Hendrick released from hospital with broken rib, shoulder injury

Rick Hendrick suffered a broken rib and a broken shoulder when the brakes of a Hendrick Motorsports plane failed on landing and the small jet ran off the end of the runway and into a fence at Key West International Airport on Monday night.

Hendrick and his wife, Linda, and the two pilots were all released from Lower Keys Medical Center on Tuesday morning. They have returned to North Carolina, according to a team statement. Linda suffered minor cuts and bruises in the incident, which occurred at about 7:45 p.m. Monday. The team statement said the pilots did not have any injuries.

The Gulfstream G150 jet, operated and maintained by Hendrick Motorsports as part of a joint ownership agreement between the team owner and five-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, seats eight to nine people and typically is the plane that Johnson takes to-and-from the race, Johnson said in a teleconference Tuesday.

“As everybody is aware, there was a brake issue with the airplane landing," Johnson said. “All four on board are OK and are home back in Charlotte.

“We are just beyond thankful that everything turned out well with the crash and there weren’t any major injuries down there. … It certainly was a scary event – I can only imagine."

Johnson said he has had a brief conversation Tuesday morning with Hendrick.

“It’s been a long night for him – he’s trying to get some rest and we just touched base and I know that he’s OK," Johnson said. “It’s just nice to hear his voice and hear him say he’s fine and OK and Linda is as well along with the pilots."