Hendrick Motorsports

Hendrick Motorsports is an American professional auto racing organization that competes in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team was founded in 1984 as All-Star Racing by Rick Hendrick. Hendrick Motorsports has won a NASCAR-record 306 Cup Series races and 14 Cup Series owners and drivers championships to go with three Truck Series owners and drivers titles and one Xfinity Series drivers crown. Additionally, the team has 27 Xfinity Series race wins, 26 Truck Series race wins, and seven ARCA Menards Series race wins.^[1]

For 2024, Hendrick Motorsports fields four full-time Cup Series teams with the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1; the No. 5 for Kyle Larson, the No. 9 for Chase Elliott, the No. 24 for William Byron, and the No. 48 for Alex Bowman. The team formerly fielded teams in the now-NASCAR Xfinity Series before merging its efforts with JR Motorsports before returning on a part-time basis in 2022. Hendrick Motorsports also fielded several trucks in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, most recently for Elliott in 2013. The team has fielded cars in the past for many NASCAR drivers, including Hall of Famers Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Terry Labonte, Darrell Waltrip, Benny Parsons, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, and others such as Geoff Bodine, Tim Richmond, Ricky Rudd, Ken Schrader, Ricky Craven, Jerry Nadeau, Joe Nemechek, Kyle Busch, Casey Mears, and Kasey Kahne. Hendrick Motorsports maintains an in-house engine shop, with the team leasing some of its engines to technical partners such as JTG Daugherty Racing.^[2]

History

What is now Hendrick Motorsports was founded prior to the

Hendrick Motorsports expanded its NASCAR efforts to two full-time cars in 1986, three in 1987, and four in 2002.^[6][7][8] It was one of the first teams in NASCAR to be successful operating multiple entries, partly based on the model used at the Hendrick car dealerships.^[3][6] The team has also been credited for innovations in engine construction^[9] and pit crew training.^[10][11][12] In 2020, Hendrick Motorsports partnered with AdvoCare in its performance and fitness teams.^[13]

Hendrick Motorsports (as All-Star Racing) won its first race in 1984 at Martinsville with the No. 5 driven by Geoff Bodine. At the 2021 Coca-Cola 600, Hendrick Motorsports became the winningest team in NASCAR Cup Series history when it won its 269th race with the No. 5 driven by Kyle Larson. This eclipsed the record held by Petty Enterprises at 268 wins, which had held the record of the winningest team in the series since 1960.^[14]

In

NASCAR Xfinity Series

Hendrick Motorsports fielded in-house entries in the

The No. 5 car debuted in 1985 with Brett Bodine ran 12 races. The younger Bodine brother would win three races for the team. Geoff Bodine ran four races in the No. 5 car. Bodine won the season opener Goody's 300.

In 1986, Geoff Bodine drove the No. 5 for one race at Bristol. He won the pole and finished 16th.

Ricky Hendrick (2002)

The current No. 5 car debuted as the No. 14 of

Ricky Hendrick selected 19-year-old Brian Vickers to drive the No. 5 car in 2003.^[17][18] Vickers won three races and the Busch Series championship, finishing just 14 points ahead of Hendrick test driver and former No. 5 team spotter David Green.^[18][20][21]

Kyle Busch (2004)

When Vickers moved up to the Cup Series, Kyle Busch became the No. 5 car's driver after he had run seven races the previous season.^[17][18] In his rookie year, Busch won five races and was runner-up to Martin Truex Jr. in points.^[18][22] He moved up to the Cup Series after the season, but he continued to drive the No. 5 Busch Series car part-time for several more years.

Multiple Drivers (2005–2006)

Adrián Fernández drove the car for six races in 2005, finishing tenth at Autódromo, his only top ten finish of the season.^[21][22] Hendrick development drivers Blake Feese, Boston Reid, and Kyle Krisiloff also periodically drove the No. 5 car, running a combined fifteen races.^[22] Busch and Jimmie Johnson ran the rest of the schedule,^[22] with Busch winning at Lowe's. As for Fernandez, Feese, Reid, and Krisiloff, the 4 drivers driving the 5 car combined 21 starts scored no wins, no top 5's, and only one top 10 with a combined average of 31.2 and had 10 DNF's which made Rick Hendrick put his driver development program on hold.

