Rick Hendrick’s playful ribbing of his drivers has long defined the tight-knit culture at Hendrick Motorsports, particularly during its scrappy startup phase in the 1980s. In a recent conversation, Rick Hendrick reminisced about his trackside antics at Charlotte Motor Speedway back in the 80s.

Back then, they used to give away cars to pole winners at Charlotte. The conversation touched upon that, and the lighthearted promise he made to his driver that he never fulfilled. Let’s dive in to know more.

The pole promise and its junkyard payoff

“They used to give away cars if you won a pole at Charlotte. And I don’t know if Tim was driving for you when this happened, but they’d give Tim the car,” said Dale Jr.,to Rick Hendrick Dale Jr. Download podcast, kicking off the story.

That time, Kenny Schrader’s tenure at Hendrick Motorsports from 1985 to 1987 epitomized the no-frills grit of the team’s formative years.

Rick Hendrick then unveiled a detailed Schrader’s saga, admitting the “million-dollar promise” twist. “Well, Schrader, his deal wasn’t that good,” Hendrick began.

“So I told Schrader, if you win the pole, I’ll give you a truck. Schrader won the pole, and we had this four, five-hundred-dollar truck rusted out, smoking, just a junker, and so we brought it over to the truck and gave it to him.”

And that lighthearted fun wasn’t over there. Hendrick escalated the prank with a sign in the truck’s back window: “Race car driver wanted: a million-dollar guarantee.”

Dale Jr. quipped, “Damn, I had to hurt his feelings a little bit,” but Hendrick brushed it off: “We were just cutting back. It wasn’t real serious. So we always cut up a lot with Schrader.”

This showed Hendrick’s motivational humor during HMS’ buildup, when Schrader nabbed poles like at the 1988 Charlotte May race, boosting the young team’s visibility without big spending.

Such pranks with Schrader laid the groundwork for Hendrick’s family-first leadership, evolving HMS into NASCAR’s top team with 301 Cup wins by 2026.

Additionally, Hendrick also shared another fun tale with Junior’s father himself.

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A funny moment between Rick Hendrick and Dale Earnhardt Sr

Rick Hendrick’s early racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway revealed the razor-sharp instincts that would later define his empire-building power.

During a candid Dale Jr. Download episode, Hendrick recounted chasing a $1,000 promoter prize for the fastest qualifying time, a common incentive in the rough-and-tumble pre-HMS days.

Borrowing Ralph Earnhardt’s car, grandfather to Dale Jr., Hendrick clocked the top speed, surging with confidence for another run.

But he was white with the wrath of seeing Dale Sr. on Turn 1. He pitted instantly, dodging a potential wreck.

The fearsome “Intimidator” approached Hendrick post-run and asked, “What happened?” Hendrick shot back, “I’m not stupid. I was getting ready to get dumped.” It suddenly made Junior burst out laughing.

Their exchange showed Hendrick’s street smarts as much as it showed Dale Sr’s intimidation on the tracks.

That savvy call preserved his reputation and opened doors, including a 1983 Sportsman division partnership with Robert Gee, where he hired Earnhardt Sr. to drive their car to a 200-lap Charlotte victory, Hendrick’s inaugural NASCAR win, and the genesis of Hendrick Motorsports.