In a NASCAR off-season that saw some tragic losses, Rick Otis Hodges was one of the beloved members of the community who also lost his life. Otis may not have been in the spotlight often, but his contribution to NASCAR was equally important. Hodges was the hauler for both Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Stewart-Haas Racing. And among other roles, he worked closely with Kevin Harvick before moving on to Legacy Motor Sports, who revealed why he fondly called him “Gramps.”

Kevin Harvick recounts his days with his late friend

During Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast, the hosts were talking about the recent tragedies that have hurt NASCAR. They talked about Greg Biffle and others before eventually coming to Rick Hodges’ death. Hodges died on December 9, 2025.

Talking fondly about his late friend, Kevin Harvick said, “You want to talk about a personality. Otis is the only thing that I ever called him. Otis was a truck driver and obviously involved with the Budweiser team for a long time. Then he came over to Stewart-Haas. When I got there, he was already there. So, we became friends, right from the very beginning, and he was always over the top with everything that I ever needed. No matter what time it was, the truck was immaculate, all the time. If there was a fingerprint, a piece of dirt on the floor, he was the guy in there vacuuming.”

As a hauler driver, Otis was always there for the team. In fact, in all three of his teams. Rick Hodges was highly regarded as a caring member, loved by everyone on the team.

When Kevin Harvick gave Stewart-Haas Racing their 2014 championship victory, it was Otis who came running to him to hand him the flag. He went unrecognized by the team, but not by his friend Harvick.

“And you look back at my championship in 2014, he is the guy that’s carrying the flag for those of you who don’t know. He is the guy who carried the flag to the car and stuck it in my window, and so that was a really tight-knit group of people. As you know, worked in that shop as well during that time.

“Even when Otis ended his life in his career at Legacy Motor Sports, I’ll always remember him as our truck driver. And a great friend of everything we did at SHR. I always called him Gramps.”

Hilariously, Rick Hodges never shied away from making things fun in the garage. As Harvick recounted, “During a rain delay, or we were at a test or something. Hey boss, we’re going to run across the street and get some milkshakes. You want chocolate or vanilla? That was my favorite.”

Otis’ death hurt his recent team, Legacy Motor Club, as well, who released a statement for him, writing, “Otis worked in our sport for many years and joined LEGACY last year as one of our truck drivers. He was such a great person to be around and we were all lucky to call him a friend. Otis will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him.”

Harvick’s stories painted a picture of Otis as a fun-loving and warm presence in the garage. However, he was more than that. His co-host shared a story that showed how caring Hodges was. He was “Gramps” in the way he cared for the team and helped them in emergencies.

When Otis Hodges took a team member to urgent care for a minor cut

Kevin Harvick’s co-host Mamba Smith recalled an incident where Otis showed just how much he loved his team. He had an accident, and Otis was just around to witness it. Even though he did not have a serious cut, Rick Hodges decided that he needed immediate attention.

“He actually drove me to urgent care because I had an accident at the shop. And I remember, it wasn’t that bad, but it was bad enough. So I have this cut, and he’s like, ‘Alright, we need to take him to urgent care. So we get in the truck, and the sun is beating down on me through the window,” Smith said.

“And I’m like tired, like blood sugar is getting kind of low. I said, ‘Otis, my eyes are getting heavy.’ He’s like “You’re fine.’ But I just go to sleep. I said, ‘No, Otis, I don’t want to die.’ It was so funny,” he added.

So even when his fellow teammates were joking around with him, Otis never stopped caring for them and making sure they got all the attention they needed. It wasn’t just his attitude, but his efforts towards the team that earned him the name “Gramps.”