Hendrick Motorsports

Hendrick Motorsports

Owner(s)	Rick Hendrick
Base	Concord, North Carolina
Series	Sprint Cup Series
Race drivers	5. Mark Martin 24. Jeff Gordon 48. Jimmie Johnson 88. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Sponsors	5. Godaddy.com 24. DuPont 48. Lowe's 88. AMP Energy
Manufacturer	Chevrolet
Career
Debut	1984 Goody's 300
Races competed	3,349
Drivers' Championships	13 (1995 (Cup), 1996 (Cup), 1997 (Cup), 1997 (Truck), 1998 (Cup), 1999 (Truck), 2001 (Cup), 2001 (Truck) 2003 (Busch), 2006 (Cup), 2007 (Cup), 2008 (Cup), 2009 (Cup))
Race victories	241
Pole positions	227

Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) is a current American auto racing created in 1984 by Rick Hendrick. The team currently competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Chevrolet Impalas.^[1] One of stock car racing's premier organizations, Hendrick Motorsports has garnered nine Sprint Cup Series owners and drivers championships, three Camping World Truck Series owners and drivers titles, and one Nationwide Series drivers crown, 188 Sprint Cup Series victories, 29 Nationwide Series wins, and 25 Camping World Truck Series victories.^[2]

The team currently fields four Sprint Cup Series cars, including the #5 GoDaddy.com/Carquest/Delphi Chevrolet Impala for five-time Sprint Cup Series runner-up Mark Martin, the #24 DuPont/National Guard/Pepsi Chevrolet Impala for four-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon, the #48 Lowe's/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet Impala for four-time defending Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, and the #88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet Impala for seven-time most popular driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. The 2009 season marked the 25th anniversary of Hendrick Motorsports, which has fielded cars for past NASCAR stars Geoff Bodine, Tim Richmond, Darrell Waltrip, Benny Parsons, Ricky Rudd, Ken Schrader, and Terry Labonte.

All Hendrick race cars are constructed start-to-finish at the 100-plus acre Hendrick Motorsports complex in Concord, North Carolina. More than 550 engines are built or re-built on-site each year, with the team leasing some of those to other NASCAR outfits. Hendrick Motorsports employs over 500 people that perform many day-to-day activities.^[3] In 2009 Hendrick Motorsports made history by having 3 out of 4 driver in the top 3 places in the points.

Sprint Cup Series

Car #5 History

2009 #5 Kellogg's Impala.

Hendrick Motorsports debuted in 1984 under the banner "All Star Racing" with the #5 Northwestern Security Life Chevy Monte Carlo, driven by Geoff Bodine. Running all 30 races, Bodine and the team won three times and finished ninth in points. Levi Garrett came on board to sponsor the #5 Chevy in 1985. Despite not winning a race that year, Bodine improved to fifth in points. The team briefly became a two-car operation when Dick Brooks drove the #1 Exxon Chevy at Charlotte Motor Speedway, in what proved to be Brooks' last NASCAR race.

Hendrick moved to a multi-car team full-time in 1986, with Bodine and Tim Richmond as drivers. Bodine won twice in the #5 and posted an eighth place finish in points. His younger brother, Brett, raced as a teammate in the World 600 that year. Bodine went winless again in 1987, finishing thirteenth in points. Bodine won one race each of the next two years before leaving for Junior Johnson in 1990. Ricky Rudd took his place, winning once and finishing seventh in points. For 1991, the team received sponsorship from Tide as part of the car's merger with Darrell Waltrip's old team. Winning one race that year, Rudd finished a career high second in points. On the final lap of that year's race at Sears Point Raceway, second-place Rudd spun out leader Davey Allison on the last turn and went on to win. NASCAR penalized the team for rough driving and awarded Allison the win. Rudd won once each of the next two years, and then left to form his own team, taking Tide with him.

The #5 car as it looked from 1994 until 2000.

