Rick Hendrick

Winningest team owner in NASCAR history with 304 Cup Series wins and 19 championships.

Joseph Riddick 'Rick' Hendrick III (born July 12, 1949) is an American businessman. He is best known as the owner of the NASCAR team Hendrick Motorsports. He is also a co-owner of JR Motorsports and founder of the Hendrick Automotive Group, the largest privately held dealership group in the United States.

Quick Facts

Birth name: Joseph Riddick Hendrick III
Born: 12 July 1949
Birthplace: Warrenton, North Carolina, U.S.
Occupation: Owner, Hendrick Motorsports
Years active: 1984–present
Children: 2, including Ricky

Lore & Background

Hendrick began drag racing at age 14 in a self-built 1931 Chevrolet. At 16, he won the Virginia division of the Chrysler-Plymouth Troubleshooting Contest. He opened a used-car lot with Mike Leith, became general sales manager at 23, and in 1976 became the youngest Chevrolet dealer in the U.S. He founded Hendrick Motorsports in 1984. In 1997, he pleaded guilty to mail fraud and was sentenced to a $250,000 fine, 12 months' home confinement, three years probation, and no involvement with his companies during confinement. In December 2000, he received a full pardon from President Bill Clinton.

Reader's Guide

As of 2024, Hendrick's team has won 304 NASCAR Cup Series races and 19 NASCAR Championships: 15 in the Cup Series (seven by Jimmie Johnson, four by Jeff Gordon, two by Kyle Larson, one each by Chase Elliott and Terry Labonte), three in the Truck Series (all by Jack Sprague), and one in the Xfinity Series (by Brian Vickers in 2003). He is one of only three owners to win championships in the top three series. He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2017 and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2020.

Did You Know?

Hendrick drove in two Winston Cup races in 1987 and 1988, finishing 33rd and 15th.
He founded a drag boat racing team that won three consecutive championships and set a world record of 222.2 mph.
Hendrick and his wife Linda were in a plane crash in Key West, Florida on October 31, 2011; he suffered three broken ribs and a fractured clavicle.
His son Ricky Hendrick, a former NASCAR driver, died in a 2004 plane crash.