Hendrick racing unit shares rapid growth
 | Rick Hendrick is CEO of Hendrick Motorsports. Photo credit: HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS |
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Since it launched in 1984, Hendrick Motorsports Inc. has won nearly 200 NASCAR races. The company employs an all-star roster of drivers that includes Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Casey Mears, Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson. Hendrick also competes in NASCAR's Craftsman Truck Series.
Hendrick Motorsports "has come a long way," Rick Hendrick says. It began as a one-car shop with five employees and 5,000 square feet of work space. The company now has 550 employees in 30 departments.
The racing operation occupies more than 70 acres in Charlotte near Lowe's Motor Speedway and Hendrick Automotive Group's corporate headquarters. At the site, Hendrick Motorsports designs and builds race cars and racing engines.
The complex includes the 15,000-square-foot Hendrick Motorsports Museum and Speed Shop. The museum displays vintage stock cars, sports car exhibits and Hendrick racing trophies.
A 2004 plane crash killed Hendrick Motorsports President John Hendrick, Rick Hendrick's brother. It also killed racing team owner Ricky Hendrick, Rick Hendrick's only son.
Hendrick Motorsports remains a family business. Rick Hendrick is chairman and CEO. Hendrick's son-in-law, Marshall Carlson, is general manager. Mary Hendrick, Rick Hendrick's mother, is a team owner.