Rudd's replacement was 1984 Winston Cup champion Terry Labonte. The car received sponsorship from Kellogg's and their Corn Flakes brand. Labonte won three races each in 1994 and 1995, and defeated teammate Jeff Gordon for the 1996 Winston Cup championship by 37 points. Labonte won one race each of the next three seasons. The 2000 season was a very difficult year for the team as two long streaks that defined Labonte's career came to an end. In the Pepsi 400, Labonte crashed his car and broke his leg. After an accident at New Hampshire damaged his inner ear, Labonte was not capable of driving, and he ended up missing two races, bringing his streak of most consecutive races to an abrupt end. Todd Bodine and Ron Hornaday, Jr. subbed for Labonte. His six-year winning streak was also broken as he failed to visit victory lane that year.

At the end of the 2000 season Labonte's team switched to Kellogg's Frosted Flakes brand for its primary sponsorship. After a couple of low-key years, Labonte finished tenth in the points in 2003. He also revisited victory lane after a four-year drought, winning the final Southern 500 at Darlington. After slipping to twenty-sixth in points in 2004, Labonte announced his semi-retirement. He would drive a limited schedule for two years before officially retiring after the 2006 season. Hendrick tabbed Kyle Busch as his replacement.

Busch easily won the 2005 rookie of the year battle and made history when he took the checkered flag in the Sony HD 500 at California Speedway for his first win, becoming the youngest driver to ever win a Cup Series race at the age of 20 years, 4 months, and 2 days. Busch would win later that year at Phoenix. In 2006, Kyle won once and qualified for the Chase for the Nextel Cup, ultimately finishing tenth in points. In 2007, Busch grabbed a win at the Food City 500, the inaugural race for the Car of Tomorrow. On June 13, 2007 Hendrick announced that Kyle Busch would not return to drive the #5 car in 2008. On September 4, 2007 it was announced that Casey Mears would drive the #5 in 2008.

On June 22, 2008 ESPN.com reported that Mark Martin would leave Dale Earnhardt, Inc. to replace Casey Mears in the #5 car for the 2009 season.^[4] On Friday, July 4 at Daytona International Raceway, Hendrick and Mark Martin announced that Martin had agreed to a two-year contract in the #5 car.^[5]

Mark Martin scored his first career win with Hendrick Motorsports at Phoenix on April 18, 2009. He became the third oldest winner and fourth driver over the age of 50 to win a Sprint Cup Series race.^[6] The win was also the 36th victory and 400th top 10 of Martin's career. On September 18, 2009 Hendrick announced that Martin had extended his contract through the 2011 season and will race full-time with Godaddy.com as a primary sponsor.^[7]

Kasey Kahne will drive the #5 car full-time beginning in the 2012 season.^[8]

Car #5 Career Statistics

^[9]

Car #17 History

1989 #17 Tide Chevy Lumina.

Darrell Waltrip left Junior Johnson's team following the 1986 season in order to end his relationship with Budweiser. Waltrip chose to join Hendrick Motorsports with Tide as his sponsor and 17 as his car number. The team stayed mostly constant for all of its existence. Waltrip finally won the Daytona 500 in 1989, a race that had eluded him for so many years. At the end of the 1990 season, Waltrip decided he wanted to start his own team, so he left, taking the #17 with him. The Tide sponsorship moved to the flagship #5 team with Ricky Rudd as the driver and remained there until the end of the 1993 season.

Car #17 Career Statistics

^[9]

Car #24 History

2008 #24 Dupont Impala.

During its entire history, the #24 car has been driven by Jeff Gordon and has been sponsored by DuPont and Pepsi. Gordon debuted in the 1992 Hooters 500, qualifying twenty-first and finishing thirty-first following a crash. Almost symbolically, that race was the last for seven-time champion Richard Petty. The team went full-time in 1993 with crew chief Ray Evernham. Gordon won his Twin 125 qualifying race at Daytona and finished fifth in the Daytona 500. He finished fourteenth in points and took home rookie of the year honors. In 1994, Gordon won his first career race at the Coca-Cola 600 and also won the inaugural Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis. Gordon improved to eighth in the points that year. The following year, Gordon would go on to win the 1995 Winston Cup championship. He finished runner-up to teammate Terry Labonte for the 1996 championship.

The rainbow paint scheme in 1997.

