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Rick Hendrick


Stock Car Racing

Rick Hendrick
Person

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Wikipedia: Rick Hendrick

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Born: 12 July 1949
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina, United States

A race car team owner, founder of Hendrick Motorsports.

Biography

The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's Rick Hendrick page on 28 March 2020, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Joseph Riddick "Rick" Hendrick III is the current owner of the American NASCAR team, Hendrick Motorsports, and co owner of JR Motorsports, and founder of the Hendrick Automotive Group and Hendrick Marrow Program. He attended Park View High School in South Hill, Virginia, and began his career in auto racing at age 14. He is also a retired race car driver himself, driving in only four NASCAR races throughout the course of his NASCAR career. He is the father of the late Ricky Hendrick, a former NASCAR driver.

Hendrick achieved his stock car racing notoriety as owner, winning 12 NASCAR Cup Series championships at the helm of Hendrick Motorsports, which led to his induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2017.

He will be inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America on March 17, 2020.

Born in Warrenton, North Carolina, was raised on his family's farm. Hendrick, at the age of 14, began drag racing in a self built 1931 Chevrolet. Two years later, at age 16, Hendrick won the Virginia division of the Chrysler-Plymouth Troubleshooting Contest, a two-part test consisting of a written exam and a timed hands-on diagnosis and repair of defects planted on a car. While attending Park View High School in South Hill, Virginia, he considered being a professional baseball player. After high school, he decided to pursue a co-op work study program with North Carolina State University and Westinghouse Electric Company in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Afterward, Hendrick opened a small used-car lot with Mike Leith, named Hendrick Automotive Group. Leith, an established new-car dealer, was convinced to name Hendrick the general sales manager of the company, at age 23. In 1976, he sold his assets to purchase a franchise in Bennettsville, South Carolina. After doing so, he became the youngest Chevrolet dealer in the United States. Hendrick's influence increased sales to make the once troubled location become the region's most profitable. The success of Bennettsville was a precursor to the Hendrick Automotive Group, which now has 98 franchises and 10,000 employees across 13 states. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, his company had a revenue of excess of US$3.5 billion in 2009, after selling 100,000 vehicles and servicing 1.5 million, and is the sixth-largest dealership in the United States. Hendrick is also the chairman of the company.

Hendrick drove in two races during the 1987 and 1988 Winston Cup Series, with finishes of 33rd and 15th, respectively. He also had a single start in both the Busch Series and the Craftsman Truck Series. He also had been a pit crew member for the Flying 11 that Ray Hendrick (no relation) drove in the 1960s. In 1997, Hendrick began the Hendrick Marrow Program, a non-profit works with the Be The Match Foundation to support the National Marrow Donor Program. It raises funds to add volunteers to the Be The Match Registry, which helps to find a marrow match for patients. It also provides assistance to recipients with uninsured transplant costs. Since the beginning, it has raised millions of dollars, 100,000 potential donors to the organization and eased the financial burden of more the 5,000 patients with grants from the Hendrick Family Fund for Patient Assistance.

Afterward, he and his wife, Linda, were honored in 1999 with the Be The Match Foundation's Leadership for the Life Award. The award recognizes individuals who have made an extraordinary commitment to serve marrow transplant patients. Some of the past patients include U.S. Rep. C. W. Bill Young, baseball great Rod Carew and former Postmaster General William J. Henderson. He takes a personal approach to the cause after being diagnosed in November 1996 with chronic myelogenous leukemia, but has been in full remission since December 1999. Hendrick also has a passion for The Hendrick Foundation for Children, a foundation that supports programs and services that benefit youngsters with illness, injury, disability or other hindrance, and was established by his brother, John Hendrick. Governor Jim Hunt recognized Hendrick in 1996 with The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, North Carolina's highest civilian honor. The award is bestowed upon citizens of the state who have a proven record of extraordinary service. Past recipients include journalist Charles Kuralt, the Rev. Billy Graham, artist Bob Timberlake and Hendrick's late father, Joe Hendrick, who was presented the award by Gov. Mike Easley in 2004.

