2011, the entire crew of Gordon moved over to Dale Earnhardt Jr, then the No. 88 team moved over to Mark Martin and the No. 5. Finally, Gordon got the GoDaddy.com crew.
Heading into the year, many questions surfaced as to if the teams would mesh. Just six races into the season, a lot of those questions have been definitively answered.
If the season were to end right now, all four Hendrick drivers would be in the Chase. Earnhardt, Martin and Johnson are all currently in the top-10 in points, while Gordon would qualify because of his victory at Phoenix.
Not only that, but the attitude of all the teams that were moved around has been extremely positive.
Earnhardt Jr. may have been the main focus as to the reason for the moves, but in essence each team has a major benefit. Junior now has a crew chief that is giving a lot of encouragement, and it has shown on the track. At Martinsville, he nearly pulled off a victory to end a near three-year winless streak.
The devastation could be seen on his face with the loss, but it was a positive week, something he has not experienced a lot in recent years.
Gordon ended his own winless streak at Phoenix after only having one victory in the previous three years. Plus, he did so after already being involved in an accident earlier in the race. Despite that, he knew exacty how the car would handle, and how fast he was.
More importantly, he didn't have his lul-period in the race where he would lose momentum and not get it back. Gordon is looking stronger each week, and his confidence is at an all-time high.
Meanwhile, the quiet driver of the Hendrick crew has been Martin. Despite no victories, he has made it into the top-10 with one of the more technical crew chiefs in the series.
Lance McGrew couldn't lead Junior to success, but he's now working with one of the most experienced drivers behind the wheel. It's showing because Martin isn't the most obvious choice to run well at certain tracks, yet he's there when laps are winding down and points are of the essence.
Every Hendrick team has experienced some chances since late last year, but it's seemingly business as usual at the HMS shop. Is another title on the horizon? It seems like it, even though there was a bit of movement among the teams.
But without a doubt, the crew swaps have certainly benefitted all four Hendrick cars.
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