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Rick Hendrick
Hendrick in 2015
Born	Joseph Riddick Hendrick III (1949-07-12)July 12, 1949 (age 75) Warrenton, North Carolina, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Owner,Hendrick Motorsports
Years active	1984–present
Children	2, includingRicky
NASCAR driver
Awards	14×NASCAR Cup Champion (as an owner) NASCAR Hall of Fame (2017)
NASCARCup Series career
2 races run over 2 years
Best finish	63rd (1988)
First race	1987 Winston Western 500 (Riverside)
Last race	1988Budweiser 400 (Riverside)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 0 0
NASCARXfinity Series career
1 race run over 1 year
Best finish	64th (1987)
First race	1987Amoco 300 (Road Atlanta)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 0 0
NASCARCraftsman Truck Series career
1 race run over 1 year
Best finish	88th (1995)
First race	1995Heartland Tailgate 175 (Topeka)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 0 0

Joseph Riddick "Rick"Hendrick III (born July 12, 1949) is an American businessman. He is best known as the owner of theNASCAR teamHendrick Motorsports. He is also a co-owner ofJR Motorsports and founder of the Hendrick Automotive Group, the largest privately held dealership group in the United States.^[1]

As of2024, his team has won 304NASCAR Cup Series races, making him the winningest team owner in NASCAR.^[2] His team has also won a combined total of 18NASCAR Championships: 14 in theNASCAR Cup Series (seven byJimmie Johnson, four byJeff Gordon, and one each byChase Elliott,Terry Labonte, andKyle Larson), three in theNASCAR Truck Series (all byJack Sprague) and one in theNASCAR Xfinity Series (byBrian Vickers in2003). He is one of only three owners in history to win NASCAR Championships in the top three series, joiningRichard Childress andJack Roush. Hendrick was inducted into theNASCAR Hall of Fame in 2017 and theMotorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2020.^[3]

Hendrick begandrag racing at age 14 in a self-built 1931Chevrolet. Two years later, at age 16, Hendrick won theVirginia division of the Chrysler-Plymouth Troubleshooting Contest, a two-part test consisting of a written exam and a timed hands-on diagnosis and repair of defects planted on a car.

Afterward, Hendrick opened a small used-car lot with Mike Leith. Leith, an established new-car dealer, was convinced to name Hendrick the general sales manager of the company, at age 23. In 1976, he sold his assets to purchase a franchise inBennettsville, South Carolina. After doing so, he became the youngest Chevrolet dealer in theUnited States. Hendrick's influence increased sales to make the once troubled location become the region's most profitable. The success of Bennettsville was a precursor to the Hendrick Automotive Group, which now has over 100 franchises and 10,000 employees across 13states. Headquartered inCharlotte, North Carolina, his company had a revenue in excess ofUS$3.5 billion in 2009, after selling 100,000 vehicles and servicing 1.5 million, and is the sixth-largest dealership in the United States.^[4] Hendrick is also the chairman of the company.^[5][6]

Hendrick drove in two races during the1987 and1988 Winston Cup Series, with finishes of 33rd and 15th, respectively. He also had a single start in both the Busch Series and the Craftsman Truck Series.^[7] He also had been a pit crew member for the Flying 11 thatRay Hendrick (no relation) drove in the 1960s.^[8] In 1997, Hendrick began the Hendrick Marrow Program, a non-profit works with the Be The Match Foundation to support the National Marrow Donor Program.^[5]

In the late 1970s, Hendrick founded a drag boat racing team that won three consecutive championships, as well as setting a world record of 222.2 mph (357.6 km/h) with Nitro Fever.^[5] He then moved to the NASCAR Model Sportsman Series (nowXfinity Series), in which he earned one victory withDale Earnhardt atCharlotte Motor Speedway.^[5] In 1984, he founded All-Star Racing (nowHendrick Motorsports). With five full-time employees and 5,000 square feet (460 m²) of workspace, he fielded one NASCAR Winston Cup team. WithGeoff Bodine the driver, his team managed to race in all 30 races to finish ninth in the final standings with three wins andpole positions.^[5] Throughout his career as a team owner, Hendrick has won 18 Drivers' championships (14 Cup Series, 1 Xfinity Series, and 3 Camping World Truck Series), 347 race wins (252 Cup Series, 67 Xfinity Series 23 with Hendrick Motorsports and 44 with JR Motorsports, and 26 Truck Series), and 291 pole positions (216 Sprint Cup Series, 53 Xfinity Series, 36 with Hendrick Motorsports, and 17 JR Motorsports, and 22 Truck Series).^[9] He is widely considered to be the most successful team owner in NASCAR history. On December 13, 2018, Hendrick announced that when he retires as owner of Hendrick Motorsports, there are plans in the works forJeff Gordon to replace him.^[10][11]

During the late 1980s, Hendrick owned theGoodwrench IMSA GTP Corvette driven by Sarel Van der Merwe and Doc Bundy. The car was actually built by Lola but resembled later Corvette models and was powered by GM's twin-turbo V-6 engine. The GTP team was based in a tiny shop on Gasoline Alley (formerly Roena Street) inIndianapolis,Indiana and managed by Ken Howes of South Africa. The team experienced mixed successes, setting track records and winning many pole positions but few races. The project was abandoned after only a few seasons.

Hendrick was born inWarrenton, North Carolina and was raised on his family's farm inSouth Hill, Virginia, where he attendedPark View High School.^[5]

He is the father of the lateRicky Hendrick, a former NASCAR driver, who died ina plane crash in 2004 along with other members of the Hendrick family and Hendrick Motorsports crew members.

On October 31, 2011, Hendrick and his wife, Linda, were involved in a plane crash inKey West,Florida, when the plane landed long atKey West International Airport. Linda suffered minor injuries while Rick suffered three broken ribs and a fracturedclavicle.^[12]

In 1997, Hendrick pleaded guilty tomail fraud.^[13] In the 1980s,Honda automobiles were in high demand and Honda executives allegedly solicited bribes from dealers for larger product disbursements. Hendrick admitted to giving hundreds of thousands of dollars,BMW automobiles, and houses to American Honda Motor Company executives.^[14] Hendrick was sentenced in December 1997 to a $250,000 fine, 12 months' home confinement (instead ofprison, due to his leukemia), three yearsprobation, and to have no involvement with Hendrick Automotive Group (which was run by Jim Perkins) or Hendrick Motorsports (run by his brother John) during his year of confinement. In December 2000, Hendrick received a full pardon from PresidentBill Clinton.

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time.Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time.Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

• Hendrick Motorsports
• List of people pardoned by Bill Clinton

• The Hendrick Marrow Program
• Rick Hendrick owner statistics at Racing-Reference
• Rick Hendrick driver statistics at Racing-Reference
• Hendrick Motorsports

• 1949 births
• American automobile salespeople
• Living people
• NASCAR drivers
• NASCAR team owners
• Businesspeople from Charlotte, North Carolina
• North Carolina Republicans
• People from Mecklenburg County, Virginia
• People from Warrenton, North Carolina
• Racing drivers from North Carolina
• People pardoned by Bill Clinton
• ARCA Menards Series drivers
• American people convicted of mail and wire fraud
• NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees
• Hendrick Motorsports drivers

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