Gordon won back-to-back championships in 1997 and 1998 and also tied Richard Petty's modern era record for most victories in a season with thirteen. Gordon won the 1999 Daytona 500, but the team struggled with consistency that year. Crew chief Ray Evernham announced he was leaving the team to help with Dodge's return to NASCAR that September. He was replaced by Brian Whitesell, who guided Gordon to wins in the first two races after Evernham's departure. At the end of the season, Gordon signed a lifetime contract with the team that gave him part ownership.

In 2000, Whitesell moved to a new position within the organization and was replaced by Robbie Loomis. Gordon picked up his fiftieth career victory at Talladega but finished ninth in points. He bounced back in 2001, winning his fourth championship. In 2002, Gordon became car owner for Jimmie Johnson and filed for divorce from his first wife Brooke. He finished fourth in points in 2003. In 2004, Gordon finished third in the inaugural Chase for the Nextel Cup. After winning three of the first nine races in 2005, his season fell into a downward spiral. Gordon finished eleventh in points that year, which was the first time since his rookie season that he finished outside the top ten in points. 2006 was Gordon's comeback year. With the help of new crew chief Steve Letarte, Jeff would rebound to make the Chase for the Nextel Cup and finish sixth in points. In 2007, despite winning six races and scoring a modern era record thirty top 10s, Gordon wound up finishing second in points to teammate Jimmie Johnson.

In 2008 Gordon returned to the Chase, but he failed to win a race against Dale Earnhardt Jr. his fellow teammate for the first time since his rookie year. Despite that statistic, he managed to finish seventh in the season points standings.

At the end of the 2008 season, Gordon unveiled on The Today Show his new Firestorm paint scheme for 2009 and beyond. Gordon also broke a 47 race winless drought on April 4, 2009 at Texas. If he wins at Homestead-Miami Speedway, he will be the only driver to win on all current NASCAR Sprint Cup racetracks in use.

Car #24 Career Statistics

^[10]

Car #25 History

The current #25 car debuted in 2003 as the #60 at the Pepsi 400 with sponsor Haas Automation and driver David Green. The car was originally formed as a partnership with Gene Haas, but the team evolved into Hendrick's R & D team, Haas CNC Racing. Green ran one additional race that year and Brian Vickers ran the #60 at the fall Charlotte race.

Kyle Busch took over the car the following season, which had been rebranded as the #84 Carquest Chevy. He made his debut at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and made five more starts that year with a best finish of twenty-fourth at California.

In 2005, Terry Labonte took over the car, which had been changed to the #44, his first number, and Kyle Busch moved to the #5. Sponsored by Kellogg's and Pizza Hut, Labonte drove the car in a limited schedule over the next two years before retiring. Hendrick did not run a fifth car until 2008, when they fielded the #25 Go Daddy Chevrolet for Brad Keselowski for a pair of races. Making his Sprint Cup debut at Texas Motor Speedway in the 2008 Dickies 500, Brad Keselowski started 37th and finished 19th in the #25 Chevrolet. In only his 5th start, Brad Keselowski won the 2009 Aaron's 499 in the #09 Miccosukee Indian Gaming & Resorts Chevrolet for Phoenix Racing. This car is classified as a research and development car (or R&D car). Brad finished 13th in his last start in this car in the Price Chopper 400 at Kansas Speedway. He then left for Penske Racing, where he raced most of the remainder of the season in the #12 Dodge he took over full time at the start of the 2010 season.

Car #25 Career Statistics

^[9]

Car #48 History

2008 #48 Lowe's Impala.

The #48 car, co-owned by Jeff Gordon and Rick Hendrick, began competing in 2001 when Hendrick signed Jimmie Johnson, a second-year Busch Series driver for Herzog-Jackson Motorsports. Johnson made his debut at the fall Charlotte race, qualifying fifteenth and finishing thirty-ninth after crashing out. Johnson competed in two other races that year before moving to the Cup circuit full-time in 2002. The 48 team was given all of the 24 teams old cars, while the 24 built all new cars for the 2002 season. He won three races and finished runner-up to Ryan Newman in the rookie battle. During his first season, Johnson became the first rookie to ever lead the points standings. He Finished fifth in points in 2002. He won three more races in 2003 and finished Second in points.

