|
Check out Rick Hendrick's first Chevrolet.
Watch a dissected Impala SS "Car of Tomorrow"
being pieced together. See the cars and memorabilia
of Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale
Earnhardt Jr.
These are just a few things visitors can do at the Hendrick
Motorsports museum, which reopened last year after a
four-month renovation. The 15,000-square-foot facility
pays tribute to 25 seasons of Hendrick Motorsports history
and offers fans the latest in team-related apparel and
merchandise. Admission to the museum is free of charge.
"We are extremely proud of this museum, and we
hope our fans will enjoy it," team owner Rick Hendrick
said. "We've had a lot of success and a lot of
special moments over the years, and it's humbling to
reflect on that. But the one thing we always keep in
mind is that it wouldn't be possible without our fans'
support."
Throughout the year, the museum will exhibit a rotating
stable of famous Chevrolets — such as an original
All-Star Racing entry, multiple Daytona 500 champions
and the inaugural Brickyard 400 winner. Featured currently
are cars driven by Geoff Bodine, Tim Richmond, Ken Schrader
and Ricky Hendrick, among others.
 |
| Click
on thumbnail for description |
|
|
NEW ADDITION
TO THE MUSEUM...
It has become known that the recreation of an original
1978 Chevrolet dealership is underway. It will be
a part of the museum exhibits soon. It will also
house Chevrolet literature for the period.
CHEVROLET 1978 |
| |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
 |
 |
| |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
| To
view the complete list of Chevrolet literature,
please click here. |
| |
|
|
Highlighted by Hendrick's 12 NASCAR
championships, the museum will showcase significant
memorabilia from nearly three decades of competition.
Unique items on display include dozens of trophies collected
over the years by Hendrick's teams, a "Days of
Thunder" movie manuscript and personal notes from
actor Tom Cruise to Rick Hendrick.
The facility, which first opened its doors in October
1995, blends the company's past with its present in
cutting-edge ways. Notably, visitors can check out the
No. 48 "war wagon" used during the team's
2006 championship season, get up close and personal
with a Chevrolet R07 engine, sit in a carbon-fiber racing
seat, and see how pieces of an Impala SS come together
in a one-of-a-kind automated exhibit. Flat-panel televisions
throughout the museum feature original content.
To complete their Hendrick Motorsports experience, fans
can check out the race shops, which also are open to
the public and feature the Nos. 5, 24, 48 and 88 Sprint
Cup teams of Martin, Gordon, Johnson and Earnhardt.
There, fans can watch crew members work on this season's
cars and see even more from the organization's storied
past.
|
Rick Hendrick
Born July 12, 1949 in Warrenton, N.C., Rick Hendrick
was raised on his family's farm, a stone's throw
from the small Virginia community of Palmer Springs.
It was there, south of Richmond near the North
Carolina border, that his father instilled the
value of a hard day's work and a pure passion
for the automobile.
Under the watchful eye of Papa Joe, that love
of cars led Hendrick into the world of auto racing.
At age 14, he quickly made a name for himself
by setting speed records at a local drag strip
with a self-built 1931 Chevrolet. A year later,
the self-described gearhead won the Virginia division
of the Chrysler-Plymouth Troubleshooting Contest,
a competition for engine builders. He was just
15 at the time.
A standout athlete at Park View High School in
South Hill, Va., Hendrick considered an opportunity
to play professional baseball before pursuing
a co-op work-study program with North Carolina
State University and Westinghouse Electric Company
in Raleigh, N.C.
Hendrick Automotive Group
While on Tobacco Road, Hendrick's automotive passion
led him to open a small used-car lot with Mike
Leith, an established new-car dealer. The success
of the venture soon convinced Leith to name Hendrick
the general sales manager of his new-car import
operation at the age of 23.
In 1976, the 26-year-old Hendrick took a chance
by selling off his assets to purchase a struggling
franchise in Bennettsville, S.C., thus becoming
the youngest Chevrolet dealer in the United States.
His influence sparked a dramatic sales increase
as the once-troubled location soon became the
regions most profitable.
Bennettsville's success was a precursor to the
Hendrick Automotive Group, now encompassing more
than 70 franchises and 5,000 employees from the
Carolinas to California. Headquartered in Charlotte,
N.C., the company generated revenue upward of
$4 billion in 2005 after selling 100,000 vehicles
and servicing over one million cars.
Hendrick Motorsports
As his automotive business prospered, Hendrick
was enjoying an equal amount of success in the
realm of motor sports. In the late 1970s, he founded
a drag-boat racing team that won three consecutive
national championships and set a world record
of 222.2 mph with the boat Nitro Fever.
But Hendrick soon transitioned back into car racing,
sponsoring and co-owning a limited number of NASCAR
Late Model Sportsman Series (now NASCAR Nationwide
Series) entries, which included victories in 1983
with the late Dale Earnhardt as driver.
In 1984, Hendrick founded All-Star Racing. That
year, the fledgling outfit fielded a single NASCAR
Winston Cup Series (now Sprint Cup) team with
five full-time employees and 5,000 square feet
of workspace. With Geoff Bodine driving an entire
30-race campaign in Hendrick's No. 5 Chevrolets,
the group finished ninth in championship points
after earning three victories and three pole positions
in its first season.
Rechristened Hendrick Motorsports in 1985, the
organization today is headquartered on more than
100 acres of North Carolina property straddling
Cabarrus and Mecklenburg counties. The 600,000-square-foot
facility houses complete engine- and chassis-building
areas to support four full-time teams in NASCAR's
Cup Series and two part-time teams in the Nationwide
(formerly Busch) Series.
Hendrick Motorsports has garnered 12 NASCAR championships
— eight in the Sprint Cup Series, three in
the Craftsman Truck Series and one in the Nationwide
Series making it one of the sports premier operations.
Its roster of stock-car drivers includes Dale
Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Jimmie
Johnson.
In 2007, Hendrick surpassed 200 combined victories
in NASCAR's top three divisions. He is currently
second on NASCAR's all-time Cup win list (1949-present)
and leads all owners in modern-era victories (1972-present).
His Cup-level teams have won at least one race
each year since 1986 — the longest active
streak — and have averaged nearly 10 wins
annually over the last decade.
Rick Hendrick is Chairman & Chief Executive
Officer, Hendrick Motorsports
|
|
