Racing Community Grieves for Hendrick

The AP reports: Rick Hendrick has spent 20 years as a NASCAR team owner and is one of the big players in the sport. Yet for all his success, he has never lost the wide smile and easy manner that make him welcome wherever he goes.

"Rick is one of those guys who is everybody's friend," said Terry Labonte, who has driven for Hendrick since 1994. "He can't walk 20 feet in the garage without someone wanting to shake his hand or have a conversation."

Now, Hendrick is grieving like never before. A plane crash killed all 10 people aboard, including four family members.

The plane, owned by Hendrick Motorsports, crashed Sunday in fog en route to a NASCAR race in Martinsville, Va. The dead included Hendrick's son, Ricky; brother John; and John's twin daughters, Jennifer and Kimberly.

Also killed were Joe Jackson, an executive with DuPont; Jeff Turner, general manager of Hendrick Motorsports; Randy Dorton, the team's chief engine builder; Scott Lathram, a pilot for NASCAR driver Tony Stewart; and pilots Richard Tracy and Elizabeth Morrison.