Johnson led much the 2004 season's points but suffered bad luck before the Chase for the Nextel Cup began, falling to second behind Jeff Gordon. After falling as far as ninth in points during the Chase, he rebounded with four wins in five races. Despite this, Johnson would lose the championship by only eight points to Kurt Busch in the closest final championship margin in Cup history.

Johnson led the points for much of the 2005 season, but lost the points lead to Tony Stewart after the Brickyard 400 when he suffered a hard crash. He won four races and ultimately finished fifth in points that year. On February 19, 2006, Johnson won his first Daytona 500 while crew chief Chad Knaus was serving a four-race suspension for rules infractions.^[11] Johnson would go on to win the All-Star Challenge, Brickyard 400, and the 2006 Nextel Cup championship.

Johnson also won the 2007 Nextel Cup championship in a season that Hendrick Motorsports won eighteen of thirty-six races. Johnson won a staggering 10 races, including taking four in a row during the Chase for the Cup.

In 2008, Jimmie tied Cale Yarborough's record by winning his third consecutive Sprint Cup Series title.In 2009 Jimmie Johnson won 7 races,had 16 top fives,and 24 top tens he won his fourth consecutive championship. He is the only driver in NASCAR History to ever win four cup championships in a row.

Car #48 Career Statistics

^[12]

Car #88 History

2008 #88 AMP Impala.

Car #88 was owned for many years by Rick Hendrick's father, the late Joe "Papa" Hendrick. It debuted as the #25 in 1986 with Folgers sponsorship and Tim Richmond driving. Richmond, who was teamed with veteran crew chief Harry Hyde, won seven times that year and finished third in points. He missed the beginning of the 1987 season due to AIDS, while publicly saying he was suffering from pneumonia. Benny Parsons and Darrell Waltrip were hired to drive Hendrick's second and third cars at this time. Richmond returned midway through the season and won twice, but he was not going to make a quick recovery.

In 1988, Ken Schrader took over the ride. He won two pole positions, won the Talladega DieHard 500, and finished fifth in points. He won four more poles in 1989 and picked up a victory in the fall race at Charlotte. Kodiak replaced Folgers as the sponsor of the #25 for the 1990 season. Schrader failed to win a race in 1990, but he won the Daytona 500 pole for the third year in a row. He won two more races in 1991 and finished ninth in points. Schrader did not win again, but he finished a career-best fourth in points in 1994. After that year, Budweiser replaced Kodiak as the sponsor. Schrader left the team after the 1996 season and was replaced by Ricky Craven.

The #25 Budweiser car.

Craven helped Hendrick complete a 1–2–3 finish in the 1997 Daytona 500. After suffering a concussion at Texas, he missed two races. Jack Sprague and Todd Bodine filled in for him during the injury. The other highlight for Craven during the 1997 campaign was a Winston Open win. Craven ultimately finished nineteenth in points. In 1998, the car number was changed from #25 to #50 in honor of NASCAR's 50th anniversary. Shortly after the season started, Craven was diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome, and he was forced to sit out several races while Randy LaJoie and Wally Dallenbach, Jr. filled in. Craven returned to driving at his home track, New Hampshire, and won the pole for the event. Despite his effort, Craven was unable to produce strong results and was replaced by Dallenbach on a full-time basis.

2004 #25 Ditech/GMAC Monte Carlo. The hood design pays tribute to the people killed in the October 2004 plane crash.

Dallenbach brought the renumbered #25 to an eighteenth place finish in points 1999, but both he and Budweiser departed at the end of the season. Hendrick hired Melling Racing's Jerry Nadeau to drive the car for 2000 and obtained sponsorship from home improvement television personality Michael Holigan. Nadeau had a solid first year with Hendrick, finishing twentieth in points and winning the season-ending race at Atlanta. The team returned for 2001 with the United Auto Workers and Delphi Auto Parts as co-sponsors, and Nadeau finished a career high seventeenth in points. After eleven races in 2002, Nadeau was released and eventually was replaced by Joe Nemechek. Nemechek won at Richmond in 2003 before leaving for MB2/MBV Motorsports at the end of the year.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. stands with Lt. Gen. Clyde Vaughn, director of the Army National Guard, and team owner Rick Hendrick.

