Speed Racer
aka "mach5driver"
Cancer claims the man who introduced Rick,
John Hendrick to the world of racing
By DAVID POOLE
The Charlotte Observer
Joseph R. Hendrick Jr., whose interest in auto racing laid a foundation for the NASCAR empire his son Rick has built, died Wednesday evening at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte.
Mr. Hendrick, known throughout stock-car racing as "Papa Joe," was 84. He has been in and out of the hospital several times this year battling cancer.
The headquarters for Hendrick Motorsports, which fields four Nextel Cup teams and another in NASCAR's Busch Series, is located on Papa Joe Hendrick Boulevard about a mile from Lowe's Motor Speedway.
The road was named in tribute to the man who introduced his sons, Rick and John, to racing decades ago while they lived on a farm near South Hill, Va.
The elder Hendrick raced modifieds with Frank Edwards, a longtime friend.
They fielded a car for legendary driver Ray Hendrick, who was no relation.
While growing up, Rick and John traveled with their father to tracks throughout their home state.
"I remember going to a race with my dad when I was about six years old," Rick Hendrick said in a book released this year to mark the 20th anniversary of Hendrick Motorsports. "I remember Junior Johnson came rolling up with a Dodge on a flatbed truck. I think the Pettys had some kind of a grudge race against Buddy and Buck Baker. That's how far back I can remember."
Rick Hendrick first went racing himself at a local drag strip in 1965 in a hot rod he and his father built together.
"My dad spent a lot of time teaching me to work with my hands," Rick said in the anniversary book. "Dad is a jack-of-all-trades kind of guy. He can make things and do a little bit of everything, no matter what it is. I stayed right at his side and learned a lot about making things operate with little to work with."
Mr. Hendrick has been a fixture at Hendrick Motorsports. He and Rick's son, Ricky, were listed at co-owners on the No. 25 Nextel Cup team of rookie driver Brian Vickers and on the No. 5 Busch team for driver Kyle Busch.
Mr. Hendrick was at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia on April 29, 1984, when Geoffrey Bodine gave the family's team its first victory on the Cup series. In the two decades since, Hendrick-owned teams have won five championships and 124 races in the Cup series to go along with 20 Busch Series and 25 NASCAR Truck Series race wins.
Mr. Hendrick was a decorated veteran of World War II, where he served as a flight engineer and gunner.
In June, Gov. Mike Easley presented Mr. Hendrick and his wife, Mary, with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest honor for a resident of North Carolina.
At that presentation, driver Jimmie Johnson praised Mr. Hendrick.
"Pop, you make us all wake up every morning and work a little harder seeing how hard you've fought through everything," Johnson said. "You give us all a lot of inspiration to wake up each morning, put a smile on our face and get to work."
Services for 'Papa Joe' Hendrick
Visitation will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday, followed at 1 p.m. by a memorial service at the Central Church of God, 5301 Sardis Road, Charlotte, N.C., 28270.
A graveside service will then be held Sunday at 2 p.m. at Union
Chapel Methodist Church in Palmer Springs, Va.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Nazareth Children's Home, P.O. Box 1438, Rockwell, N.C. 28138, or the Papa Joe Hendrick Fund, care of the Hendrick Marrow Program, 4400 Papa Joe Hendrick Blvd., Charlotte, N.C. 28262.
John Hendrick to the world of racing
By DAVID POOLE
The Charlotte Observer
Joseph R. Hendrick Jr., whose interest in auto racing laid a foundation for the NASCAR empire his son Rick has built, died Wednesday evening at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte.
Mr. Hendrick, known throughout stock-car racing as "Papa Joe," was 84. He has been in and out of the hospital several times this year battling cancer.
The headquarters for Hendrick Motorsports, which fields four Nextel Cup teams and another in NASCAR's Busch Series, is located on Papa Joe Hendrick Boulevard about a mile from Lowe's Motor Speedway.
The road was named in tribute to the man who introduced his sons, Rick and John, to racing decades ago while they lived on a farm near South Hill, Va.
The elder Hendrick raced modifieds with Frank Edwards, a longtime friend.
They fielded a car for legendary driver Ray Hendrick, who was no relation.
While growing up, Rick and John traveled with their father to tracks throughout their home state.
"I remember going to a race with my dad when I was about six years old," Rick Hendrick said in a book released this year to mark the 20th anniversary of Hendrick Motorsports. "I remember Junior Johnson came rolling up with a Dodge on a flatbed truck. I think the Pettys had some kind of a grudge race against Buddy and Buck Baker. That's how far back I can remember."
Rick Hendrick first went racing himself at a local drag strip in 1965 in a hot rod he and his father built together.
"My dad spent a lot of time teaching me to work with my hands," Rick said in the anniversary book. "Dad is a jack-of-all-trades kind of guy. He can make things and do a little bit of everything, no matter what it is. I stayed right at his side and learned a lot about making things operate with little to work with."
Mr. Hendrick has been a fixture at Hendrick Motorsports. He and Rick's son, Ricky, were listed at co-owners on the No. 25 Nextel Cup team of rookie driver Brian Vickers and on the No. 5 Busch team for driver Kyle Busch.
Mr. Hendrick was at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia on April 29, 1984, when Geoffrey Bodine gave the family's team its first victory on the Cup series. In the two decades since, Hendrick-owned teams have won five championships and 124 races in the Cup series to go along with 20 Busch Series and 25 NASCAR Truck Series race wins.
Mr. Hendrick was a decorated veteran of World War II, where he served as a flight engineer and gunner.
In June, Gov. Mike Easley presented Mr. Hendrick and his wife, Mary, with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest honor for a resident of North Carolina.
At that presentation, driver Jimmie Johnson praised Mr. Hendrick.
"Pop, you make us all wake up every morning and work a little harder seeing how hard you've fought through everything," Johnson said. "You give us all a lot of inspiration to wake up each morning, put a smile on our face and get to work."
Services for 'Papa Joe' Hendrick
Visitation will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday, followed at 1 p.m. by a memorial service at the Central Church of God, 5301 Sardis Road, Charlotte, N.C., 28270.
A graveside service will then be held Sunday at 2 p.m. at Union
Chapel Methodist Church in Palmer Springs, Va.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Nazareth Children's Home, P.O. Box 1438, Rockwell, N.C. 28138, or the Papa Joe Hendrick Fund, care of the Hendrick Marrow Program, 4400 Papa Joe Hendrick Blvd., Charlotte, N.C. 28262.
