MAFIA 2 FAST CAR SERIES
5 in 22 Xfinity Series races in 2002 before an early retirement from racing. It had been earmarked for Ricky Hendrick, who drove the No. 5 was Hendrick's original car number, used by Bodine in the inaugural 1984 season, and driven to the 1996 Cup championship by Terry Labonte. 5 Chevrolet that is a tribute to their late son.
MAFIA 2 FAST CAR FULL
The end result was a full circle celebration for Hendrick and his wife, Linda, who watched all season as Larson dominated in the flagship No. The sponsor is, the clearinghouse for all Hendrick’s dealerships.īut that doesn’t make the money any less real and the bean counters at Hendrick Automotive deemed Larson a worthy spend from its marketing budget. He was unsponsored at first and it wasn't until the halfway point of the season before Hendrick inked both a full-time sponsor and Larson to an extension through 2023. And as expected, Larson wins when he gets in fast cars. His Chevrolets were fast again this season and his young lineup beginning to blossom. Of course, Hendrick is a car salesman and he knows a steal when he sees one.
MAFIA 2 FAST CAR DRIVER
The four-car team went three years without advancing a single driver to the championship final four, and it wasn’t until 2020 and Johnson’s final NASCAR race that Elliott closed out a late-season hot streak to win the his first Cup. left HMS with a young lineup anchored by Johnson and slowed by mediocre cars. That championship was a final hurrah before the Hendrick juggernaut stumbled.Ī painful rebuild to replace retired superstars Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. He last accepted the championship trophy in 2016, the record-tying seventh and final title for Jimmie Johnson. Hendrick will be celebrated this week in Nashville at NASCAR’s annual year-end celebration, his fist chance to collect the Cup in five years.
MAFIA 2 FAST CAR DRIVERS
The entire Hendrick organization was improved, combining for 18 victories.Īll four Hendrick drivers made the playoffs Larson and Chase Elliott, the 2020 champion, both advanced to the winner-take-all final four. Larson won 10 points races, the $1 million All-Star race, broke Jeff Gordon’s 20-year record for most laps led in a season and pretty much dominated the competition all year. “Did I think he could win 10 races and win the championship?” Hendrick said. He didn't expect the results to be so spectacular. He knew Larson - the so-called “Next Jeff Gordon” - was going to be good when given fast race cars. Hendrick again didn’t have a sponsor, again had to fund the car out of his own pocket and was again willing to take the chance. HMS now has 280 Cup wins and its 14th title went to Larson, who was given a second chance in NASCAR this year when Hendrick ended Larson's nearly yearlong banishment for using a racial slur. Hendrick had let Northwestern Security Life slap its logos on the car free of charge, and the company agreed to sponsor the rest of the season after the Martinsville win. Hendrick was on the verge of folding the team until Bodine staved off the closure with a victory at Martinsville Speedway.
He didn’t have sponsors in 1984 but was willing to fund Bodine himself - a plan that worked until Hendrick was just about broke only five races into the season. Both times, Hendrick gambled and followed his gut. There are parallels to this year’s championship and that 1984 first season. HMS in May passed the record 268 Cup wins long held by the Petty Enterprises empire, and the organization is now celebrating its record-extending 14th Cup Series championship with Kyle Larson’s first title. In the 37 years since, Hendrick Motorsports has become the winningest team in NASCAR history.