In 2006, Busch drove 34 of 35 races, winning at Bristol and finishing seventh in points. Justin Labonte drove for 1 race at Memphis.

Part Time (2007)

In 2007, Busch ran the No. 5 on a part-time basis, sharing the ride with Mark Martin, Landon Cassill, Casey Mears, and Adrián Fernández, running a total of 26 races.^[18][21] The car carried a number of different sponsors including Lowe's, Delphi, Spectrum, and Hendrick Autoguard. Busch drove the car to victory lane four times in 2007, while Martin finished second twice in three races.

JR Motorsports (2008–2018)

The No. 5 team moved to

Hendrick Motorsports began competing in the 1984 debut season of the Busch Series, fielding the No. 15 car for 17 races with sponsorship coming from Levi Garrett, with Cup Series driver Geoff Bodine running 12 of them. Bodine would score Hendrick Motorsports' first win in the Busch Series at Rockingham Speedway. Ron Bouchard, Dick Trickle, Glenn Jarrett all ran one race, while Tim Richmond ran one. In 1985, Brett Bodine ran one race in the No. 15 car. Geoff Bodine also ran one race in the No. 15. Tim Richmond ran two races in the No. 15, winning once at Charlotte. In 1986, the team ran seven races, three with Bodine and Richmond, and one with Rob Moroso. Richmond would get the team's only win of the year at Charlotte. In 1987, the team ran nine races utilizing the No. 15. Eight of them were driven by Geoff Bodine, and one with team owner Rick Hendrick. While Hendrick would DNF in his start, Bodine would once again win the season opener at Daytona. The team ran eight races as the No. 15 in 1988 with Geoff Bodine being the only driver. Bodine would win once at Darlington Raceway. In 1989, the team would only run five races, with Geoff Bodine and Ken Schrader driving. While Schrader would DNF his two starts, Bodine would once again get a single win at Darlington. In 1990, Greg Sacks drove the No. 15 once at Charlotte, He finished 2nd. After the 1990 season, Hendrick Motorsports shut down its Busch Series operation for the time being.

Car No. 15 results

Car No. 17 history

Part-time (2022–present)

On June 2, 2022, Hendrick Motorsports announced it would field the No. 17 in three Xfinity races in 2022, with Kyle Larson running at Road America, Alex Bowman at Indianapolis, and William Byron at Watkins Glen. This marked Hendrick Motorsports' return to the Xfinity Series after Tony Stewart won for the team at Daytona in 2009.^[26] Larson dominated at Road America, but eventually lost to Ty Gibbs on the final lap.^[27] Bowman ran the car at the Indianapolis road course, but it again finished second, this time to A. J. Allmendinger. At Watkins Glen, Byron fiercely battled Gibbs for the lead throughout most of the race until they both spun off-course during the final restart, resulting in Byron finishing 25th.^[28] At the September Darlington race, Larson finished fifth after engaging in a three-car battle with Noah Gragson and Sheldon Creed over the closing laps. Larson attempted a pass on Creed for the lead on the final lap, only for both to be passed by race-winner Gragson.^[29]

On March 8, 2023, Hendrick Motorsports announced that, for the second year in a row, it would field the No. 17 in four Xfinity races in 2023, with Byron running at Circuit of the Americas, Larson at Sonoma and Darlington, and Bowman at Watkins Glen.^[30] On July 12, Hendrick Motorsports added a fifth race to their Xfinity schedule, with Elliott driving the No. 17 at Pocono.^[31] On September 26, two further races were added to the No. 17 schedule, with Boris Said competing at the Charlotte Roval and Rajah Caruth competing in the season finale at Phoenix.^[32]

For the

Hendrick Motorsports took full control of the team in 2001, with GMAC Financial Services sponsoring the No. 24 team in each of its three races. Ricky Hendrick drove in those 3 races.^[38] In 2002, Hendrick moved to the No. 5 Busch Series car and three-time truck series champion Jack Sprague took over the No. 24 full-time.

