Cover Story
In the Shadow
Rick Hendrick is a success at selling and racing cars. Behind his winning image is a man haunted by loss.
By Edward Martin
As evening comes to the hollow at the bottom of Stowe Lane, a crowd gathers. Under red canopies, tables bulge with burgers, chicken, corn on the cob, boiled new potatoes, desserts. A master of ceremonies hops on a low stage painted in a checkered-flag design. “Dale, Jimmie — y’all come up here.” Race driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. takes his place beside teammate Jimmie Johnson.
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Feature
Hospital, Heal Thyself
A rural hospital goes on life support after a fatal mishap chokes off federal funding.
By Edward Martin
It’s early, but the hospital parking lot in tiny Clyde is full. People stroll in. While another waits in line behind it, a nursing-home van stops under the portico and the driver opens its side door. A nurse parks a wheelchair next to it and extracts a white-haired woman, wispy and fragile as a dandelion. She rolls her inside past a glass vending case with cut flowers. Up the stairs and down the hall, a door stands ajar. Inside, a stained-glass panel greets visitors to the chapel. The lights are already on.
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