Rick Hendrick's Road to International Motorsports Hall of Fame
Published Monday, 06 May, 2013 by Tim Bus.
Rick Hendrick's journey began on his family's tobacco farm, a stone's throw from the small Virginia community of Palmer Springs, which is where his father instilled the value of a hard day's work and a pure passion for the automobile.
Under the watchful eye of "Papa Joe," that love of cars led Hendrick into the world of auto racing. At age 14, he made a name for himself by setting speed records at a local drag strip with a self-built 1931 Chevrolet. Two years later, the self-described "gearhead" won the Virginia division of the Chrysler-Plymouth Troubleshooting Contest, a competition for engine builders. He was just 16.