Celebrating Hendrick Motorsports’ 40th Anniversary By the Numbers

Jackson Wheeler
13 Min Read


Contents
1. Winless season (1985) in 40 years in the Cup Series 2. Cup Series starts for Rick Hendrick, at Riverside Raceway in 1987 and 1988, with finishes of 33rd and 15th3. Craftsman Truck Series championships for Jack Sprague in 1997, 1999, and 20014. Laps led by William Byron in winning the 2024 66th annual Daytona 5005. Consecutive Cup Series championships by Jimmie Johnson between 2006 and 20106. Hendrick drivers with at least one Daytona 500 victory: Jeff Gordon (3), Johnson (2), and Byron, Geoffrey Bodine, Darrell Waltrip, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (1 each)7. Consecutive losses by the startup organization before its breakthrough victory in April of 1984 with Bodine at Martinsville Speedway8. Bodine’s finish in the 1984 Daytona 500, the first official start for the new organization9. Daytona 500 victories for Hendrick Motorsports, tied with Petty Enterprises for most in NASCAR history10. Current Cup Series drivers with at least one start for the organization11. Races crew chief Harry Hyde won between 1984 and 1988 with the late Tim Richmond (7), Bodine (3), and Ken Schrader (1)12. Seasons during which the organization’s teams have combined to win 10 or more races13. Starts it took Johnson to get his first Cup Series victory, at Fontana in 200214. Cup Series championships for the organization among Johnson (7), Gordon (4), and Terry Labonte, Kyle Larson, and Chase Elliott (1 each)15. Elliott’s age when he made his 2011 ARCA Menards debut in a family-owned No. 9 Chevrolet sponsored by HendrickCars.com16. Daytona 500 poles among nine Hendrick drivers, including seven from current drivers Bowman (3), Elliott (2), and Larson and Bryon (1 each)17. Car number Darrell Waltrip carried in the 1989 Daytona 500, the second of nine Daytona 500 victories for the organization18. Total NASCAR championships at HMS among Cup (14), Craftsman (3), and Xfinity (1) teams19. The late Ricky Hendrick’s age when made his 1992 Xfinity Series debut at Myrtle Beach, S.C. in a Gordon-owned No. 24 Chevrolet sponsored by DuPont20. Drivers who have contributed to the 302 Cup Series victories for the organization since its first in 198421. Ricky Hendrick’s age when he won the 2001 Craftsman Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway in the No. 17 Silverado owned by his father, Rick Hendrick, and sponsored by GMAC Financial Services.22. Gordon’s age when he got the first of his 93 victories with the organization, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May of 199423. Cup Series poles at Daytona International Speedway, the most by the organization’s drivers at any venue24. Car number with the most Cup Series victories (104) for the organization, from Gordon (93) and Byron (11)25. Car number carried by the late Tim Richmond when he won nine races for the organization in 1986 and 198726. Xfinity and Craftsman Truck victories by the organization’s teams in each of those series.27. Road course victories for the organization at Watkins Glen (11), Sonoma (7), Riverside, Charlotte Roval (3 each), and Road America, COTA, and the Daytona Infield (1 each)28. Victories at Martinsville Speedway, most by the organization at any venue29. Starts for former champion Benny Parsons without a victory in 1987, his only year with Hendrick Motorsports30. Gordon’s “running at the finish” results in 32 starts in his 10-victory season of 1997, when he beat Dale Jarrett by 14 points for his second Cup Series championship31. Active and former tracks where the organization’s teams have won at least one Cup Series race32. Age of the late Tim Richmond when he won back-to-back races at Pocono and Riverside in June of 1987; they were the last of his 13 Cup victories, nine of them for HMS.33. Cup Series starts for Gordon (10 victories) and Labonte (1) in 1998, at the time the most-ever for any of the organization’s teams.34. Points margin by which Gordon beat Dale Earnhardt for the first of his four Cup Series championships, in 1995. 35. Combined career victories for Elliott (18) and Larson (17), the organization’s active former Cup Series champions.36. Gordon’s win at the inaugural Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in August of 1994 was the 36th all-time Cup win for Hendrick Motorsports.37. Rick Hendrick’s age when he made his first Cup Series start, in 1987 at Riverside Raceway, where he started 21st and finished a transmission-related 33rd in the Folgers-sponsored No. 25 Chevrolet.38. Cup Series victories for crew chief Alan Gustafson, most among the organization’s four current crew chiefs;39. Finish position of Johnson, Mike Rockenfeller, and Jenson Button in the specially prepared Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro at the 24 Hours of LeMans in June of 2023.40. Years since a young North Carolina automotive dealer named Rick Hendrick created his NASCAR Cup Series team with five employees and a 5,000 square-foot shop.

