CONCORD, N.C. – Dedication is a hard trait to measure.
But for Herb Handy, all you have to do is look at his odometer.
Working in metal shaping for Hendrick Motorsports, Handy recently hit a major milestone -- more than 1 million miles driven to and from work, a total he has amassed over more than two decades with the organization.
“I live in Mount Airy, North Carolina,” Handy explained. “It’s 102 miles one way.”
After 24 years of making that commute, he realized he had racked up some serious mileage.
“I’ve just kind of been keeping up with it,” he said. “After wearing out the fifth vehicle, I thought, some math’s adding up here. I’m going to check this out.”
Handy shared that he typically holds on to a vehicle until it reaches 200,000 miles. When it comes time to trade it in, he has never gone anywhere but a Hendrick Automotive Group dealership for his next ride. He’s currently on car No. 6 since he joined the organization.
Some of the side effects of the long distances traveled include filling up his gas tank multiple times a week and getting an oil change every three weeks.
Through it all, he wouldn’t change a thing.
“There’s only one Hendrick Motorsports,” he said. “Working here has been probably the best decision of my life. This place has been so good to me.”
Handy has been part of wins, championships and special projects – like the iconic “T-Rex” Chevrolet Jeff Gordon drove to a victory in the NASCAR All-Star Race – that make it all worth it.
Most of all, he’s proud to work for Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick.
“He doesn’t ask a lot of us – he asks us to show up, show up on time, and show with your game face on. So, that’s what I’ve always tried to do,” he said. “I’ve tried my best to be as faithful to him as he has been to me.”
"There’s only one Hendrick Motorsports. Working here has been probably the best decision of my life."
Herb Handy
This year, Hendrick Motorsports partner Hertz is celebrating its everyday heroes – ordinary people doing extraordinary things and going out of their way to provide exceptional service.
With more than 36,000 employees around the world, Hertz is recognizing its heroes in many ways, one of which will be on display this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
William Byron will have special guests riding on board his No. 24 Hertz Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 this weekend. The deck lid will feature the names of the first two Hertz Heroes, Rommel Jacob and Glen English.
At Hendrick Motorsports, there are plenty of everyday heroes as well that help make the organization what it is. With that in mind, the organization is recognizing its own Hertz Heroes at Hendrick Motorsports throughout the season.
Handy is the first of those heroes to be honored.
“I want to thank Mr. Hendrick for all he’s done for me and all he’s done for my family,” he said. “He once told me – I’d been here about three years and he pulled me aside after a meeting. He said, ‘I know what you do. If you do it as long as you can do it, then when you can’t do it anymore, I’ll send somebody after you.’ I was like, how can you not just keep digging after that?”
To learn more about Handy and the Hertz Heroes initiative, check out the video above.