Rick Hendrick isn’t one to give away every secret behind his success, but this particular trait stands out. After more than 50 years in the automotive and motorsports world, it’s something you can’t miss. Hendrick Motorsports has built its reputation on high standards and sustained excellence, and there are plenty of reasons for that. And if you ask Mr. H, he won’t hesitate to tell you what’s driven both his automotive empire and his NASCAR vision from the start.

“I think it’s a family atmosphere,” he said in conversation with FOX Sports. “But we want to win, and we want to be professional, and we lean on each other, but we treat each other like a family. But it doesn’t mean that you don’t want to push for excellence and do everything you can to build on the organization and make it better. And it’s all about people.”

The simple but powerful sentiment from Mr. H isn’t just motivational rhetoric; it is the foundation upon which one of the most dominant dynasties in motorsports was built.

This people-centric approach helped him build what today is the Hendrick Automotive Group, the largest privately held dealership network in the United States, with over 10,000 employees and operations in multiple states.

He started with just five employees and a modest shop when he founded what was initially All-Star Racing, later renamed Hendrick Motorsports. The team’s first victory, captured by Geoff Bodine in its debut season, was a defining moment. Without that result, the organization may have folded. Instead, it became the spark that ignited decades of achievement.

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

While establishing his automotive business, Hendrick never lost his connection to racing. His involvement included drag boat racing and partnerships with stock car entries, but it wasn’t until 1984 that he fully entered NASCAR as a team owner.

Over the years, the 76-year-old’s organization grew into NASCAR’s benchmark for excellence. It holds the all-time records for Cup Series championships, race victories, laps led, and poles, with 15 premier series titles and more than 300 wins.

It has produced champions, including legendary drivers Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Terry Labonte, Chase Elliott, and Kyle Larson, while also finding success in the lower national series. Through it all, Hendrick’s emphasis on teamwork, loyalty, and professional excellence, treating employees and drivers like family while pushing relentlessly for victory, has been the cornerstone of an empire that has reshaped the sport.

His people-first philosophy has been the secret ingredient behind sustained success. Hendrick’s journey began long before he ever dreamed of winning races. Raised on a tobacco farm in Palmer Springs, Virginia, he learned early the value of hard work, community, and helping others.

As a young man, Hendrick turned his passion for automobiles into a business, eventually buying a struggling dealership in Bennettsville, South Carolina, and transforming it into a profitable operation through sheer determination and a focus on caring for customers and employees.

But near misses and early mistakes are part of the process, and Rick Hendrick has opened up about almost fumbling the signing of the reigning NASCAR Cup champion.

Hendrick reveals the time he almost lost Kyle Larson

The 76-year-old doesn’t hide the fact that he nearly let Kyle Larson slip away. During an appearance on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast, Hendrick admitted that Jeff Gordon had flagged Larson long before the young driver ever landed a ride with Chip Ganassi Racing.

Gordon even personally brought Larson to Hendrick for a conversation, but at the time, Hendrick did not make a move. Looking back, he is candid about that hesitation, acknowledging it was a missed opportunity that could have accelerated their timeline together.

“And that’s where I made a mistake. If I had listened to Jeff, we would have been down the road further,” he recalled. “When I met with Kyle and Jeff, we knew that he could get the job done if we put him in the right situation. And boy, did it work out the first year with 10 wins and a championship.”

The partnership has only strengthened since then. In his first season with HMS, Larson exploded for 10 wins and a Cup Series championship, validating every bit of Gordon’s early conviction. Since then, the 33-year-old has grown into a two-time NASCAR Cup champion with the organization, collecting 26 victories in the No. 5 Chevrolet alone.

Now, the organization is ensuring there is no second-guessing the future. Larson has signed a five-year extension that keeps him with the team through the 2031 season, while crew chief Cliff Daniels has also agreed to a long-term deal to maintain continuity atop the pit box.

The commitment stretches beyond the driver and crew. HendrickCars.com will remain Larson’s primary sponsor under a matching five-year agreement, appearing on the No. 5 entry for 35 of 38 race weekends each season. It is a full-circle moment for Hendrick, a reminder that while timing nearly cost him once, belief in people, once realized, is something he now locks in for the long haul.