Hendrick Motorsports contributors from the 1990s share their thoughts and memories of working with Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick:
"Rick came in one day and introduced himself. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know if I was supposed to bow or what I was supposed to do. He’s royalty to me. I remember the first time I ever met him. He didn’t just walk up and say, 'Hey, I’m Rick Hendrick.’ He sat there and talked to you because you could tell he wanted to find out a little bit about you, also."
Gary DeHart, champion crew chief
"In 1991, we were looking for a crew chief to run the No. 5 car team. I was doing the chassis development program at that time. He walked through the shop asked me if I knew anybody in racing would be a suitable crew chief for the No. 5. I threw out a few names and didn’t think much more about it. About a week went by, Rick came walking in the shop by himself and he stuck his hand out and I shook his hand. He said, ‘Congratulations.’ I said, ‘For what?’ He said, ‘You’re the new crew chief for the No. 5 team.’ The light came on at that time. I was finally in position to make maybe my dreams and my future look a little bit brighter. I thanked him. And it still hasn’t sunk in yet. He turned my life around at that point. We won races. We helped our other teams win races. We won the championship in 1996 with Terry (Labonte). Things were going in the right direction with me. And that to me is something I will never forget the rest of my life, what Rick helped me do. There’s not enough gratitude. He made a big difference in my life. I never considered him my boss. I felt like part of his family. He’s a great guy. The best. Period."
Gary DeHart, champion crew chief
"He hates to lose more than he loves to win. People that can carry that kind of tenacity and commitment, year after year after year, 30-plus years in the sport, to be as competitive as he is, to me is pretty amazing.”
Ray Evernham, three-time champion crew chief
"He’s been so committed to supporting the sport, I think he has made a huge difference in how big the sport is now. He came in early with multiple teams, he brought in the major film industry, sponsors that were outside of automotive products. Take the record aside of the wins, the championships and all that. Look at what he’s done for the sport in general and how much he’s responsible for the growth of it."
Ray Evernham, three-time champion crew chief
"You look at what Mr. Hendrick has built, the dynasty, really, that he has built here, the number of championships that they have won, the number of races that they’ve won. It’s really -- to me, it’s amazing."
Terry Labonte, two-time Cup champion driver
"To me, it’s all Rick Hendrick because Rick surrounds himself with great people and they do a great job for him. He’s the guy that manages. He’s the guy that has his hands on everything. I’m so tickled to see him in the Hall of Fame because I can’t think of anybody that would deserve it more."
Terry Labonte, two-time Cup champion driver
"First of all, it was a pretty big honor to be considered to be a driver for Rick. I was there three or four years and just a class-act guy to work for. You never felt like you were working for him, you more just worked along with him. He just made you feel like a part of the family, very down-to-earth, very grounded boss."
Ricky Rudd, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet from 1990-93
"He wasn’t a big shot at all, and that’s what I remember about Rick. He was just very grounded. I know one time my family came to town from Virginia and all I had was a little boat, it wasn’t very big and Rick said, ‘Well, here, take my boat. Just come over and pick it up at the boat dock.’ But that’s just the way he was, just a very good guy to work for."
Ricky Rudd, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet from 1990-93