During the 2024 NASCAR season, Hendrick Motorsports—the winningest team in Cup Series history—is celebrating its 40th anniversary season.

Yes, 40 years is a long time. And Hendrick has definitely made the most of those four decades. Consider these Hendrick accomplishments, courtesy of Hendrick Motorsports:

  • At least one NASCAR Cup Series points win in each of the last 38 seasons and at least three victories in each of the last 30 seasons
  • All-time record 18 combined NASCAR national series titles (14 Cup, three truck, one Xfinity)
  • Led all teams in wins (or were tied for most) in 18 of 40 seasons
  • Earned 35% of Chevrolet’s all-time Cup wins (301 of 851); 51% since 1984 (301 of 589)
  • Won the inaugural Cup Series race at six different tracks
  • 13 of the 61 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees are affiliated with Hendrick Motorsports; at least one affiliated NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee in seven of the last eight years
  • At least two drivers in the playoffs for 18 straight seasons
  • At least one driver in the playoffs in all 20 seasons of the format
  • Fielded the last five drivers to reach 10 Cup wins in a season

Here’s a look at 40 more noteworthy achievements and fun facts by the numbers from Hendrick’s first 40 in NASCAR:

1. Winless season (1985) in 40 years in the Cup Series

geoff bodinegary nelson nascar 1980s

RacingOne//Getty Images

Driver Geoff Bodine, left, and crew chief Nelson weren’t able to find the magic for Hendrick Motorsports in 1985.


2. Cup Series starts for Rick Hendrick, at Riverside Raceway in 1987 and 1988, with finishes of 33rd and 15th


3. Craftsman Truck Series championships for Jack Sprague in 1997, 1999, and 2001

jack sprague

RacingOne//Getty Images

Jack Sprague celebrates his 1997 Truck Series title for Hendrick.


4. Laps led by William Byron in winning the 2024 66th annual Daytona 500

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James Gilbert//Getty Images


5. Consecutive Cup Series championships by Jimmie Johnson between 2006 and 2010

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Jeff Zelevansky//Getty Images

Don’t look for anyone to surpass Jimmie Johnson’s record of five consecutive NASCAR Cup Series titles.


6. Hendrick drivers with at least one Daytona 500 victory: Jeff Gordon (3), Johnson (2), and Byron, Geoffrey Bodine, Darrell Waltrip, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (1 each)

nascar daytona 2005

Sporting News Archive//Getty Images

Jeff Gordon won three Daytona 500s at Hendrick Motorsports.


7. Consecutive losses by the startup organization before its breakthrough victory in April of 1984 with Bodine at Martinsville Speedway

geoff bodine

RacingOne//Getty Images

Driver Geoff Bodine and crew chief Harry Hyde helped put Hendrick on the map in 1984.


8. Bodine’s finish in the 1984 Daytona 500, the first official start for the new organization

daytona 500

Focus on Sport//Getty Images


9. Daytona 500 victories for Hendrick Motorsports, tied with Petty Enterprises for most in NASCAR history

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Tom Pennington//Getty Images

Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the Daytona 500 with Hendrick Motorsports in 2014.


10. Current Cup Series drivers with at least one start for the organization

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Alex Slitz//Getty Images

Alex Bowman is one of 10 drivers with Hendrick Motorsports ties in the current Cup Series field.


11. Races crew chief Harry Hyde won between 1984 and 1988 with the late Tim Richmond (7), Bodine (3), and Ken Schrader (1)

1986 firecracker 400

Robert Alexander//Getty Images

Harry Hyde was the mastermind behind several wins for Hendrick in the 1980s.


