Hendrick Motorsports facts for kids
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| Owner(s) | Rick Hendrick Jeff Gordon (Vice Chairman) |
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| Base | 4400 Papa Joe Hendrick Blvd., Charlotte, North Carolina 28262 |
| Series | NASCAR Cup Series NASCAR Xfinity Series |
| Race drivers | Cup Series: 5. Kyle Larson 9. Chase Elliott 24. William Byron 48. Alex Bowman Xfinity Series: 17. William Byron, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Boris Said, Alex Bowman (part-time) |
| Sponsors | Cup Series: 5. HendrickCars.com, Valvoline 9. NAPA Auto Parts, LLumar Window Film, Kelley Blue Book, UniFirst, Coca-Cola (Slim Chickens) 24. Axalta Coating Systems (Raptor Liner), HP, Liberty University, Valvoline, Relay Payments 48. Ally Financial (Best Friends Animal Society) Xfinity Series: 17. HendrickCars.com |
| Manufacturer | Chevrolet |
| Opened | 1984 |
| Career | |
| Debut | Cup Series: 1984 Daytona 500 (Daytona) Xfinity Series: 1984 Goody's 300 (Daytona) Truck Series: 1995 Skoal Bandit Copper World Classic (Phoenix) ARCA Racing Series: 1985 Kroger 200 (IRP) |
| Latest race | Cup Series: 2020 FanShield 500 (Phoenix) Xfinity Series: 2024 Mission 200 at The Glen (Watkins Glen) Truck Series: 2013 Lucas Oil 150 (Phoenix) ARCA Racing Series: 2014 Lucas Oil 200 (Daytona) |
| Races competed | 1,912 (Cup: 1,386; Xfinity: 293; Truck: 180; ARCA: 53) |
| Drivers' Championships | Total: 18 Cup Series: 14 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2020, 2021 Xfinity Series: 1 2003 Truck Series: 3 1997, 1999, 2001 ARCA Racing Series: 0 |
| Race victories | Total: 373 Cup Series: 312 Xfinity Series: 28 Truck Series: 26 ARCA Racing Series: 7 |
| Pole positions | Total: 324 Cup Series: 253 Xfinity Series: 41 Truck Series: 22 ARCA Racing Series: 8 |
Hendrick Motorsports is a top American professional auto racing team. They compete in the NASCAR Cup Series, which is one of the biggest racing series in the United States. The team was started in 1984 by Rick Hendrick and was first called All-Star Racing.
Hendrick Motorsports holds the NASCAR record for the most Cup Series wins, with 312 victories. They have also won 14 Cup Series championships for both owners and drivers. Besides Cup Series, they have won three championships in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and one in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The team also has many race wins in these series and the ARCA Menards Series.
For the 2024 season, Hendrick Motorsports races four Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 cars. These are 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. Many famous NASCAR drivers have raced for Hendrick Motorsports, including Hall of Famers like Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. The team also builds its own powerful engines, and sometimes shares them with other racing teams.
Contents
History of the Team
Hendrick Motorsports began before the 1984 season. It was founded by Rick Hendrick, who owned car dealerships in Charlotte, North Carolina. The team started as All-Star Racing with Harry Hyde as the crew chief.
The team changed its name to Hendrick Motorsports in 1985. They also raced in another series called IMSA GTP from 1985 to 1988.
Over the years, Hendrick Motorsports grew. They started racing two cars in 1986, three in 1987, and four in 2002. They were one of the first NASCAR teams to be very successful with so many cars. They are also known for new ideas in building engines and training their pit crews.
Hendrick Motorsports (as All-Star Racing) won its first race in 1984 at Martinsville. Geoff Bodine drove the No. 5 car to that victory. At the 2021 Coca-Cola 600, Hendrick Motorsports made history. They won their 269th race with Kyle Larson in the No. 5 car. This made them the winningest team in NASCAR Cup Series history, beating the record held by Petty Enterprises since 1960.
In 2023, Hendrick Motorsports worked with NASCAR, Chevrolet, and Goodyear Tires. They entered a special version of their NASCAR Cup car in the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France. This was part of NASCAR's 75th anniversary.
NASCAR Cup Series
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Hendrick Motorsports used to have its own teams in the Busch Series (now Xfinity Series) from 1984 to 1990, and again from 2000 to 2007. They mostly raced the No. 5 car. After 2007, Hendrick Motorsports teamed up with JR Motorsports, which is owned by former Hendrick driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.. The No. 5 cars then raced under the JR Motorsports name, getting engines and support from Hendrick. Rick Hendrick is still a partner in JR Motorsports.
The team returned to the Xfinity Series part-time in 2022.
Car No. 5 History
The No. 5 car first raced in 1985 with Brett Bodine, who won three races. Geoff Bodine also won a race in the No. 5 car that year.
