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Ricky Hendrick
American racing driver and executive (1980–2004) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Joseph Riddick "Ricky" Hendrick IV (April 2, 1980 – October 24, 2004) was an American stock car racing driver and partial owner at Hendrick Motorsports, a NASCAR team that his father Rick Hendrick founded. He was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, on April 2, 1980, and began racing in Go Karts at a young age, then the Legends Series at fifteen. He competed in both the Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series before his death from an airplane accident on October 24, 2004. He was killed with nine other family members and friends during the accident.
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Racing career
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Hendrick began his career in auto racing at the age of 15 by racing in the Legends Series Summer Shootout. He won 5 races in 1995 and 1 in 1996. [1] In 1998, he won three NASCAR Winston Late Model Series races and one in 1999.
Ricky competed in two ARCA Menards Series races, October 4, 2000 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and the 2001 Daytona race in February. [2]
Hendrick continued to run the series in 2000, with the addition of competing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series piloting the No. 17 GMAC/Quaker State Chevrolet Silverado. While running races in the No. 24 Busch Series car, he was involved in multiple accidents and suffered from concussions.
In 2001, he competed in the full NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races. He recorded his first NASCAR career win at Kansas Speedway on July 7, becoming the youngest Truck Series driver to win a race at that time. Hendrick was also able to accomplish 19 top ten finishes, the most by a rookie at that time. However, at the end of the season, he finished second in the Rookie of the Year Standings, with Travis Kvapil winning the award.[3]
In 2002, he moved to the Busch Series with crew chief Lance McGrew driving the No. 5 GMAC Financial Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Hendrick suffered an accident in the third race of the season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway that resulted in a broken shoulder. He required surgery and missed 3 months of racing before he returned in May and finished 15th at Richmond. Hendrick decided to retire from driving in October of the same year due to mental health and physical concerns. He continued to be employed by Hendrick Motorsports, as the owner of two teams: Brian Vickers and Kyle Busch in the Busch Series. Hendrick also founded a motorcycle dealership in Pineville, North Carolina, named Ricky Hendrick's Performance Honda.[3]
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Ownership and legacy
After retiring from driving, Hendrick remained at Hendrick Motorsports as a Busch Series team owner; his No. 5 team won the 2003 championship with Brian Vickers and fielded Kyle Busch in 2004.[4] In April 2003 he launched Ricky Hendrick’s Performance Honda Suzuki Aprilia in Pineville, North Carolina.[5]
In January 2006, Carolinas HealthCare System announced a US$3 million commitment from the Rick and Linda Hendrick family to benefit the new Levine Children’s Hospital; in recognition, the hospital dedicated its pediatric intensive care centers as the **Ricky Hendrick Centers for Intensive Care**.[6][7]
Charity rides
From 2005 to 2008, the Ricky Hendrick Charity Ride (later the **Ricky Hendrick Memorial Charity Ride**) was held annually as a motorcycle benefit in the Charlotte area: April 17, 2005; April 23, 2006; May 6, 2007; and August 24, 2008. The inaugural event supported Nazareth Children’s Home and The Family Center; by 2007–2008, proceeds benefited the Hendrick Foundation for Children and went toward the Levine Children’s Hospital at Carolinas Medical Center.[8][9][10][11]
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Death
On October 24, 2004, Hendrick was one of ten people killed when a Beechcraft King Air 200 operated for Hendrick Motorsports crashed into Bull Mountain near Martinsville, Virginia, while en route to the Subway 500 at Martinsville Speedway. The National Transportation Safety Board attributed the accident to flight-crew errors during an instrument approach in instrument meteorological conditions.[12][13]
Personal life
Hendrick was engaged to Emily Maynard (later Emily Maynard Johnson). After his death, Maynard learned she was pregnant and gave birth to their daughter, Josephine Riddick "Ricki" Hendrick, on June 29, 2005.[14][15]
Motorsports career results
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NASCAR
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Busch Series
Craftsman Truck Series
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References
External links
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