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Nascar and Racing

Ethics for Governor, Hendrick Questioned

Posted Mar 31, 2009 12:40AM By Geoffrey Miller (RSS feed)

Filed Under: Chevrolet, Sprint Cup, Hendrick Motorsports

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team owner Rick Hendrick had a pretty doggone good weekend at Martinsville Speedway by taking home the race win and watching each of his four cars finish in the Top-10.

To cap it off, the race was the 25th anniversary of Hendrick's first win in NASCAR's top division, so it was fitting for his team to have a successful day.

Unfortunately, not all was roses for Hendrick over the weekend as Raliegh, N.C.'s News & Observer ran a lengthy story detailing what could be some significant transgressions involving his business relationship with former North Carolina governor Mike Easley.

Easley, of course, gained a nice bit of fame in the minds of NASCAR fans after he wrecked one of Hendrick's show cars during a promotional event at Lowe's Motor Speedway. During his tenure, Easley helped pass a good number of legislation pieces beneficial to the Tar Heel State's large motorsports industry -- including sales tax exemptions on things such as car parts and jet fuel for race teams.

Hendrick's name came up in the story because he's been known to have a close professional relationship with the governor who left office on Jan. 10. The paper cited a couple of examples that could hint at some improper benefits to the governor from Hendrick in return for favorable racing legislation, including a two-day trip to a Hendrick vacation home near Key West, Fla., and the free use of a new Honda Accord for Easley's wife from one of Hendrick's auto dealerships.

If you're into this kind of thing, and especially if you enjoy what appears to be an incredibly well-researched piece by the N&O staff, I'd highly suggest taking a look.

I'm not one to pass judgment, and this situation only strengthens that fact because of its overwhelming complexity and a question of whether anything was illegal under state ethics laws or is relavant now that Easley has left office.

Regardless, it's an interesting look into just how shrewd of a businessman Hendrick is and definitely causes one to recall some of the issues that the most successful owner in NASCAR's recent history had during his battle with lukemia in the 1990's. Then, Hendrick was charged in a mail-fraud operation that involved him bribing executives of Honda Motor Company to secure more of Honda's extremely popular products for his expansive network of dealerships.

He was eventually found guilty and sentenced to a year of home detention away from his race teams and automotive group, and later pardoned by President Bill Clinton.

There's been no little to no mention of this story since it ran, and to me, it just shows how much the NASCAR media seems to circle the wagons for some of the titans of the industry. After all, such a story isn't exactly convenient to report when in another breath one is talking about the impressive accomplishments that Hendrick's upstart team has racked up in 25 years of winning.

I'm not here to throw Hendrick's name in the mud or dig up dirt on a guy who is likely one of the most philanthropic persons in the NASCAR garage area. But when stories like this come around, it's important that they are taken seriously and not just brushed under the rug.

Rick Hendrick's a great guy for NASCAR and deserves all of the accolades that he and his team's have accomplished over the years. But at the same time, if he's involved in situations that aren't so ethical, the NASCAR community should feel obligated to ask as many questions as accolades that it has doled out.

Tags: Hendrick+Motorsports, HendrickMotorsports, Mike+Easley, MikeEasley, Rick+Hendrick, RickHendrick, Sprint+Cup, SprintCup

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