This year is indeed a momentous one for Rick Hendrick and his race team. After all, 2024 marks their 40th straight year of competing and winning in NASCAR’s premier division. However, all racing accolades aside, the Chevrolet-backed team has recently won the GM Defense Supplier of the Year award for two straight years, following their incredible contribution to ensuring the safety of US troops globally. A closer look at these military accolades reveals a story of another successful partnership, not just for Mr. H but for the entire Hendrick organization.

Hendrick Motorsports scores big with Military Accolades beyond the track

Winning for two years running only strengthens the collaborations with GM Defense, a subsidiary division of automotive giant General Motors. The accolades, on the other hand, center around the ‘Infantry Squad Vehicle’ or ISV, a revolutionary lightweight troop transport system, built on GM Defense’s 75,000-square-foot NC facility, only a stone’s throw away from Hendrick Motorsports’ own headquarters. The US Army has been deploying these ‘reinforced’ troop carriers built on an award-winning Colorado ZR2 platform, featuring NASCAR-grade innovations, since 2021.

The ISV incorporates readily available off-market components while merging some high-performance Chevrolet racing parts. The President of Hendrick Companies, Marshall Carlson, elaborated on these efforts in an official statement to Queen City News almost three years ago. He said, “GM designed the system, and then we use the capabilities we have learned in motorsports to construct it to incredibly high precision standards.” He explains further, “The method we use in joining the metal called TIG welding is a crossover skill, so our folks in motorsports really just adapted to how we build the racecars to this product and it was a really close fit.”

Another key area of Hendrick Motorsports’ ingenuity lies in the carbon-fiber seat installations gracing the ISVs. These seats, derived from 14x championship-winning experience, offer extra protection for soldiers without sacrificing maneuverability inside the vehicles. 

This focus on occupant safety resonates deeply with Rick Hendrick himself, a sentiment evident in his quote on another release by CarBuzz: “Now we have unbelievable crashes and the drivers walk away… In the military, that’s priority one: Protect the soldiers.” However, collaborations on these ISVs are only one of Rick Hendrick’s race team’s displays of undying support for the troops.

Racing is revolutionizing troop transport

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Beyond the focus on soldier safety, the ISV program boasts impressive production numbers. Initially contracted to deliver 649 vehicles to the US Army until 2024, GM Defense’s NC facility can significantly ramp up the roll-off with additional authorization. Current estimates suggest production could reach a minimum of 2,065 vehicles over eight years.

It’s also important to note that Hendrick Motorsports’ contributions to ‘military mobility’ extend even beyond the ISV. A Hendrick Motorsports sub-division known as Hendrick Dynamics is currently in charge of developing another type of combat zone innovation: the Silent Tactical Energy Enhanced Dismount (STEED) hand cart.  

Designed to lighten the load for dismounted troops, the STEED cart helps address the issue of excessive infantry overburden. Soldiers often carry an immense amount of equipment, leading to fatigue and decreased combat effectiveness. The wheeled carrier, however, offers a convenient load management solution to boost the efficiency of troops working in perilous fields. The NASCAR nation is certainly proud that Hendrick Motorsports plays such a vital role in ensuring the safety and mobility of America’s bravest soldiers.