“I’d been around Mr. H for a couple of years before that and that was the first time he couldn’t talk,” McGrew said. “He couldn’t even speak. That was the first and only time I’ve ever seen him speechless."
Lance McGrew, crew chief of the No. 17 entry
Editor’s note: This is the 37th in a 40-part series highlighting 40 of the greatest wins in the history of Hendrick Motorsports to finish its 40th anniversary season. A new installment will be released each day from Nov. 22, 2024 through New Year’s Eve. Votes were taken from Hendrick Motorsports employees as well as representatives of the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Racing Insights with all unanimous selections being ushered in automatically. The remaining wins were deliberated and decided upon by a small panel.
CONCORD, N.C. - For all of the words and powerful speeches and pep talks Hendrick Motorsports owner and CEO Rick Hendrick has delivered over 40 years, it's what he didn't and couldn't say at Kansas Speedway in July of 2001 that sticks out most to former crew chief, Lance McGrew.
“I’d been around Mr. H for a couple of years before that and that was the first time he couldn’t talk,” McGrew said. “He couldn’t even speak. That was the first and only time I’ve ever seen him speechless."
Really, Hendrick didn't need to say anything. After all, he'd just watched his son, Ricky, win his first NASCAR national series race at Kansas Speedway, the track's inaugural CRAFTSMAN Truck Series event. As McGrew recalls, Hendrick's face said it all.
“He was standing in victory lane with Mrs. H, and he was wiping the tears because he was just so proud," McGrew added.
RELATED: Gordon punches ticket to championship with Martinsville win
| RACE FACTS | |
|---|---|
| Date: | July 7, 2001 |
| Venue: | Kansas Speedway |
| Winner: | Ricky Hendrick |
| Hendrick Motorsports win: | CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win No. 22 |
| Laps led by winner: | 32 |
| Starting position of winner: | 2nd |
| Top 10: | 1. Ricky Hendrick; 2. Ted Musgrave; 3. Dennis Setzer; 4. Jon Wood; 5. Billy Bigley; 6. Travis Kvapil; 7. Scott Riggs; 8. Rick Crawford; 9. Coy Gibbs; 10. Nathan Hasseleu |
| Did you know? | Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jack Sprague led the most laps in the race with 80 but suffered a mechanical issue, clearing the way for Ricky Hendrick in the late going. Sprague would go on to win the points championship in 2001, his third of three CRAFTSMAN Truck Series titles for the organization (1997, 1999, 2001). Hendrick was the youngest winner in series history at the time. |
It was a day full of emotion for all involved and those feelings have only intensified as the years have gone by. Ricky Hendrick had just turned 21 years old a few months prior and seemed poised to embark on a long and successful driving career. However, the following season, after starting the year in the Xfinity Series, he moved from driving to ownership. In 2004, he was one of 10 to parish in a tragic plane accident as a Hendrick Motorsports aircraft was flying to a race at Martinsville Speedway. He was 24.
Certainly, the events that would follow add further meaning to that afternoon in Kansas. But at the time, in addition to the sentimental significance at the day, the victory was also a massive one for a young race team that had spent the early part of the season searching for traction.
RELATED: Relive Earnhardt Jr.'s 2014 DAYTONA 500 triumph
McGrew was certainly part of that. He'd arrived at Hendrick Motorsports in 1999 and was still in his formative years as a crew chief at the time and was still very much experiencing the growing pains that come with forging a relationship with a new and inexperienced driver.
But with Kansas Speedway hosting its first truck series race that weekend, the team was presented with a golden opportunity on a level playing field. And McGrew and Hendrick hit on something.
“We had struggled early in the year trying to get the truck to drive the way he wanted it," McGrew said. "We were mirroring what they were doing with (teammate Jack Sprague's) truck and Ricky just wanted it a little different. I was a new crew chief and I’m trying to do what people want me to do to be successful, so we couldn’t really get too far out of the box and that was the first race where I think I had enough confidence to really tailor the truck for Ricky. And it was a new track for everybody, so we were on a level playing field and Ricky took to the place. We were fast the whole time."
The No. 17 truck qualified second with Sprague just behind in third and Hendrick was also fastest in an open test session that week. That translated to the race as Hendrick kept the No. 17 truck planted firmly in the top five. But it would be a day that required much more than a fast truck.
RELATED: Johnson claims first Brickyard 400 crown in 2006
The event quickly became a war of attrition. Temperatures soared well over 100 degrees with the track temperatures in the 140s. It certainly took a toll on the drivers but maybe more so, on equipment.
Hendrick's was one of a few trucks that separated itself as a contender from the start. Most notably was teammate Sprague, who would lead the most laps with 80 and would also go on to win his third series championship that season.
Also among the leaders were Jon Wood, Ted Musgrave and Dennis Setzer. But as the event stretched on and the heat beat down, one-by-one Hendrick's competition began to bow out.
Joe Ruttman had a battery issue. Musgrave had an intermittent miss in his engine. Sprague began to suffer a similar mechanical issue and by lap 138, he was forced to go to the garage.
RELATED: Elliott scores first win in Cup Series at Watkins Glen
But the No. 17 marched on and when Sprague bowed out, Hendrick assumed the lead and never let it go. During a TV interview in the final laps, Rick Hendrick was interviewed and already, could barely put sentences together. And true to what McGrew said, by the time the team was in victory lane, the emotions had gotten the better of just about everybody.
With the win, Ricky Hendrick had become the youngest winner in the history of the series at the time.
“I’ll never forget the excitement, running down to the truck and converging on him and just how excited (Ricky) was,” said Lisa Smokstad, a tire specialist for the 17 team. “And his friends were there – he had such a good friend group, and he was so glad they were a part of it.
“It was so great, we had a big group that worked so hard, and Ricky was just a stellar kid and so much fun to be around, He worked really hard to be a good driver. On top of that, we got to see a really different side of Mr. and Mrs. Hendrick because they were dad and mom. Obviously, he was still our owner and our boss, but it was so cool to see that different side. I’d seen him excited at wins before this and I’ve seen him excited at wins after this, but the glow on both of their faces … it was a different atmosphere.
“That was all the feels. Obviously, it was the best win for so many reasons."
And yet another one of those reasons, the victory was vindication for the younger Hendrick, who faced more pressure and scrutiny than most drivers his age.
“He definitely had a lot of pressure on him,” McGrew said. “But the one thing about Ricky, he had a lot of confidence. Not in a cocky way, but he was just very successful in anything he ever tried to do whether it was driving late model stock cars or playing the guitar, skateboards, wakeboards – was just naturally talented. He was one of those people that was pretty good at everything. I don’t think it was a huge surprise to anyone for him to be successful at that level, but he also worked really hard to make sure that happened.”