In 1997, Hendrick pleaded guilty to mail fraud. In the 1980s, Honda automobiles were in high demand and Honda executives allegedly solicited bribes from dealers for larger product disbursements. Hendrick admitted to giving hundreds of thousands of dollars, BMW automobiles, and houses to American Honda Motor Company executives. Hendrick was sentenced in December 1997 to a $250,000 fine, 12 months' home confinement (instead of prison, due to his leukemia), three years probation, and to have no involvement with Hendrick Automotive Group (which was run by Jim Perkins) or Hendrick Motorsports (run by his brother John) during his year of confinement. In December 2000, Hendrick received a full pardon from President Bill Clinton.

His main private jet is a Gulfstream V with the tail number N500RH


Article Index

DateArticleAuthor/Source
8 August 2004NASCAR Nextel Cup Series: Brickyard 400Jeff Gordon
Rick Hendrick
Robbie Loomis
16 February 2006NASCAR Nextel Cup Series: Gatorade Duel 2Jeff Gordon
Rick Hendrick
Steve Letarte
19 February 2006NASCAR Nextel Cup Series: Daytona 500Darian Grubb
Rick Hendrick
Jimmie Johnson
6 March 2006NASCAR Hall of Fame Press ConferenceMark Dyer
Brian France
Mike Helton
Rick Hendrick
Pat McCrory
6 August 2006NASCAR Nextel Cup Series: Allstate 400 at the BrickyardRick Hendrick
Jimmie Johnson
Chad Knaus
19 November 2006NASCAR Nextel Cup Series: Ford 400Rick Hendrick
Jimmie Johnson
Chad Knaus
24 April 2007NASCAR Media ConferenceDale Earnhardt, Jr.
Rick Hendrick
13 June 2007JR Motorsports Media ConferenceDale Earnhardt, Jr.
Rick Hendrick
2 September 2007NASCAR Nextel Cup Series: Sharp AQUOS 500Rick Hendrick
Jimmie Johnson
Chad Knaus
13 October 2007NASCAR Nextel Cup Series: Bank of America 500Jeff Gordon
Rick Hendrick
Steve Letarte
28 October 2007NASCAR Nextel Cup Series: Pep Boys Auto 500Rick Hendrick
Jimmie Johnson
Chad Knaus
4 November 2007NASCAR Nextel Cup Series: Dickies 500Rick Hendrick
Jimmie Johnson
Chad Knaus
15 November 2007NASCAR Media ConferenceJeff Gordon
Rick Hendrick
Jimmie Johnson
Rusty Wallace
18 November 2007NASCAR Nextel Cup Series: Ford 400Rick Hendrick
Jimmie Johnson
Chad Knaus
15 June 2008NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: LifeLock 400Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Tony Eury, Jr.
Rick Hendrick
27 July 2008NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Allstate 400 at The BrickyardRick Hendrick
Jimmie Johnson
Chad Knaus
31 August 2008NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Pepsi 500Rick Hendrick
Jimmie Johnson
Chad Knaus
28 September 2008NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Camping World RV 400 presented by ColemanRick Hendrick
Jimmie Johnson
Chad Knaus
9 November 2008NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500Rick Hendrick
Jimmie Johnson
Chad Knaus
16 November 2008NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Ford 400Rick Hendrick
Jimmie Johnson
Chad Knaus
14 February 2009NASCAR Nationwide Series: Camping World 300Rick Hendrick
Lance McGrew
Tony Stewart
25 March 2009NASCAR Media ConferenceRick Hendrick
29 March 2009NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500Rick Hendrick
Jimmie Johnson
Chad Knaus
31 May 2009NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Autism Speaks 400Rick Hendrick
Jimmie Johnson
Chad Knaus
14 June 2009NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: LifeLock 400Alan Gustafson
Rick Hendrick
Mark Martin
11 July 2009NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: LifeLock.com 400Alan Gustafson
Rick Hendrick
Mark Martin
26 July 2009NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Allstate 400 at the BrickyardRick Hendrick
Jimmie Johnson
Chad Knaus
11 October 2009NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Pepsi 500Rick Hendrick
