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Amelia Honors Rick Hendrick’s “Love Affair” With Racing as Dale Earnhardt Jr & Jeff Gordon Join in Celebration

Published 03/06/2024, 12:25 PM EST

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Recently, HMS owner, Rick Hendrick was named the honoree at The Amelia in 2024, an annual car collector event hosted by Hagerty. It was an actual treat that showcased the team’s legendary wins through the years, celebrating 40 years of HMS. The event also featured an exhibition of HMS’s new sleek rides and some jaw-dropping classic cars in the presence of NASCAR greats like Dale Earnhardt Jr and Jeff Gordon.

Rick Hendrick was humbled to be honored at the event

The Amelia went all out, hosting seminars featuring racing legends such as Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Terry Labonte, and Ken Schrader. All of whom came together to chat about the 40-year journey of Hendrick Motorsports. Additionally, Indy 500 champs Paul Tracy and Danny Sullivan, plus Terry Labonte and Ricky Craven talked about thrilling finishes and racing controversies. Another panel featured motorsport legend David Donahue, rally driver Jeff Zwart, and Pikes Peak icon Fred Veitch, who provided further insights and showed short films about Pikes Peak.

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The highlight of the event was the dinner where Rick Hendrick was spotlighted as the 2024 Honoree at The Amelia. After the festivities, a video from Hendrick Motorsports captured Rick expressing his gratitude. He shared, “It’s humbling to be honored at this event. And you know, it means that to select it because of the heritage and rising more. Whatever you’ve done in the auto industry. And it’s been a love affair for me and, uh, and to have my guys here to celebrate it, Dale Jr and Gordon. They all came here and… For me. very that may be more fun. And both of that data in the life of 52 years ago. That’s here. and Cheers!”

The celebration also put a spotlight on the cars Jeff Gordon drove to victory, plus a talk with his ace crew chief and NASCAR Hall of Famer, Ray Evernham. And for a bit of glitz, a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO snagged the Best in Show, Concours de Sport, while a 1947 Delahaye 135MS Narval Cabriolet won Best in Show, Concours d’Elegance at the 29th Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.

With the party wrapped up, Hendrick Motorsports is shifting gears back to the race track, gearing up to enter 10 NASCAR Xfinity Series races in 2024.

HMS to enter 10 NASCAR Xfinity races in 2024

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Hendrick Motorsports is gearing up to make a splash in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2024, hitting the track in 10 races with HendrickCars.com as their main sponsor. They’re rolling out the #17 Chevy, with all four of their NASCAR Cup Series hotshots taking turns behind the wheel. Plus, they’ve got a treat for fans with road racing ace Boris Said, who will make a special appearance.

William Byron, fresh off his win at the 2024 DAYTONA 500, will be the first to take the wheel, teamed up with crew chief Brandon McSwain from the #24 Cup Series crew. The rest of the season will see Greg Ives, a crew chief with a championship and 15 national series wins under his belt, calling the shots for the #17 team in the remaining six races.

The #17 isn’t just any number at Hendrick Motorsports. It’s packed with history, including Darrell Waltrip’s nine victories between 1987 and 1990, one of which was the 1989 DAYTONA 500. Ricky Hendrick also raced under this number, adding to its legacy. This season, the #17 car will sport a paint scheme reminiscent of Ricky Hendrick’s rookie year in 2001.

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Since diving into the Xfinity Series in 2022, the #17 HendrickCars.com team has shown what they’re made of with three pole positions, six top-fives, and seven top-tens, including three near misses at victory, all in just ten races.

Read More: Billionaire Rick Hendrick Takes Over The Amelia as He Flaunts Hendrick Motorsports’ 40-YO NASCAR Heritage

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Written by:

Neha Dwivedi

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Neha Dwivedi is a NASCAR Writer at EssentiallySports. As a journalist, she religiously believes in the power of research, which allows her readers to dive deep into her stories and experience the detailed nuances of the sport like never before. Being proficient with Core Sport and Live Event Coverage, she has written multiple copies on the top entities of Stock Car Racing, like Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, and Tony Stewart.
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Edited by:

Shreya Singh