Published 12/29/2022, 10:00 AM EST
Going by numbers, Hendrick Motorsports is unarguably the greatest NASCAR Cup Series team in the history of the sport. And to achieve what they’ve done in less than 40 years is remarkable. But their history could’ve been a lot different. In fact, there wouldn’t be any history to talk about if not for one man—Geoff Bodine.
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Merely a few months after Rick Hendrick began his venture into the top tier of NASCAR in 1984, he was on the verge of packing his bags and closing the shop. The team wasn’t winning races, and consequently, the little sponsor money they had was also evaporating every week.
But then, on April 29th, 1984, at Martinsville Speedway, Bodine struck gold for Hendrick’s team and change the course of their history.
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They won their first-ever race and planted the seed, which, almost 300 wins later, has become the most magnificent tree in the entire forest, towering above the rest with branches and branches of historic moments and history makers.
To think that Hendrick Motorsports would have exited as All-Star Racing (their former name), with not even a hint of glory to its name is almost unimaginable.
Rick Hendrick TP’d Bodine’s house after Hendrick Motorsports’ first win
In a conversation with Dale Earnhardt Jr. on his podcast show, the Dale Jr. Download, Bodine revealed the story of Rick Hendrick celebrating their first win in quite an eccentric manner. Before the win came, Bodine recalled Hendrick was “done,” to the point that he was “gonna shut the door.”
“He wasn’t even gonna let us go to Martinsville,” Bodine revealed.
Regardless, they ran at Martinsville and they won, something the team owner didn’t know for some time.
“Rick didn’t even know he won. He didn’t even know he won, he called his mom up and said, ‘Ma, what happened at Martinsville?’ ‘Ricky, Ricky, he won the race, he won the race,’” Bodine described. “So they (Rick and Linda) went to my house, and I was living just south of Greensboro and then toilet papered my house.”
“That was a celebration.”
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HMS looking for more NASCAR history with increased participation in Xfinity next season
In 2022, Hendrick Motorsports took part in the Xfinity Series after a decade-long hiatus. They even came awfully close to winning, with both Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman coming second in their respective races.
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But going forward, in the next season, NASCAR’s most successful Cup Series team is eyeing more participation in the second tier of the sport.
“We won’t be competing full-time at all, just a handful of races. It’s been a lot of fun to watch and bring those colors back. That’s kind of (Ricky Hendrick)’s number and colors,” Rick Hendrick said in a recent interview about his team’s Xfinity Series plans for 2023 according to SportsNaut.
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“That’s really something that I’ve enjoyed, and we’ll do a few more of those.”