Hendrick: Gordon can win more

Evernham was credited with masterminding Gordon's three Winston Cup titles in 1995, 1997 and 1998, and when the influential crew chief left for Dodge in 1999, critics wondered if Gordon would still be a force to be reckoned with.

However, following a sixth place in Sunday's NAPA 500 in Atlanta, Gordon took the 2001 championship, and Hendrick believes that both Gordon and new crew chief Robbie Loomis are worthy champions.

"At the end of 1999 the crew chief left, the pit crew left, the chief fabricator left," said Hendrick. "Robbie Loomis took the challenge to become crew chief and I thought it would take a lot longer to put the championship team back together.

"Jeff amazes me with his maturity level," he added. "I think the greatest thing is how he kept his head up last year when everybody was writing us off. He shouldered all of the responsibility."

Hendrick also believes there is more to come from the Gordon-Loomis partnership.

"This is a great combination and we can win a lot of championships. I think we will be in the hunt next year and we can win seven or eight championships."