After winning the Busch Series championship in 2003, Brian Vickers took over the #25 in 2004 with sponsorship from GMAC and Ditech. With a third place finish in the rookie points battle, his first season was somewhat of a disappointment. 2004 was a sad year for Brian Vickers and the #25 team. "Papa" Joe, long-time owner of the #25 car, died in July, while close friend Ricky Hendrick perished in a plane crash that also took the lives of nine others in October. Vickers improved to seventeenth in points in 2005. Midway through the 2006 campaign, Vickers announced he would leave Hendrick Motorsports at the end of the season. On June 9, 2006 Hendrick Motorsports announced that Casey Mears of Chip Ganassi Racing would take the spot of Vickers in 2007. Vickers collected his first career win later that season at Talladega.

In 2007, the Army National Guard joined forces with longtime Hendrick Motorsports partner GMAC to sponsor the #25 Chevrolet driven by Casey Mears. Mears piloted the #25 to his first career win at Lowe's in the Coca Cola 600.

On June 13, 2007, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. announced he would join Hendrick Motorsports for the 2008 season. On September 14, 2007 it was announced that he would drive the #88 car. The #88 replaced the #25, and AMP Energy and the National Guard stepped up to sponsor the car. Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s crew chief and cousin, Tony Eury, Jr., also made the move to Hendrick Motorsports. However, this partnership only lasted until April, 2009 when Tony Eury, Jr. was replaced by Lance McGrew, a technical advisor and part-time crew chief with HMS for the #25 car.

Car #88 Career Statistics

^[9]

Other Car History

Benny Parsons drove for Hendrick in 1987 as a replacement for Tim Richmond. Hendrick kept the #25 available for Richmond to run a limited schedule, so Parsons drove the #35 car instead.

Jeff Gordon had to avoid finishing last in the 1995 NAPA 500 in order to win the championship, so Jeff Purvis drove the #58 car in that event to ensure the first championship for Hendrick Motorsports.

Other Car Career Statistics

^[9]

Team results in Sprint Cup Series

Wins

1984

• 04/29 Sovran Bank 500 at Martinsville, VA – Geoff Bodine
• 07/14 Pepsi 420 at Nashville, TN – Geoff Bodine
• 11/18 Winston Western 500 at Riverside, CA – Geoff Bodine

1986

• 02/16 Daytona 500 at Daytona, FL – Geoff Bodine
• 05/18 Budweiser 500 at Dover, DE – Geoff Bodine
• 06/08 Miller High Life 500 at Long Pond, PA – Tim Richmond
• 07/04 Firecracker 400 at Daytona, FL – Tim Richmond
• 07/20 Summer 500 at Long Pond, PA – Tim Richmond
• 08/10 The Budweiser At The Glen at Watkins Glen, NY – Tim Richmond
• 08/31 Southern 500 at Darlington, SC – Tim Richmond
• 09/07 Wrangler Jeans Indigo 400 at Richmond, VA – Tim Richmond
• 11/16 Winston Western 500 at Riverside, CA – Tim Richmond

1987

• 06/14 Miller High Life 500 at Long Pond, PA – Tim Richmond
• 06/21 Budweiser 400 at Riverside, CA – Tim Richmond
• 09/27 Goody’s 500 at Martinsville, VA – Darrell Waltrip

1988

• 05/29 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, NC – Darrell Waltrip
• 06/19 Miller High Life 500 at Long Pond, PA – Geoff Bodine
• 07/31 Talladega DieHard 500 at Talladega, AL – Ken Schrader
• 09/25 Goody’s 500 at Martinsville, VA – Darrell Waltrip

1989

• 02/19 Daytona 500 at Daytona, FL – Darrell Waltrip
• 03/19 Motorcraft Quality Parts 500 at Atlanta, GA – Darrell Waltrip
• 04/23 Pannill Sweatshirts 500 at Martinsville, VA – Darrell Waltrip
• 05/28 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, NC – Darrell Waltrip
• 08/26 Busch 500 at Bristol, TN – Darrell Waltrip
• 09/24 Goody’s 500 at Martinsville, VA – Darrell Waltrip
• 10/08 All Pro Auto Parts 500 at Charlotte, NC – Ken Schrader
• 10/15 Holly Farms 400 at North Wilkesboro, NC – Geoff Bodine

