Hendrick Motorsports plane forced to make emergency landing

16 March 2010, Talladega, Alabama, USA Hendrick Motorsports logo

There were no injuries early Monday morning when a Hendrick Motorsports airplane made an emergency landing at Memphis (Tennessee) International Airport, a team official confirmed.

The aircraft, which had team members onboard but was not carrying any drivers, was forced to land in Memphis after smoke was discovered in the cabin.

The plane was carrying team members back from Las Vegas Motor Speedway, site of Sunday's Kobalt 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. After departing from Las Vegas, the plane stopped in Oklahoma City for refueling. The problem began after the plane left Oklahoma City.

A team spokesman said another airplane was sent to Memphis, where it picked up the team members and brought them back to Charlotte. The plane is being evaluated.

Ten people were killed in a 2004 crash of a Hendrick plane traveling to a race in Martinsville, Virginia. Among those killed in that crash were Rick Hendrick's son, brother, twin nieces and key Hendrick employees.

Hendrick broke a rib and his clavicle in 2011 when a plane he and his wife were on lost its brakes and crash-landed in Key West, Florida.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.