Jimmie Johnson says that this Sunday's Subway 500 at the Martinsville Speedway will be very tough on his Hendrick Motorsports team as memories of last year's tra🐽gic plane crash return but while the pain is still there, the current co-championship leader believes his team is just as strong as it was at this time last year.

As Johnson drove to victory in last year's Subway 500, a little way away from the half-mile Virginia oval, a team tragedy of unr💟ivalled proportions was unfolding as a plane carrying nine members of the team, including the brother and son of team owner Rick Hendrick, was confirmed as having crashed in fog approaching Martinsville's local airport.

It was soon confirmed that all ten people aboard the plane had perished, including team v🍸ice president John Hendrick, brother of Rick and Rick's son Ricky as well as several other Hendrick family members and the team's chief engine builder Randy Dorton.

One week later Johnson went on to win the following race in Atlanta and whileꦦ the team lost many key members, Johnson feels that they h💖ave recovered to the same strength seen before the crash.

"I think that, as a testament to the people that were working here, they made sure that their departments were able to run in advance and find new things," said Johnson of the rebuilding process. "Without them being an eagle watching over the top of everything. So, definitely we wish we had everybody꧑ back. There's no doubt that we've lost something. But the people in place did such a good job of training their team that we've been able to move along, win races and still vie for a championship."

But even though the team h🌳as recovered, Johnson says the 12-month anniversary of the crash will still be a raw occasion, as will the journey to and from the half-mile oval.

"We went back in the spring [to Martinsville], all the emotions came back. We went back for the test last week and you can't help but think about it. And Atlanta's goin🐟g to be the same way, pulling into Atlanta. Just i🦄t's hard to forget those things.

"One thing that I feel that's coming up is the fami📖lies that are dealing with this one-year anniversary. It's going to be so tough for all of them and I know they all do different things to help the anniversary pass. And with as little pain as possible. Another person I'm going to be thinking of is Brian Vickers. It's his birthday. The plane crash was on his birthday of all things. So, as a teammate and friend, to be there for him as well as t🐼he other people that lost loved ones on the flight."