12. Seasons during which the organization’s teams have combined to win 10 or more races

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Jim Gund//Getty Images

Jeff Gordon won 13 races for Hendrick in 1998.


13. Starts it took Johnson to get his first Cup Series victory, at Fontana in 2002

jimmie johnson shakes his crews hands after winning the winston cup napa auto parts 500 at the calif

Gina Ferazzi//Getty Images

Jimmie Johnson’s first win came in California in 2002.


14. Cup Series championships for the organization among Johnson (7), Gordon (4), and Terry Labonte, Kyle Larson, and Chase Elliott (1 each)

nascar cup series championship

Jared C. Tilton//Getty Images

Chase Elliott is one of six Hendrick drivers with Cup Series championships.


15. Elliott’s age when he made his 2011 ARCA Menards debut in a family-owned No. 9 Chevrolet sponsored by HendrickCars.com

nascar kn pro series east

Sara D. Davis//Getty Images

Chase Elliott was on the Hendrick radar early.


16. Daytona 500 poles among nine Hendrick drivers, including seven from current drivers Bowman (3), Elliott (2), and Larson and Bryon (1 each)

nascar cup series 64th annual daytona 500 qualifying

Chris Graythen//Getty Images

Kyle Larson won the Daytona 500 pole for Hendrick in 2022.


17. Car number Darrell Waltrip carried in the 1989 Daytona 500, the second of nine Daytona 500 victories for the organization

daytona 500

Focus on Sport//Getty Images

Darrell Waltrip made a name for himself in the 17.


18. Total NASCAR championships at HMS among Cup (14), Craftsman (3), and Xfinity (1) teams

nascar xfinity series championship ford ecoboost 300

Chris Trotman//Getty Images

William Byron celebrates his 2017 Xfinity Series championship with Rick Hendrick.


19. The late Ricky Hendrick’s age when made his 1992 Xfinity Series debut at Myrtle Beach, S.C. in a Gordon-owned No. 24 Chevrolet sponsored by DuPont


20. Drivers who have contributed to the 302 Cup Series victories for the organization since its first in 1984

tim richmond

RacingOne//Getty Images

Tim Richmond was one of the early stars of the Hendrick Motorsports stable.


21. Ricky Hendrick’s age when he won the 2001 Craftsman Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway in the No. 17 Silverado owned by his father, Rick Hendrick, and sponsored by GMAC Financial Services.


22. Gordon’s age when he got the first of his 93 victories with the organization, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May of 1994

1994 daytona 500

Brian Cleary//Getty Images

Jeff Gordon was just 22 when he started his winning ways for Hendrick in 1994.


23. Cup Series poles at Daytona International Speedway, the most by the organization’s drivers at any venue

monster energy nascar cup series 61st annual daytona 500 practice

Sean Gardner//Getty Images

William Byron won Hendrick Motorsports’ fifth consecutive pole at the Daytona 500 in 2019.


24. Car number with the most Cup Series victories (104) for the organization, from Gordon (93) and Byron (11)

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Chris Graythen//Getty Images

Jeff Gordon will forever be famous for driving the 24 in NASCAR.


25. Car number carried by the late Tim Richmond when he won nine races for the organization in 1986 and 1987

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RacingOne//Getty Images

Tim Richmond was a nine-race winner in the 25 for Hendrick.


26. Xfinity and Craftsman Truck victories by the organization’s teams in each of those series.

jack srague

RacingOne//Getty Images

Jack Sprague was a big winner for Hendrick in the NASCAR Truck Series.


27. Road course victories for the organization at Watkins Glen (11), Sonoma (7), Riverside, Charlotte Roval (3 each), and Road America, COTA, and the Daytona Infield (1 each)

nascar cup series echopark texas grand prix

Jared C. Tilton//Getty Images

Chase Elliott owns a road circuit win for Hendrick at Circuit of the Americas.


28. Victories at Martinsville Speedway, most by the organization at any venue

stp 500 practice

Jeff Curry//Getty Images

Dale Earnhardt Jr. won at Martinsville for Hendrick in 2014.


