CONCORD, N.C. -- For Hendrick Motorsports General Manager Doug Duchardt, day-to-day life within the organization is all about his teammates.
"A lot of what I do is managing what’s happening between people -- communication, coordination, and facilitation," he told NBC Sports' Nate Ryan.
Duchardt joined Ryan on the latest NASCAR on NBC podcast and broached many subjects, including the role of a general manager -- particularly within the sport of NASCAR.
"If you have a general manager of a sports team, that general manager is responsible for everything that happens on the field or court. My scope is basically everything that happens on-track," he explained.
"Anyone that has anything to do with manufacturing, developing, making or pitting a race car is my group. Of the 600 (Hendrick Motorsports) employees, about 440 are in my group. That includes all of the engine shop, chassis shop and pit members. Anyone from the truck drivers to the composite shop or anyone that touches or does anything with a race car is in my group.”
Duchardt arrived at Hendrick Motorsports 11 years ago in 2005 as vice president of development and was named to his current role in 2013.
As the sport has grown, Duchardt noted that Hendrick Motorsports has made sure to grow along with it.
"How we have done business continues to evolve," he said. "In this sport, it’s just turns of the wheel and continuous improvement. We just focus on trying to do that as quickly as we can and as best we can."
At the head of that is Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick, who Duchardt said sets the tone for the entire organization.
"He looks for that harmony," he said. "He’s big on people getting along and that’s part of where I think he finds success. And I think also the way he treats people makes them want to please him because he’s done so much for you, you want to give something back to him and I think that circle is part of what makes him so successful.”
Hear much more from Duchardt -- who goes on to discuss everything from his beloved St. Louis Cardinals to how he first "got hooked" on racing -- in the full NASCAR on NBC podcast here.