In 2002, the No. 5 car became a full-time entry. Ricky Hendrick, Rick Hendrick's son, drove it. After Ricky was injured, Ron Hornaday Jr. and David Green filled in. Ricky later retired from driving due to his injuries.
In 2003, 19-year-old Brian Vickers drove the No. 5 car. He won three races and the Busch Series championship!
When Vickers moved to the Cup Series, Kyle Busch took over the No. 5 in 2004. In his first year, Busch won five races and finished second in points. He continued to drive the No. 5 part-time for a few more years.
From 2005 to 2006, several drivers raced the No. 5, including Adrián Fernández, Blake Feese, Boston Reid, Kyle Krisiloff, and Jimmie Johnson. Kyle Busch won at Bristol in 2006. In 2007, Busch won four more races in the No. 5, sharing the car with Mark Martin, Landon Cassill, Casey Mears, and Adrián Fernández.
From 2008 to 2018, the No. 5 team was part of JR Motorsports. Many different drivers raced it, including Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Car No. 15 History
Hendrick Motorsports started in the Busch Series in 1984 with the No. 15 car. Geoff Bodine won the team's first Busch Series race at Rockingham Speedway in this car. Other drivers like Ron Bouchard, Dick Trickle, Glenn Jarrett, and Tim Richmond also raced the No. 15. Tim Richmond won a race at Charlotte in 1985.
In 1987, Geoff Bodine won the season opener at Daytona in the No. 15. Team owner Rick Hendrick even drove the No. 15 car once that year. The team continued to race the No. 15 until 1990, when they paused their Busch Series efforts.
Car No. 17 History
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Hendrick Motorsports returned to the Xfinity Series in 2022 with the No. 17 car for a few races. Kyle Larson raced it at Road America, Alex Bowman at Indianapolis, and William Byron at Watkins Glen. All three drivers showed great speed, often finishing near the front.
In 2023, the No. 17 car raced in more events. Byron, Larson, Bowman, and Chase Elliott all took turns driving it. Boris Said and Rajah Caruth also raced the car.
For 2024, the team announced a ten-race schedule for the No. 17. Kyle Larson won the race at the Circuit of the Americas, giving Hendrick Motorsports their first Xfinity Series win since 2009. Chase Elliott also won a race at Charlotte in the No. 17.
Car No. 24 History
The No. 24 team began in 1999 as Gordon-Evernham Motorsports, owned by Jeff Gordon and his crew chief Ray Evernham. Jeff Gordon and Ricky Hendrick shared the driving duties. In 2000, Rick Hendrick bought out Evernham's share, and the team became JG Motorsports.
In 2001, Hendrick Motorsports took full control of the No. 24. Ricky Hendrick drove it in three races. In 2002, three-time Truck Series champion Jack Sprague took over the No. 24 full-time. He won a race at Nashville and finished fifth in points.
The No. 24 car returned for a few races in 2007 with Casey Mears and Landon Cassill driving. The team then closed down after that season.
Car No. 48 History
The No. 48 car first appeared in the Busch Series in 2004 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Jimmie Johnson drove it to a third-place finish. He raced the car in a few races each year from 2005 to 2007, often achieving top finishes.
Car No. 57 History
In 2005, Hendrick Motorsports introduced the No. 57 car, sponsored by Heinz (known for its "57 varieties"). Brian Vickers drove most of the races in 2005 and 2006. Other sponsors like Lowe's and Mountain Dew also supported the team for some races.
Car No. 80 History
In 2009, Hendrick Motorsports ran the No. 80 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet in one Xfinity Series race at Daytona. Tony Stewart drove this car and won the race. The number 80 represented the number of Hendrick Automotive Group dealerships at the time.
Car No. 87 History
In 2003, Hendrick Motorsports partnered with NEMCO Motorsports to field the No. 87 car for young driver Kyle Busch. Busch raced in seven events, earning three poles and two wins. He also won the 2004 season opener at Daytona in the No. 87.
In 2007, the No. 87 car returned for development driver Landon Cassill. He attempted three races, but the team closed after that year.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Truck No. 5 History
In 1995, the team raced the No. 5 DuPont Chevrolet part-time. Terry Labonte won a race at Richmond in this truck. Roger Mears also drove the No. 5 truck once.
Truck No. 17 History
The No. 17 Craftsman Truck Series team started in 2000 with Ricky Hendrick driving. He had four top-ten finishes that year. In 2001, Ricky Hendrick won his first and only Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway. He was the youngest driver at the time to win a truck race, at age 21. The team stopped racing after 2001.
Truck No. 24 History
The No. 24 truck debuted in 1995 with Scott Lagasse driving. He finished ninth in the standings.
In 1996, Jack Sprague drove the No. 24 full-time. He won five races and finished second in points. The next year, in 1997, he won three times and became a NASCAR champion!
Sprague won another championship in 1999 and a third in 2001. After Sprague moved to the Busch Series, Ron Hornaday Jr. drove the No. 24 truck once in 2002. The team then closed to focus on other racing series.
