NEW YORK (AP) -- Forbes' annual rankings show that Hendrick Motorsports is the most valuable team in NASCAR for the second consecutive year, while three of its drivers topped the list as the highest-paid NASCAR drivers.Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads the group with a reported annual income of $30 million, followed by Jeff Gordon at $27 million and Jimmie Johnson at $23 million.
Forbes' report, released Wednesday and on the web at Forbes.com, shows that NASCAR's top team, owned by Rick Hendrick, is worth $350 million. But the report claims the average team value has declined $5 million over the past year.
Roush Fenway Racing is ranked second at a value of $238 million, and Richard Childress Racing is ranked third at $153 million.
Joe Gibbs Racing ($144 million) and Richard Petty Motorsports ($124 million) round out the top five.
Forbes says the value of a top 10 team in NASCAR has dropped 10 percent since 2008.




