NASCAR team-owner Rick Hendrick, founder of Hendrick Motorsports and chairman/CEO of Hendrick Automotive Group, will serve as honorary Pace Car driver for the 30th edition of the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Hendrick, who is celebrating the 40th anniversary of Hendrick Motorsports, will wheel the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Pace Car that will lead the field to the flying start of the Cup Series event on Sunday, July 21.
“Time goes by fast,” said Hendrick, 75. “I can’t believe it’s been four decades since we started Hendrick Motorsports and 30 years since Jeff (Gordon) won the inaugural Brickyard 400. I’ll never forget the excitement around that event and the thrill of winning a race at Indianapolis.
“I’m grateful to our 40-year partners at Chevrolet for the opportunity to drive a Pace Car for the first time. I also want to thank my great friend, Roger Penske, and everyone at the track. Taking the field to green on Sunday will be something I’ll always remember.”
A self-described “gearhead,” Hendrick turned his passion for the automobile into successful business ventures in the retail automotive and professional auto racing industries.
Hendrick worked on and raced cars as a young man. Alongside his father, “Papa Joe” Hendrick, he rebuilt his first car, a 1931 Chevrolet, at age 14 and regularly traveled to racetracks across the region, often volunteering as a crew member. Although he studied to become a tool-and-die maker, Hendrick’s enthusiasm for cars led him down a different career path _ retail automotive sales.
The transformation of his first dealership from a struggling store into the most profitable in the region ultimately led to the formation of Hendrick Automotive Group, which today operates collision centers, accessories distributor installers and 131 retail franchises across 13 states.
Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., and employing more than 10,000 people, Hendrick Automotive Group now is the largest privately held dealership organization in the country. In 2023, it generated over $13-billion in revenue after selling more than 195,000 vehicles and servicing nearly 2.5-million cars and trucks. Hendrick _ respectfully referred to as “Mr. H” by his employees _ leads the organization as its chairman/CEO.
While working to establish himself in the car business, Hendrick remained active in racing circles _ setting world records in drag boats before returning to his roots in stock cars. In 1984, he founded Hendrick Motorsports to compete in NASCAR. HMS since has become the sport’s most successful operation. It is home to 600 employees who support four full-time Chevrolet stock-car teams featuring Cup Series champions Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson, as well as race-winners Alex Bowman and William Byron.
In May 2021, Hendrick Motorsports became the winningest team in Cup Series history. At NASCAR’s top level, Hendrick Motorsports holds every major statistical record including championships, points-paying victories, pole positions and laps-led. HMS has won at least one race in a record 40 different seasons and maintains an active streak of 39 in a row (1986-2024). Hendrick also is NASCAR’s all-time leader in national series championships with 18 overall.
“For all of us at GM and Chevrolet, as well as for our partners at IMS, it’s an honor to have Rick Hendrick lead the NASCAR Cup Series field to the green flag at this year’s Brickyard 400,” General Motors President Mark Reuss said. “Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports have had a storied history together over the past 40 years. Having Rick pace the 30th anniversary of this prestigious race is a special way to celebrate our partnership and the legacy he has built in NASCAR.”
Hendrick Motorsports won the inaugural Brickyard 400 on Saturday, Aug. 6, 1994. NASCAR and IMS officials opted for a Saturday race date, and a distance of 160 laps/400-miles, in deference to the Indianapolis 500 _ the track’s marquee event for open-wheel race cars contested over 200 laps and before more than 300,000 fans on Memorial Day weekend.
The Monte Carlo nameplate returned to Chevy’s lineup in 1994 after a six-year absence. To celebrate that return, the manufacturer developed the 1994 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Z34 Pace Car to lead the 43-car field of the inaugural Brickyard 400 Winston Cup Series race at IMS. The culmination of two years of preparation, the Brickyard 400 was the 19th event on the Cup schedule and first race of any kind at the 2.5-mile Speedway beside the Indianapolis 500 since the Harvest Classic in 1916. The race reportedly attracted the largest crowd in NASCAR history _ over 250,000 fans _ and paid-out a record purse of $3.2-million.
Gordon, then 23 and a former resident of Pittsboro, Ind., capped the pre-event hype by winning his second career Cup race. Gordon’s winning No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet Lumina, serviced by crew chief Ray Evernham and his “Rainbow Warriors” crew, will be showcased in the Chevrolet display located in the fan midway throughout the weekend.
A NASCAR Hall of Famer, Gordon has served as Vice Chairman of Hendrick Motorsports since 2022.
“Honoring history, even as we look to the future, is a huge part of everything we do at IMS,” Speedway President J. Douglas Boles said. “Rick and Hendrick Motorsports made history here in 1994 with Jeff Gordon’s win in the inaugural Brickyard on the famed oval. As we return to the oval and celebrate 30 years with NASCAR, having Rick pace the field is a fitting celebration.”
Hendrick was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2017 and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2013. He is a recipient of the prestigious Horatio Alger Award, NASCAR’s Bill France Award of Excellence and The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, which is bestowed upon outstanding North Carolinians. In 2014, Hendrick was honored with the Automotive News Lifetime Achievement Award for significant contributions to the auto industry.
NASCAR is celebrating 30 years at “The Racing Capital of the World” in 2024 with a return to the famed IMS oval. Visit IMS.com for ticket information for Brickyard Weekend on July 19-21.
