Q&A with Rick Hendrick

   Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick took several questions following his appearance Tuesday before the National Stock Car Racing Appeals Board. The three-member board upheld all penalties assessed by NASCAR to the No. 48 team following rules violations found in opening day inspection for the Daytona 500.

   Hendrick: I appreciate the process. It was a lot of conversation today, and of course we’re disappointed that the outcome was the way it was. But we’re going to go ahead to the next level and present our case one more time. So I stand firmly behind our guys. But I do applaud NASCAR in giving us a process that we can present our side of things, and then try to come to a conclusion. So for that I’m very appreciative of the system that NASCAR has in place. So we’re just onward and upward. We’ll go to Bristol (Tenn.), and we’ll try to get No. 200, and we’ll deal with this one when the time comes.

   Q: Because of the appeal, will Chad Knaus be in Bristol?
   Hendrick: Chad (Knaus, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet) will be in Bristol.

   Q: When do you expect the next appeal to be heard?
   Hendrick: They’ll just have to tell me when to show up.

   Q: How comfortable do you feel about the appeals process?
   Hendrick: All I can tell you is I believe in my guys, and I believe in the system, but we’ll just have to take it. You know, you won’t know till it’s over, and I know how we feel, and so we’ll just have to go on. I appreciate you letting our guys do their jobs until it’s over.

   Hendrick: I think it’s best that I just wait till we go through the processes. There’s really nothing for me to talk about that you don’t already know, and when we have an opportunity to go through the process, then we can talk about how we disagree.

   Q: Would you like to see the process changed?
   Hendrick: You know, it’s hard to say. I think it’s a good process, and I say these guys are very capable people. I think it’s just hard to have someone to try to digest everything that you have to digest in this situation. But again, from the days I started in this sport, and what you had to deal with to today, NASCAR has made tremendous strides and none of us want to have to go through this. But sometimes you just disagree, and this is one of those cases.

   Q: Do you have a legitimate hope of having it overturned? Why don't you just accept it and move on?
   Hendrick: I don’t accept it. Period.