Jimmie Johnson
Chad Knaus
17 October 2009NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: NASCAR Banking 500 only from Bank of AmericaRick Hendrick
Jimmie Johnson
Chad Knaus
15 November 2009NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 presented by PennzoilRick Hendrick
Jimmie Johnson
Chad Knaus
19 November 2009NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Championship Contenders ConferenceRick Hendrick
Jimmie Johnson
Mark Martin
24 November 2009NASCAR Media ConferenceRick Hendrick
6 February 2010NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Daytona 500 Coors Light PoleDale Earnhardt, Jr.
Alan Gustafson
Rick Hendrick
Mark Martin
28 February 2010NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Shelby American at Las VegasRick Hendrick
Jimmie Johnson
Chad Knaus
21 March 2010NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Food City 500Rick Hendrick
Jimmie Johnson
Chad Knaus
23 May 2010NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony: Bill France, Jr. (Part 4/6)Ken Clapp
Brian France
Lesa France Kennedy
Rick Hendrick
23 May 2010NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction CeremonyRichard Childress
Rick Hendrick
Darrell Waltrip
17 November 2010NASCAR Media ConferenceRichard Childress
Joe Gibbs
Rick Hendrick
21 November 2010NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Ford 400Rick Hendrick
Jimmie Johnson
Chad Knaus
27 February 2011NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Subway Fresh Fit 500Jeff Gordon
Alan Gustafson
Rick Hendrick
1 June 2011TrueSpeed Communications Media ConferenceRick Hendrick
Beverly Losman
Michael Rose
Tammy Ross
Tony Stewart
9 October 2011NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Hollywood Casino 400Rick Hendrick
Jimmie Johnson
Chad Knaus
12 May 2012NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Bojangles' Southern 500Rick Hendrick
Jimmie Johnson
Chad Knaus
16 May 2012NASCAR Media ConferenceRick Hendrick
19 May 2012NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Sprint All-Star RaceRick Hendrick
Jimmie Johnson
Chad Knaus
27 May 2012NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Coca-Cola 600Kenny Francis
Rick Hendrick
Kasey Kahne
19 June 2012NASCAR Media ConferenceRick Hendrick
Steve Letarte
29 July 2012NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Crown Royal presents the Curtiss Shaver 400Rick Hendrick
Jimmie Johnson
Chad Knaus
11 October 2012NASCAR Media ConferenceDale Earnhardt, Jr.
Rick Hendrick
Steve Letarte
Dr. Jerry Petty
16 November 2012NASCAR Media ConferenceJeff Gordon
Rick Hendrick
18 November 2012NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Ford EcoBoost 400Jeff Gordon
Alan Gustafson
Rick Hendrick
24 February 2013NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Daytona 500Rick Hendrick
Jimmie Johnson
Chad Knaus
7 April 2013NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: STP Gas Booster 500Rick Hendrick
Jimmie Johnson
Chad Knaus
3 November 2013NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: AAA Texas 500Rick Hendrick
Jimmie Johnson
Chad Knaus
15 November 2013NASCAR Media ConferenceRichard Childress
Joe Gibbs
Rick Hendrick
17 November 2013NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Ford EcoBoost 400Rick Hendrick
Jimmie Johnson
Chad Knaus
15 June 2016In Honor of 2017 NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee Rick HendrickCongressional Record: Rep. Richard Hudson


Merchandise

Collectable Cards

Card Set List

Set & #CardDetails
1992 Maxx 103Rick HendrickChevrolet
1996 Upper Deck Road to the Cup RC1221995 Award Winners: Rick Hendrick (Champion Team Owner)#24 DuPont Chevrolet Monte Carlo





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