JOSEPH RIDDICK "RICK" HENDRICK III - 07/12/1949
Hendrick was born in Warrenton, North Carolina and was raised on his family's farm in South Hill, Virginia, where he attended Park View High School. As a car owner he has been nicknamed "Mr. H", is curently an American businessman. He is best known as the owner of the NASCAR team Hendrick Motorsports. But before that he also raced. Hendrick began drag racing at age 14 in a self built 1931 Chevrolet. Two years later, at age 16, Hendrick won the Virginia division of the Chrysler-Plymouth Troubleshooting Contest, a two-part test consisting of a written exam and a timed hands-on diagnosis and repair of defects planted on a car. Afterward, Hendrick opened a small used-car lot with Mike Leith. Leith, an established new-car dealer, was convinced to name Hendrick the general sales manager of the company, at age 23. In 1976, he sold his assets to purchase a franchise in Bennettsville, South Carolina. After doing so, he became the youngest Chevrolet dealer in the United States.
Hendrick's influence increased sales to make the once troubled location become the region's most profitable. The success of Bennettsville was a precursor to the Hendrick Automotive Group, which now has over 100 franchises and 10,000 employees across 13 states. Hendrick drove in two races during the 1987 and 1988 Cup Series, with finishes of 33rd and 15th, respectively. Both starts came at Riverside. He also had a single start in both the Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Truck Series. The Xfinity Series start came in 1987 at Road Atlanta where he started sixth, but saw him fall out with 20 laps to go when his clutch failed. The Truck Series start came years later in 1995. He started 16, but fell out when his transmission failed with 15 laps to go. He also had been a pit crew member for the Flying 11 that Ray Hendrick (no relation) drove in the 1960s. In 1997, Hendrick began the Hendrick Marrow Program, a non-profit works with the
"BeThe Match" Foundation to support the National Marrow Donor Program. Hendrick had gotten involved when he had Leukemia and had to have a bone marrow transplant to save his life. Info about him being a car owner can be found HERE, under Rick Hendrick Some info from Wikipedia.
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