Jack Sprague (2002)

Sprague ran the full 2002 season, bringing truck series sponsor

Part Time (2007)

In 2007, the No. 24 returned with

Car No. 24 results

Car No. 48 history

Part Time With Jimmie Johnson (2004–2007)

The 48 car made its debut in the Busch Series in 2004 at

In 2005, Hendrick Motorsports fielded the No. 57, a number taken from the sponsorship of Heinz and its "57 varieties".^[41] Several drivers piloted the No. 57 in 2005 and 2006, with Brian Vickers competing in the majority of races.^[41][42] Additional sponsors, including Lowe's and Mountain Dew, signed deals to sponsor the team for certain races.

Car No. 57 results

Car No. 80 history

Part Time With Tony Stewart (2009)

In 2009, Hendrick Motorsports announced that they would run a No. 80 HendrickCars.com Chevy driven by

Part Time With Developmental Drivers (2003–2004)

In 2003, 18-year-old development driver

For 2004, the alliance with NEMCO continued. Development drivers Blake Feese and Boston Reid ran 3 races each in the No. 87 ditech.com Chevy,^[46] with a best finish of 26th by Reid at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Car No. 87 results

• Includes points earned by NEMCO Motorsports. Only results under Hendrick Motorsports are shown.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

Truck No. 5 history

In 1995, the team fielded the No. 5 DuPont Chevrolet part-time for Terry Labonte. He won once at Richmond. Roger Mears drove the No. 5 truck once at Mesa Marin Raceway sponsored by Budweiser.

Truck No. 5 results

Truck No. 17 history

The No. 17

The No. 24 truck debuted with the Truck Series in 1995 with Scott Lagasse driving and DuPont sponsoring. Lagasse posted two top-fives and finished ninth in the standings.

In 1996, Jack Sprague drove the No. 24 full-time with Quaker State sponsoring. He won five races and was second in the points. The following season, he won three times and clinched his first NASCAR championship.

The team lost the Quaker State sponsorship after 1997 but signed GMAC Financial as a sponsor after a one-race deal with Big Daddy's BBQ Sauce. He won an additional five races but lost the championship by three points. In 1999, Sprague won the championship again but fell to fifth in 2000. In 2001, NetZero came on board as the team's sponsor, and Sprague won his third championship. After Sprague moved his ride to the Busch Series, Ron Hornaday Jr. drove the No. 24 in a one-race deal at Daytona, finishing twelfth. The team closed after that race to focus on its Busch Series efforts.

Truck No. 24 results

Truck No. 25 history

In 1995, the team fielded the No. 25 Budweiser Chevrolet part-time with Hendrick Sr. and

Truck No. 25 results

Truck No. 94 history

Hendrick Motorsports revived its truck program in 2013, fielding a part-time entry for

In 1985, Hendrick fielded the No. 5 car for one race at IRP with Brett Bodine as the driver. He won the pole and finished 25th after engine issue.

In 2004, development drivers Blake Feese, Boston Reid, and Kyle Krisiloff ran a combined eight races in ARCA in the No. 5 car fielded by Bobby Gerhart Racing. Feese scored a win at Nashville, while Krisiloff scored a victory at Chicagoland Speedway.^{[17][55][56][57][58]}

Car No. 5 results

Car No. 7 history

In 2004, Boston Reid ran the No. 7 Chevy fielded by Bobby Gerhart Racing at Talladega. He finished 23rd.

In 2012, Hendrick began fielding the No. 9 Chevrolet for development driver Chase Elliott, with father Bill Elliott as the listed owner and sponsorship from the Aaron's Company. Longtime Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Lance McGrew served as the team's crew chief. Elliott made his debut at age 16 at Mobile International Speedway, scoring a pole and six top tens in six races.^[59][60]

Elliott returned to the team in 2013, scoring his first career win at

In 1986, Hendrick fielded the No. 15 car for one race at Atlanta with Brett Bodine as the driver. He won the pole and finished 2nd.

