Ricky Hendrick facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ricky Hendrick |
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Hendrick's 2002 Busch Series car
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| Born | Joseph Riddick Hendrick IV April 2, 1980 Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. |
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| Died | October 24, 2004 (aged 24) Bull Mountain (near Martinsville), Virginia, U.S. |
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| Cause of death | Aircraft accident | ||||||
| NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
| 49 races run over 3 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 29th (2002) | ||||||
| First race | 1999 Myrtle Beach 250 (Myrtle Beach) | ||||||
| Last race | 2002 Mr. Goodcents 300 (Kansas) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series career | |||||||
| 30 races run over 2 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 6th (2001) | ||||||
| First race | 2000 Grainger.com 200 (Pikes Peak) | ||||||
| Last race | 2001 Auto Club 200 (Fontana) | ||||||
| First win | 2001 O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 (Kansas) | ||||||
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Ricky Hendrick (born Joseph Riddick Hendrick IV) was a talented American stock car racer. He was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, on April 2, 1980. Ricky was also a part-owner of Hendrick Motorsports. This is a famous NASCAR racing team. His father, Rick Hendrick, started the team.
Ricky began his racing career when he was just 15 years old. He competed in two major NASCAR series. These were the Busch Series and the Craftsman Truck Series. Sadly, Ricky died in an airplane accident on October 24, 2004. He was with seven other family members and friends.
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Ricky's Racing Journey
Ricky Hendrick started his journey in auto racing at age 15. He raced in the Legends Series Summer Shootout. In 1998, he won his first race on May 23. He also earned his first pole position on July 18. A pole position means starting from the very front of the race.
Busch Series Debut
In 1999, Ricky joined the NASCAR Busch Series. His first race was at Myrtle Beach Speedway. He started in fifth place and finished 20th. He kept racing in the Busch Series in 2000.
Truck Series Racing
In 2000, Ricky also started racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He drove the No. 17 GMAC/Quaker State Chevrolet Silverado. While racing in the Busch Series, he had some accidents. He even suffered from concussions.
In 2001, Ricky decided to focus on the Truck Series. He raced in all the Truck events that year. He achieved his first NASCAR win on July 7 at Kansas Speedway. This made him the youngest rookie to win a Truck Series race. Ricky also finished in the top ten 19 times. This was a record for a rookie at that time. He finished second in the Rookie of the Year Standings. Travis Kvapil won the award that year.
Injury and Retirement
In 2002, Ricky moved back to the Busch Series. He drove the No. 5 GMAC Financial Chevrolet Monte Carlo. His crew chief was Lance McGrew. In the third race of the season, he had an accident. This happened at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Ricky broke his shoulder and needed surgery. He missed three months of racing. He returned in May and finished 15th at Richmond.
In October 2002, Ricky decided to stop driving race cars. He continued to work for Hendrick Motorsports. He became an owner of two racing teams. One team was for Brian Vickers in the Nextel Cup Series. The other was for Kyle Busch in the Busch Series. Ricky also opened a motorcycle dealership. It was called Ricky Hendrick's Performance Honda. It was located in Pineville, North Carolina.
Ricky's Passing
On October 24, 2004, Ricky Hendrick died in a plane crash. The accident happened near Martinsville, Virginia. Nine other people also died in the crash. The plane was on its way to the Martinsville Speedway. They were going to watch the Subway 500 race. The plane crashed on Bull Mountain.
A few days after Ricky's death, his fiancée, Emily Maynard, found out she was expecting their child. Their daughter, Josephine Riddick "Ricki" Hendrick, was born on June 29, 2005. She was named after her father.
