Rick Hendrick Honored With Custom Rolex After Making NASCAR Daytona 500 History

It’s a feat Rick Hendrick never imagined his team would achieve. The 75-year-old watched on TV as William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy, slid around a last-lap crash to clinch his second consecutive Daytona 500. The win was a historic one, as not only did Byron become the youngest multi-time champ of ‘The Great American Race’, but Hendrick now possessed 10 Daytona 500 wins, one more than Petty Enterprises, who had held the record since forever.

It’s been more than three months since then, but NASCAR CEO and chairman Jim France has presented the team owner with a one-of-a-kind gift to commemorate the historic achievement. A custom-engraved Rolex Daytona inscribed with the words, “First 10x DAYTONA 500 champion,” along with Hendrick’s name.

Rick Hendrick gives credit where it’s due

Rick Hendrick knows a thing or two about giving away Rolexes. After all, the team owner gifts his employees who have been around for 20 years a Rolex to celebrate the accomplishment, and handed out as many as 22 of them last year! But when the Cup Series campaign kicked off earlier this year, the 75-year-old didn’t imagine he would be gifted one by NASCAR CEO Jim France after his team won their 10th Daytona 500. It’s an achievement he looks back on with pride, saying, “And now, to have 10 of these. We’ve been so fortunate to have great drivers, great crew chiefs, and great teams.” Truer words have never been spoken.

After being presented with the two-tone Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona, a visibly emotional Rick Hendrick couldn’t help but say, “This is such a meaningful gift, and I’m truly grateful to Jim, everyone at NASCAR, and the team at Daytona International Speedway. The DAYTONA 500 has given us some incredible moments, and this watch will always remind me of the people who made them possible. It’s not just about the wins – it’s about the drivers, crew chiefs, team members, and their families who’ve put their heart into this organization. I’ll think of them every time I look at it.”

Hendrick wasn’t the only one attending the presentation ceremony. Track president Frank Kelleher was also there along with the team’s vice-president Jeff Gordon, president and general manager Jeff Andrews, vice president of competition Chad Knaus, as well as crew chiefs Rudy Fugle and Cliff Daniels. Gordon wasn’t overlooked in the gift giving either, as he was presented with a ring given by Kelleher for the achievement, as the former driver has contributed to three wins out of those 10 with the same car number as Byron.

As things stand, Rick Hendrick stands alone in his team having the most wins across NASCAR’s crown jewel events. Hendrick Motorsports has 12 wins at the Coca-Cola 600, 12 in the Southern 500, and 11 in the Brickyard 400. The team also has a staggering 14 Cup Series championship triumphs to their name, as well as 316 points-paying race wins, which is also the most of all time. Going by all that the team has achieved since its inception, a custom Rolex is a fitting ‘gift’, especially considering their record at ‘The Great American Race.’

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Hendrick is surprised at the landmark achievement

Rick Hendrick’s team has been there and done that in the NASCAR world. If history is anything to go by, each of HMS’s last six Daytona 500 wins has come in pairs. Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson won in 2005 and 2006, respectively, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. secured triumphs in 2013 and 2014. William Byron has also gone on to win the last two iterations of the season opener. According to Gordon, the achievement is still hard to digest for the 75-year-old, as he said, “It blows his mind when he really goes back and thinks about it.”

Reflecting on his first Daytona 500 as a team owner in 1984, Rick Hendrick candidly said, “When I showed up and I saw Bud Moore and the Pettys and Junior Johnson and all those idols I watched on TV and at the racetrack, I didn’t think I should be here. I didn’t feel like I should be in that room.” Back then, Geoff Bodine drove the No. 5 Chevy for the team and managed to finish ninth. Just two years later, Bodine went on to put his Monte Carlo in Victory Lane at the season-opener.

While many team owners will be satisfied with 10, Hendrick isn’t one of them. Already looking to the future, he said, “I think there’s a lot more out there for us to get.” With a star-studded lineup comprising Kyle Larson, Alex Bowman, William Byron, and Chase Elliott, it’s well within the realm of possibility to see another HMS driver celebrating at the ‘World Center of Racing’ when the checkered flag is waved next year. Can Rick Hendrick make it 11 Daytona 500 wins in 2026? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!