Sad News for NASCAR Team....

**KKCondrey** · 10-24-2004, 05:45 PM

I finished watching the race but never got around to changing the channel.  They just interupted the sports show that NBC was airing now to say that a plane registered to the Hendricks Motor Racing team crashed just outside the Martinsville, VA airport in route from Concord, NC.  I talked to my stepfather and he said that after the race which Jimmie Johnson won they came and took him away and neither of us recalls seeing an interview with him in vicotry lane.  All they said on the news here was that the plane had 7 people on it that there were no known survivors  

**kimmee** · 10-24-2004, 05:55 PM

Thats so awful.

**dolphin** · 10-24-2004, 06:03 PM

We were watching when they took Jimmie away and made the announcement that the plane was missing and that's all they would say. No they didn't do the winning racer interview. Very sad. Praying for their families.

**KKCondrey** · 10-24-2004, 06:04 PM

here is the announcment on NASCAR.com:

http://www.nascar.com/2004/news/head....ap/index.html

And Comcast:

http://www.comcast.net/News/SPORTS//...d956ca757.html

**SewCrafty** · 10-24-2004, 06:05 PM

oh dear

**KKCondrey** · 10-24-2004, 06:08 PM

I still can't believe it. I was still unpacking the car at the end and was wondering why they didn't interview him. I pray for the whole NASCAR family as this will be a sad day for all involved. I've still got the news on waiting to hear if any further info is going to be released this evening.

**bamamomto4** · 10-24-2004, 06:10 PM

We were watching to and heard the plane was missing. I got online but nothing was on NASCAR yet. Thanks for posting Kat

So very sad....

**grneyegrl** · 10-24-2004, 06:19 PM

i found more on thats racing.com forum

NASCAR 'family' killed in plane crash
05:42 PM EDT on Sunday, October 24, 2004

By DANIELLE SCHULMAN / WCNC.com

A Virginia funeral home confirms they can expect the bodies of ten people who were on the Hendrick Motorsports Aviation plane that crashed in the Bull Mountain area near Martinsville, Virginia.

Names given by the funeral home: Ricky Hendrick, John Hendrick, Kimberley Hendrick, Jennifer Hendrick, Dick Tracy, Joe Jackson, Liz Morrison, Jeff Turner, Randy Dorton and Scott Lathum.

The plane was headed into the Blue Ridge Airport, which lies to the west of Martinsville, site of the Subway 500.

“The plane was en route to Martinsville and they lost it on radar and that’s all the information we have,” said one NASCAR official. “We’ve been in contact with Rick Hendrick…we just don’t have a lot of details at the moment…we are going to say a prayer for everyone in the Hendick organization."

Rick Hendrick was not on the plane, say NASCAR officials.

The FAA and NTSB are investigating.

Hendrick Motorsports Aviation is based out of Concord, N.C.

A pilot for the company says that they own about 11 or 12 planes. The pilot says he was still waiting to hear what happened and that he had heard something had happened.

Those planes fly all over the country, he said.

The airport the plane was heading into is called the Blue Ridge Airport and is eight miles southwest of Martinsville.

This airport is much smaller than the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, with only two runways.

There is no control tower in the immediate area. The planes that fly into airport are supposed to get clearance to land from Greensboro. About 62 flights per day land at the airport

http://www.wcnc.com/news/topstories/....1efe8035.html

**bamamomto4** · 10-24-2004, 06:22 PM

That is so sad!

**kimmee** · 10-24-2004, 06:26 PM

Oh my god, its just getting sadder and sadder - poor, poor family, poor man! oh how terrible for all of them. How absolutely horrible.

**KKCondrey** · 10-24-2004, 06:29 PM

I'm sure all the Hendricks drivers are having mixed emotions about the info being with held from them until after the race.

That is one of those situations that you can only pray that you don't have to be the one to make for all parties involved.