1990

• 08/12 Budweiser At The Glen at Watkins Glen, NY – Ricky Rudd

1991

• 03/18 Motorcraft Quality Parts 500 at Atlanta, GA – Ken Schrader
• 04/07 TranSouth 500 at Darlington, SC – Ricky Rudd
• 06/03 Budweiser 500 at Dover, DE – Ken Schrader

1992

• 09/20 Peak AntiFreeze 500 at Dover, DE – Ricky Rudd

1993

• 06/20 Miller Genuine Draft 400 at Brooklyn, MI – Ricky Rudd

1994

• 04/17 First Union 400 at North Wilkesboro, NC – Terry Labonte
• 05/29 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, NC – Jeff Gordon
• 08/06 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis, IN – Jeff Gordon
• 09/10 Miller Genuine Draft 400 at Richmond, VA – Terry Labonte
• 10/30 Slick 50 500 at Phoenix, AZ – Terry Labonte

1995

• 02/26 Goodwrench 500 at Rockingham, NC – Jeff Gordon
• 03/05 Pontiac Excitement 400 at Richmond, VA – Terry Labonte
• 03/12 Purolator 500 at Atlanta, GA – Jeff Gordon
• 04/02 Food City 500 at Bristol, TN – Jeff Gordon
• 06/11 UAW-GM Teamwork 500 at Long Pond, PA – Terry Labonte
• 07/01 Pepsi 400 at Daytona, FL – Jeff Gordon
• 07/09 Slick 50 300 at Loudon, NH – Jeff Gordon
• 08/26 Goody's 500 at Bristol, TN – Terry Labonte
• 09/03 Mountain Dew Southern 500 at Darlington, SC – Jeff Gordon
• 09/17 MBNA 500 at Dover, DE – Jeff Gordon

All-Time Statistics

• Starts: 2732
• Wins: 193
• Poles: 171
• Top 5s: 750
• Top 10s: 1229
• Titles: 9

Nationwide Series

JR Motorsports and Hendrick Motorsports officially combined NASCAR Nationwide Series operations following the conclusion of the 2007 racing season. The No. 5 Chevrolets were fielded full-time under the JR Motorsports banner in 2008. The team will be fielded by JR Motorsports in parnership with Hendrick Motorsports.^[13] The partnership will campaign two full-time race cars under the JR Motorsports banner that utilize Hendrick Motorsports engines, chassis and vehicle engineering support. Rick Hendrick will be listed as car owner of the No. 5 team and Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be car owner of the No. 88. JR Motorsports and Hendrick Motorsports will also collaborate in the areas of partnership development, sponsorship services, marketing and media relations. Jayski stated that JR Motorsports will field a third car, the #83, driven by Dale Earnhardt, Jr.^[14]

Car #5 History

The #5 car was purchased by Hendrick Motorsports as the #24 from JG Motorsports and began competing in 2001 as the Hendrick #24 GMAC Financial Services Chevrolet with Ricky Hendrick driving. Hendrick made three starts in the car, his best finish coming at Kentucky Speedway, when he finished 15th. He and truck series teammate Jack Sprague moved up to the Busch Series full-time. Hendrick drove the #5 car but was injured early in a wreck at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Ron Hornaday would take over for him for the next six races, before Hendrick returned at Richmond. Towards the end of the season, Hendrick suddenly announced his retirement from driving, but would remain on board as a team co-owner until his 2004 death. David Green and Ward Burton finished out the season for the team.

The #5 car's paint scheme for 2002 & 2003.

Brian Vickers was hired to drive the 5 car in 2003. He won three races and the Busch Series championship. When he moved up to NEXTEL Cup, Kyle Busch was hired as the team's new driver. In his rookie year, he won five races and was runner-up to Martin Truex Jr. in points. He moved up to Cup as well after the season, but he continued to drive the 5 part-time. Mexican driver Adrian Fernández drove the car in six races, finishing tenth at Mexico City, but did not have another top-ten finish that season. Hendrick development drivers Blake Feese, Boston Reid, and Kyle Krisiloff also drove the car, running a total of eighteen races with best finishes of twenty-third, seventeenth, and nineteenth, respectively. Busch and Jimmie Johnson ran the rest of the schedule with Busch winning at Lowe's Motor Speedway. He drove 30 races the in 2006, winning at Bristol and finishing seventh in points. He skipped the race at Memphis Motorsports Park, being replaced by Justin Labonte for that race.

