CONCORD, N.C. - In 41 years of history, you're bound to have a few interesting notes and accomplishments — ones that differ from your traditional routine. For Hendrick Motorsports, this came in the form of sports cars racing. In the late 1980's, Rick Hendrick's team worked with Chevrolet's Motorsports Technology Group to compete with the Corvette Grand Tour Prototype (GTP) race car.
The Hendrick Motorsports archives serve as the perfect place to remember this unique part of the team's history.
RELATED: Check out Elliott's No. 9 Prime colors
From 1985 to 1988, the Hendrick Motorsports Corvette GTP competed in the IMSA GT Series, IMSA's top class. During that time, the car won events at Road Atlanta and the West Palm Beach street course (both in 1986). In addition, the car took home 12 pole positions along the way. Doc Bundy and Sarel van der Merwe were the winning drivers at Road Atlanta and West Palm Beach and they were regulars in the No. 52. Other drivers to compete in a second GTP car included John Andretti, Michael Andretti, Bobby Rahal and others.
RELATED: 2025 season preview: Kyle Larson
Going back through the archives, historical relics still sit from this era of Hendrick Motorsports' history. One of those comes in the form of the fastest qualifier award from the 1986 season finale at Daytona International Speedway. In that event, van der Merwe led the No. 52 entry to the top starting spot.
RELATED: NASCAR TV information for 2025
Another fun piece of nostalgia within the archives is a die-cast replica of the Corvette GTP race car. Models of this specific car are extremely difficult to find. Alongside the die-cast car sit several hero cards that would have been passed out at the track to fans during the 1987 season. This practice still continues today as each Hendrick Motorsports hauler has stacks of hero cards for their driver available to the public in the garage area.
In 2023, Hendrick Motorsports made a return to sports car racing with the Garage 56 entry at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The car, built in conjunction with Chevrolet, IMSA, Goodyear and NASCAR, completed 285 laps and finished 39th out of 62 entered cars. But most importantly, the No. 24 entry made it al the way to the finish line at the end of 24 hours.
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK: Hendrick Motorsports signs Corey Day
The archives serve as a reminder of the past history that the storied organization carries in the discipline. Although the Hendrick Motorsports Museum doesn't not have this particular car on display, it does feature several models of Corvettes for fans to see. The museum is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET and offers a special look at the history of the 14-time Cup Series championship-winning organization.