Press Release | INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports and chairman and CEO of Hendrick Automotive Group, will serve as honorary Pace Car driver for the Brickyard 400 presented by PPG on Sunday, July 21.
Hendrick will drive the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Pace Car and lead the field to start the 30th anniversary of the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This year also marks the 40th anniversary of Hendrick Motorsports.
“Time goes by fast,” Hendrick said. “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 struggling 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, North Carolina, and employing more than 10,000 people, Hendrick Automotive Group is now the largest privately held dealership group 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, 75, leads the organization as its chairman and 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 NASCAR team Hendrick Motorsports, which has become the sport’s most successful operation. It is home to 600 employees who support four full-time Chevrolet stock-car teams with drivers Alex Bowman, William Byron, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson in the elite NASCAR Cup Series.
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. It 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 is also 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 in 1994. The winning Chevrolet Lumina, driven by Jeff Gordon, will be showcased in the Chevrolet display located in the fan midway throughout the weekend.
“Honoring history, even as we look to the future, is a huge part of everything we do at IMS,” IMS 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 celebrates 30 years at the Racing Capital of the World in 2024 with the return to the oval at IMS. Visit IMS.com for ticket information for Brickyard Weekend on July 19-21.
(Photo Credit: indianapolismotorspeedway.com)
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