Hendrick absent from title clincher with family issue

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Rick Hendrick will not be at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday to see his race team make history.

Hendrick

The car owner, guaranteed of his ninth Cup championship and 12th NASCAR national division title regardless of what happens in the season's final race, has returned to North Carolina to be with a niece who is in critical condition and being prepared for a liver transplant at a North Carolina hospital.

Hendrick's niece, 29-year-old Alesha Gainey, is the daughter of John Hendrick, who died along with nine others in the crash of a Hendrick Motorsports airplane en route to Martinsville Speedway in October of 2004. Gainey's sisters Jennifer and Kimberly also were among the victims of the accident.

"Rick obviously wishes that he could be here," said Hendrick general manager Marshall Carlson. "He's incredibly proud of the accomplishments of the team, and has asked me to personally express his total confidence in their capabilities. They know exactly what needs to be done, and they know how to do it. Rick's priority at this point is supporting his family at this critical time. Again, he wishes he could be here. He's so proud of the teams. But he needs to be back in North Carolina with his niece and her family."

Jimmie Johnson leads Hendrick teammate Mark Martin by 108 points entering Sunday's event, and needs a 25th-place finish to clinch his fourth consecutive series title. Either way, Hendrick is ensured of his 12th championship in NASCAR's national divisions, which will give him one more than Richard Childress.

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