Hendrick gets clearance for Richmond

CONCORD, N.C. -- Ricky Hendrick never thought the tiny oval at Concord Motorsport Park looked as much like an oasis as it did Tuesday.

	Ricky Hendrick Credit: ASP

"If you've never been there, you have never seen anything like this track," Hendrick said Tuesday evening. "It makes IRP (Indianapolis Raceway Park, a .686-mile bullring in Clermont, Ind.) look like Talladega."

Hendrick made his return to a NASCAR Busch Series car at the half-mile Concord short track where he formerly raced Late Model Stock Cars. After successfully completing two 100-lap stints he was pronounced fit to compete in Friday night's Hardee's 250 at Richmond International Raceway by his dad, team owner Rick Hendrick.

Hendrick, 22, received medical clearance by doctor David D'Allessandro of the Miller Orthopedic Clinic in Hendrick's native Charlotte, N.C., on Monday. He had been on the sidelines for eight weeks -- since March 2 -- when he crashed at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He separated his right shoulder, which required surgery and extensive rehabilitation by D'Allessandro.

"The doctor said I am within eight percent of the strength in my left shoulder and within 14 percent of my left shoulder in endurance," Hendrick said. "That's pretty good. The doctor said he never expected a recovery like this after the impact of the crash and being just eight weeks out of surgery.

"I worked really hard to get back into the car and all that hard work has really paid off."

The ultimate payoff is getting back into his No. 5 GMAC Chevrolet for Friday night's 10th race of the season.

"I've never been so excited to race at Richmond," Hendrick said. "It's not the easiest track to race at, but I will be so happy to be back in the car -- I am more determined now than ever to race.

"When you can't race, you realize that you take it for granted. A racer wants to race and there is nothing harder than not racing.

"There are so many people who want to get back into racing, more people than who actually are in racing. It's a bad deal when you want to get back in the car and there is nothing you can do about it -- it's a lonely feeling."

The test was scheduled to satisfy Hendrick and his father that he was ready for the stress of completing 250 laps at the .750-mile high-banked RIR oval.

"The test at Concord was just precautionary," Hendrick the driver said. "Everyone wanted to be sure I have the endurance and strength to drive the entire race at Richmond. I feel confident and so does the team.

"We ran 100 laps. I took a five-minute break to drink a little water and do an interview. The guys changed the tires, added fuel and added two pounds to the tire pressure.

"When we got back out on the track for the next 100 laps we picked up three tenths. It was an awesome day.

"We unloaded and we were fast. The test was good for the morale of the team and for me, too. The guys are still where we were when I had to stop driving -- still just as fast and dedicated.

"It was good for me because we ran the fastest laps that we have ever run at Concord. It was good for the guys because they saw I was back 100 percent. Today was good for all of us."

A team spokesperson said the biggest adjustment Hendrick made for the test was adding rib supports to his seat and arm restraints to his safety paraphernalia.

"My shoulder is fine," Hendrick said. "I am a little sore, but not in any real pain. We will have to make some adjustments to the seat.

"The way it is now, it's difficult to shift from second to third. We will have that fixed before the race in Richmond. I can't wait to get there. I know I will be sore after the race, but it's just another part of my recovery."

Former two-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday drove Hendrick's Monte Carlo in the last six races. Hendrick attended each event and watched from atop the pit box. Hendrick attended each event and watched from atop the pit box.

"Ron did a great job in the GMAC Chevy," Hendrick said of his fill-in's best finish of 12th, and moving the team to 26th in the owners' standings. "It's not easy coming in from outside the team, but that's exactly what Ron did.

"He never tested, he just started racing with us and he gave it everything he had. I've watched him work with the team and I've tried to learn from it.

"Communication seems to be the biggest issue. We both may have the same thing to say, but as a veteran driver, Ron has a different perspective. I'm sure the time spent observing him these weeks will make me a better driver."