Truck No. 25 History
In 1995, the team raced the No. 25 Budweiser Chevrolet part-time. Rick Hendrick himself and Roger Mears drove it. Later in the season, Jack Sprague took over and had great results, including a pole position at Phoenix International Raceway.
Truck No. 94 History
Hendrick Motorsports brought back its truck racing program in 2013. They had a part-time entry for Chase Elliott in the No. 94 truck. Elliott made his debut at Martinsville Speedway and finished sixth. He became the youngest pole winner in Truck Series history at Bristol. Later, he became the youngest race winner in the Truck Series by winning at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. Elliott then moved to JR Motorsports in the Nationwide Series in 2014.
ARCA Racing Series
Hendrick Motorsports has also raced in the ARCA series. They fielded cars for Brett Bodine in 1985 and 1986, and for other drivers like Tommy Ellis and Jack Sprague. Rick Hendrick even drove in an ARCA race himself in 1991. In 2000, Ricky Hendrick finished fifth in his first stock car race at Daytona in the ARCA series.
Car No. 5 History
In 1985, Brett Bodine drove the No. 5 car for one ARCA race. He won the pole position.
In 2004, development drivers Blake Feese, Boston Reid, and Kyle Krisiloff raced the No. 5 car. Feese won a race at Nashville, and Krisiloff won at Chicagoland Speedway.
Car No. 7 History
In 2004, Boston Reid raced the No. 7 car at Talladega. In 2005, Kyle Krisiloff drove the No. 7 in 14 races, earning several top-five and top-ten finishes.
Car No. 9 History
In 2012, Hendrick Motorsports started racing the No. 9 Chevrolet for young driver Chase Elliott. His father, Bill Elliott, was listed as the owner. Chase Elliott, at age 16, earned a pole and six top-ten finishes in his first six races.
Elliott continued with the team in 2013 and won his first ARCA race at Pocono Raceway. At 17, he became the youngest winner on a superspeedway in ARCA history. He had four top-ten finishes that year.
In 2014, Elliott raced the ARCA season opener at Daytona to get approval for the Nationwide Series. He finished ninth, which helped him get approved. He went on to win the Nationwide Series Championship that year.
Car No. 15 History
In 1986, Brett Bodine drove the No. 15 car at Atlanta, winning the pole and finishing second. In 1991, Rick Hendrick drove the No. 15 Tide car at Heartland Park Topeka. This was his only ARCA start.
Car No. 87 History
In 2003, Hendrick Motorsports entered Kyle Busch in seven ARCA RE/MAX Series races. Busch drove the No. 87 Chevrolet, earning three pole positions and two wins. He also won the 2004 season opener at Daytona.
In 2007, the No. 87 was used for development driver Landon Cassill in three races.
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
- 2013
IndyCar Series
In 2024, Hendrick Motorsports joined forces with Arrow McLaren to enter the famous 2024 Indianapolis 500 race. They fielded the No. 17 car for Kyle Larson. This made Larson one of only a few drivers to attempt "the Double," which means racing in both the Indy 500 and the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.
IndyCar Series Results
In the 2024 Indianapolis 500, Kyle Larson finished 18th in the No. 17 car.
24 Hours of Le Mans
In 2023, Hendrick Motorsports took on a big challenge: the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France. They worked with NASCAR, Chevrolet, and Goodyear to create a special version of their NASCAR Cup car for an experimental category called Garage 56. The car, a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, was mostly like the Cup Series car but had some changes for Le Mans, like real headlights, a bigger fuel tank, and special brakes.
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The car, carrying the team's famous No. 24, was driven by NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson, Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller, and Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button. They finished 39th overall out of 62 cars and performed better than some of the regular racing cars in their class. The car was later shown at the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed.
24 Hours of Le Mans Results
- 2023
- The No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 finished 39th overall in the Innovative class.
- Drivers: Jenson Button, Jimmie Johnson, Mike Rockenfeller
Plane Crash Tribute
On October 24, 2004, a plane carrying ten people connected to Hendrick Motorsports had an accident. They were traveling to a race in Martinsville, Virginia. Sadly, everyone on board passed away. This included John Hendrick (Rick Hendrick's brother and team president), Jeff Turner (general manager), Ricky Hendrick (Rick Hendrick's son and a driver), John Hendrick's twin daughters Kimberly and Jennifer, and Randy Dorton (chief engine builder).
NASCAR officials learned about the accident during the race that day. They waited until the race was over to tell the drivers. Hendrick driver Jimmie Johnson won that race. For the rest of the 2004 season, all Hendrick Motorsports cars showed pictures of those who were lost on their hoods, along with the words "Always in our hearts." This was a way to remember and honor them.
Images for kids
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Ricky Hendrick's No. 5 GMAC Chevrolet in 2002
See also
In Spanish: Hendrick Motorsports para niños
