Fans are worried about Mrs. Linda Hendrick. Adding to the pre-race excitements before qualifying for the Cook Out 400, NASCAR correspondent, Bob Pockrass shared an intriguing tweet that simply read, “Hendrick Motorsports has put the name of Linda Hendrick, wife of Rick Hendrick, on the passenger side of the Kyle Larson car at Martinsville.” 

The tribute is a hundred percent plausible and deserving. What makes the whole honor even more meaningful is that Geoff Bodine gave HMS their first-ever Cup Series win at Martinsville in the iconic #5 car. From Geoff to his brother Brett Bodine, to a young Kyle Busch in the mid-2000s, many talented drivers have gotten behind the wheel of the car steeped in Hendrick Motorsports legacy.

When Bodine’s victory finally came for Rick Hendrick’s team in April of ’84, Mr. H was already married to Linda. However, four years prior on April 2nd, the #5 car’s unrealized successor was born to etch the number in the annals of NASCAR history forever, although tragically.

Ricky Hendrick, son of Rick and Linda, and brother of Josephine Hendrick, was heavily viewed as the successor to the illustrious Hendrick dynasty. In 2002, Ricky took the #5 for a final spin at Kansas in the Busch Series. But two years later, Ricky sadly passed away, after a plane crash in Virginia claimed the precious life of multiple Hendrick Motorsports family members. It was indeed a sad day for NASCAR and an even more crushing memory for Rick and Linda Hendrick.

After two decades and a Papa Joe Hendrick Award of Excellence later, Mrs. Linda’s unspeakable grief is still unimaginable. Nevertheless, with three victories out of seven races heading to Martinsville, and HMS’ only current champion sporting the matron’s name as well as blessings, Hendrick Motorsports seems destined to cheer another time in 2024. However, this tribute has also led fans to get worried. They took to social media to share their thoughts.

Kyle Larson’s car sparks concern and curiosity over Linda Hendrick’s health

As is the norm with any Pockrass post on Twitter, the fans flooded the comments, echoing a collective sentiment of concern and confusion. From questions like, “What’s the reasoning Bob? Please say Linda is doing ok” to fan inspections making eerie relations such as this comment that inquired, “Hope there’s nothing seriously wrong. Why just Larson’s car?” The interaction was certainly noteworthy.

Fans even wrote, “Hope she’s doing ok,” and ‘Pray she is well. 🙏”. But thankfully, the reality was something different.

As a Facebook post from the official Hendrick Automotive Group recently revealed, this is no more than an emphatic gesture on Hendrick Motorsports’ 40-year-anniversary in the NASCAR Cup Series. The post held a heartwarming announcement for the Hendrick family’s current matron: “Mr. Hendrick and the entire Hendrick organization thank her (Mrs. Hendrick) for support since Day one and Win no. 1”

Between all the confusion, Twitter user@JoshuaHVAC806 had an interesting question to pose for the concerned, albeit controversially to say the least. “She owns the same company her husband does. The morons on here looking for anything negative… Maybe just maybe it’s a tribute to her being supportive of her husbands team???”

Hendrick’s wife started to play a bigger role in the team. As shared by Kyle Larson, she frequently gives speeches as her husband simply “hands the mic over to her, and she always says the right things.”

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