In 2007, Busch and Mark Martin shared the #5 on a part-time basis. The car carried a number of different sponsors including Lowe's, Delphi, Spectrum, and Hendrick Autoguard. Kyle Busch drove the car to victory lane in the rain delayed Daytona, Richmond, and Kansas. In 2008, this team will be based out of the JR Motorsports shop, with Hendrick engines and chassis. Five drivers ran the car in 2008, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Casey Mears, Mark Martin and Landon Cassill,^[15] as well as Martin Truex, Jr. and Ron Fellows in one-race deals. This car was sponsored by Delphi, the National Guard, and GoDaddy.com

In 2009, the #5 car will be reduced to a part-time schedule due to the lack of sponsorship. Fastenal, Unilever and GoDaddy.com will sponsor the car with Cassill, Truex Jr, Earnhardt Jr, Martin, Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman and Scott Wimmer scheduled to drive the car. The car will continue to be based in the JR Motorsports' shop, alongside Brad Keselowski and the #88 car.

For 2010, this car will be driven by Kelly Bires under the JR Motorsports banner. In 2010 JR Motorsports will field the #7 GoDaddy.com Chevy for Danica Patrick retiring the #5. Dale Jr. will also run 4 additional races in the #7 and the #88 Hellmans Chevy in the Drive 4 COPD 300.

For 2011, the #88 car will be driven full-time by Aric Almirola.

Car #24 History

Casey Mears racing in the 2007 Ford 300 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The 24 car began racing in 2005 as the #57. The number came from the sponsorship of Heinz, and their 57 varieties. Brian Vickers debuted the car at Darlington with Pizza Hut/Ore-Ida sponsorship. He qualified second but finished forty-third after an early wreck. His best finish in the car came at Dover, where he finished fifth. Kyle Busch drove the car in an additional four races, finishing in the top-five once. Boston Reid also drove the car once at IRP, finishing 23rd. Vickers drove the car in eight races, not finishing any higher than 23rd. Adrian Fernandez drove at Mexico City and Watkins Glen, finishing twelfth and seventeenth, respectively. In 2006 Brian Vickers ran eight races and the #57 had a new part time sponsor in Mountain Dew with the full time sponsor remaining Ore-Ida for the other five races. Mountain Dew was the full time sponsor for three races in 2006 at Fontana, Darlington and Michigan with 9th, 12th, and 16th the finishes respectively. Vickers best finish in 2006 was a second at Daytona in July.

After Vickers' departure from Hendrick Motorsports, the team changed back to the 24 with Casey Mears and the U.S. National Guard coming on board for a limited schedule. Adrian Fernandez, and Landon Cassill also shared the ride. This team did not run in 2008.

Car #48 History

The 48 car made its debut in the Busch Series in 2004 at Lowe's, running a one-race deal with sponsorship from SpongeBob SquarePants. Jimmie Johnson drove it to a third place finish. He drove the car for five races in 2005, winning a pole at Lowe's. During 2006, he started 3 races, both Lowe's Races and the Ameriquest 300 At California.^[16] His best finish was 7th in the first Lowe's race. Jimmie Johnson drove the 48 car in the 2007 Carquest Auto Parts 300 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, the first of 3 Busch races of 2007 for Johnson. The #24 Busch Series team, did not run in 2008 as operations are consolidated with JR Motorsports.

Car #80 History

Hendrick Motorsports announced on January 19, 2009 that Tony Stewart would attempt to qualify the #80 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet in the season-opening Nationwide Series race at Daytona.^[17] The number 80 represents the number of affiliates in the Hendrick Automotive Group. Tony Stewart won the Daytona Nationwide Series race in the #80 car.

Camping World Truck Series

Truck #17 History

The 17 Camping World Truck Series (was Craftsman Truck Series) team made its debut in 2000 with Ricky Hendrick driving with GMAC/Quaker State sponsorship. He made six races that season and finished in the top-ten four times. In 2001, Hendrick won his only career Truck race at Kansas Speedway and finished sixth in points, runner-up to Travis Kvapil for Rookie of the Year honors. The team did not run after 2001.

