It’s interesting how round numbers become milestones that bring us to reflections. We had one of those with Hendrick Motorsports picking up their 300th Cup Series win.
Hendrick has been the picture of sustained excellence for almost 40 years. While every team goes through peaks and valleys, the valleys Hendrick has gone through have never seemed to be as deep as others have dealt with. They always seem to climb out of them faster than others.
It may have looked easy at times, but it hasn’t been. The story of how Rick Hendrick was going to close the doors before Harry Hyde convinced him to run one more race, at Martinsville, with Geoff Bodine…which they won, has been many times.
The tragic place crash, also at Martinsville, that took so many key members of the Hendrick Motorsports family has been well-documented.
What Rick Hendrick understands as well as anyone is that this sport goes beyond fast cars..it’s about people. Few people leave Hendrick Motorsports for other teams. He’s built a culture there that people want to be a part of. A culture that goes beyond their 300 Cup wins.