In 1991,

In 2007, Hendrick Motorsports resurrected the No. 87 for development driver Landon Cassill, with sponsorship from Stanley Tools.^[67][68] Cassill attempted three races (failing to qualify at Talladega) with two top ten starts but finishes of 38th at Kentucky and 32nd at Pocono. Cassill and Stanley would move to the 88 under the JR Motorsports banner for 2008.^[69]

Car No. 87 results

Car No. 94 history

In 2004, Blake Feese ran a single race in the No. 94 Carquest Auto Parts Chevy out of the Hendrick stable at Talladega, scoring the victory.^[70]

In 2005, Blake Feese ran the Daytona season opener in the 94 car, and was involved in a pit road crash that injured four photographers.^[71]

Car No. 94 results

ARCA Series wins

2003

• PFG Lester 150 at Nashville Superspeedway – Kyle Busch
• The Channel 5 205 at Kentucky Speedway – Kyle Busch

2004

• Advance Discount Auto Parts 200 at Daytona International Speedway
  – Kyle Busch
• PFG Lester 150 at Nashville Superspeedway – Blake Feese
• ReadyHosting.com 200 at Chicagoland Speedway – Kyle Krisiloff
• Food World 300 at Talladega Superspeedway
  – Blake Feese

• Pocono ARCA 200 at Pocono Raceway – Chase Elliott

IndyCar Series

In 2024, Hendrick Motorsports entered the 2024 Indianapolis 500. They partnered with Arrow McLaren to field the No. 17 for Kyle Larson. He would become the fifth driver to attempt the Double.^[72]

IndyCar Series results

(key)

Year	Chassis	Engine	Drivers	No.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Pos.	Pts.
Arrow McLaren with Hendrick Motorsports
2024					STP	TRM	LBH	ALA	IMS	INDY	DET	ROA	LAG	MDO	IOW	IOW	TOR	GTW	POR	MIL	MIL	NSH
	Dallara DW12	IndyCar V6t	Kyle Larson  R	17

24 Hours of Le Mans

In 2023, Hendrick Motorsports entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans, working with NASCAR, Chevrolet, Goodyear, and IMSA to field a modified version of the Camaro Cup car in the experimental Garage 56 category. The Camaro ZL1 was 'largely unchanged' from the Cup Series car. Modifications included real headlights and taillights, a larger fuel tank, uprated carbon ceramic brakes, as well as new tyres developed by Goodyear.^[73]

The car was driven by Jimmie Johnson, 2010 Le Mans winner

The car was later featured in the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year	Entrant	Class	No	Chassis	Engine	Drivers	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
2023	Hendrick Motorsports	Innovative	24	Chevrolet Camaro ZL1	Chevrolet R07.2 5.9 L V8	Jenson Button Jimmie Johnson Mike Rockenfeller	285	39th	N/A

Plane crash

On October 24, 2004, ten people associated with Hendrick Motorsports lost their lives in a plane crash while en route from Concord, North Carolina, to a small airport near the Martinsville Speedway. The plane crashed in heavy fog into Bull Mountain, seven miles (11 km) from the Blue Ridge Airport in Stuart, Virginia, after a failed attempt to land.^[75] Ten people aboard the Beechcraft King Air 200 died. Six were Hendrick family members and/or Hendrick Motorsports employees: John Hendrick, the owner's brother and president of Hendrick Motorsports; Jeff Turner, general manager of Hendrick Motorsports; Ricky Hendrick, a Hendrick Motorsports driver and its owner's son; Kimberly and Jennifer Hendrick, John Hendrick's twin daughters; and Randy Dorton, chief engine builder. Also dead were the plane's pilots, Richard Tracy and Elizabeth Morrison, Joe Jackson, director of the DuPont Motorsports program,^[76] and Scott Lathram, who worked for Joe Gibbs Racing as a helicopter pilot.^[77]

NASCAR officials learned of the crash during that day's

References