Truck #24 History

The 24 truck debuted with the Truck Series in 1995 with Scott Lagasse Sr. driving and DuPont sponsoring. Lagasse posted two top-fives and finished ninth in the standings. The team also fielded the 25 Budweiser Chevrolet part-time with Hendrick Sr. and Roger Mears driving. Midway through the season, Jack Sprague came on board to finish out the season for the team, winning a pole at Phoenix International Raceway. In 1996, he moved to the 24 full-time with Quaker State sponsoring. He won five races and was second in the points. The following season, he won three times and clinched his first NASCAR championship.

The team lost the Quaker State sponsorship after 1997, but signed GMAC Financial as a sponsor after a one-race deal with Big Daddy's BBQ Sauce. He won an additional five races, but lost the championship by three points. In 1999, Sprague won the championship again but fell to fifth in 2000. In 2001, NetZero came on board as the team's sponsor, and Sprague won his third championship. After Sprague moved his ride to the Busch Series, Ron Hornaday drove the 24 in a one-race deal at Daytona, finishing twelfth. The team closed after that race to focus on its Busch Series efforts.

ARCA RE/MAX Series

In 2007, Hendrick Motorsports fielded the #87 for Landon Cassill in a couple races as a development package.

Aviation Tragedy

On October 24, 2004, ten people associated with Hendrick Motorsports lost their lives in a plane crash while en route from Concord, North Carolina, to a small airport near the Martinsville Speedway. The plane crashed in heavy fog into Bull Mountain, seven miles (11 km) from the Blue Ridge Regional Airport in Stuart, Virginia. While NASCAR officials learned of the crash during that day's Subway 500 race in Martinsville, Virginia, they withheld that information from drivers until the end of the race, which was won by Hendrick driver Jimmie Johnson.

The following ten aboard the Beechcraft King Air 200 died:

• John Hendrick, president of Hendrick Motorsports; Rick Hendrick's brother
• Ricky Hendrick, Rick Hendrick's son
• Kimberly and Jennifer Hendrick, John Hendrick's twin daughters
• Jeff Turner, general manager of Hendrick Motorsports
• Randy Dorton, chief engine builder
• Joe Jackson, DuPont executive
• Scott Lathram, pilot for NASCAR driver Tony Stewart
• pilots Richard Tracy and Elizabeth Morrison

For the balance of the 2004 season, after Martinsville, all of the Hendrick Motorsports cars and the #0 Haas CNC Racing car showed pictures of the ten Hendrick members on the hood along with the phrase "Always in our hearts" (see image of #25 car for photo).

References

1. ↑ http://calgarychronicle.com/?q=node/1091
2. ↑ [1] Hendrick Stats
3. ↑ [2] Hendrick Complex
4. ↑ [3] Sources: Martin to leave DEI, replace Mears in No. 5
5. ↑ [4] Martin signs two-year deal with Hendrick for the No. 5
6. ↑ [5] Oldest Sprint Cup Race Winners
7. ↑ [6] Martin signs through '11 and adding new sponsor.
8. ↑ [7] Kasey Kahne to join Hendrick Motorsports
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4} [8] Racing-reference.info Hendrick Career Owner Statistics
10. ↑ [9] Racing-reference.info Jeff Gordon Career Statistics
11. ↑ Jimmie Johnson wins Daytona 500 without crew chief Knaus
12. ↑ [10] Racing-reference.info Jimmie Johnson Career Statistics
13. ↑ [11] JR Motorsports and Hendrick Motorsports to combine NASCAR Nationwide Series operations
14. ↑ [12] Jayski's #83-Dale Earnhardt Jr. page
15. ↑ Busch Series No. 5 driver lineup star-studded for '08
16. ↑ NASCAR.COM : drivers : Jimmie Johnson
17. ↑ http://www.hendrickmotorsports.com/news_detail.asp?id=2219 Tony Stewart to race at Daytona for Hendrick Motorsports

External links

• Owner's page at racing-reference.info
• Official Website