29. Starts for former champion Benny Parsons without a victory in 1987, his only year with Hendrick Motorsports

1987 daytona 500

Robert Alexander//Getty Images

Benny Parsons had a forgettable 1987 for Hendrick.


30. Gordon’s “running at the finish” results in 32 starts in his 10-victory season of 1997, when he beat Dale Jarrett by 14 points for his second Cup Series championship

jeff gordon

RacingOne//Getty Images

Jeff Gordon was around for the finish like few others in 1987.


31. Active and former tracks where the organization’s teams have won at least one Cup Series race

pure michigan 400

Brian Lawdermilk//Getty Images

Hendrick Motorsports has celebrated victories at no less than 31 different tracks.


32. Age of the late Tim Richmond when he won back-to-back races at Pocono and Riverside in June of 1987; they were the last of his 13 Cup victories, nine of them for HMS.

tim richmond

RacingOne//Getty Images

Tim Richmond won nine races for Hendrick, including two in 1987.


33. Cup Series starts for Gordon (10 victories) and Labonte (1) in 1998, at the time the most-ever for any of the organization’s teams.

1998 save mart  kragen 350

David Madison//Getty Images


34. Points margin by which Gordon beat Dale Earnhardt for the first of his four Cup Series championships, in 1995.

1995 winston select 500

RacingOne//Getty Images

Dale Earnhardt (3) and Jeff Gordon produced one of NASCAR’s greatest rivalries in the 1990s.


35. Combined career victories for Elliott (18) and Larson (17), the organization’s active former Cup Series champions.

nascar cup series ambetter health 400

Todd Kirkland//Getty Images

Kyle Larson has 17 wins for Hendrick Motorsports.


36. Gordon’s win at the inaugural Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in August of 1994 was the 36th all-time Cup win for Hendrick Motorsports.

brickyard 400

RacingOne//Getty Images

Jeff Gordon made history at the Brickyard in 1994.


37. Rick Hendrick’s age when he made his first Cup Series start, in 1987 at Riverside Raceway, where he started 21st and finished a transmission-related 33rd in the Folgers-sponsored No. 25 Chevrolet.


38. Cup Series victories for crew chief Alan Gustafson, most among the organization’s four current crew chiefs;

nascar cup series enjoy illinois 300 practice

Jonathan Bachman//Getty Images

Alan Gustafson, left, leads Hendrick’s current stable of crew chiefs in Cup victories.


39. Finish position of Johnson, Mike Rockenfeller, and Jenson Button in the specially prepared Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro at the 24 Hours of LeMans in June of 2023.

le mans 24 hour race

DeFodi Images//Getty Images

Rick Hendrick and Hendrick Motorsports helped NASCAR bring a car to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2023.


40. Years since a young North Carolina automotive dealer named Rick Hendrick created his NASCAR Cup Series team with five employees and a 5,000 square-foot shop.

auto sep 02 nascar cup series playoff cook out southern 500

Icon Sportswire//Getty Images

Rick Hendrick has done it all in his 40 years as the owner of Hendrick Motorsports.

Lettermark

Unemployed after three years as an Army officer and Vietnam vet, Al Pearce shamelessly lied his way onto a small newspaper’s sports staff in Virginia in 1969. He inherited motorsports, a strange and unfamiliar beat which quickly became an obsession. 

In 53 years – 48 ongoing with Autoweek – there have been thousands of NASCAR, NHRA, IMSA, and APBA assignments on weekend tracks and major venues like Daytona Beach, Indianapolis, LeMans, and Watkins Glen. The job – and accompanying benefits – has taken him to all 50 states and more than a dozen countries.  

He’s been fortunate enough to attract interest from several publishers, thus his 13 motorsports-related books. He can change a tire on his Hyundai, but that’s about it.

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Jackson Wheeler is a skilled editor at Speedofdaily.com, specializing in automotive content. With a background in Journalism and Automotive Engineering, he combines his passion for cars with his writing expertise to deliver captivating articles. Jackson's deep knowledge of automotive technology and his racing experience make him a valuable asset to the team, providing readers with informative and engaging content.
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