Ricky Hendrick
A charismatic heir to a NASCAR dynasty whose promising driving career and team leadership were tragically cut short in a 2004 plane crash.
1980–2004 (age 24)·American racing driver and executive·Birthday: April 2·Generation X
Biography
Ricky Hendrick was born into speed. The son of racing magnate Rick Hendrick, he seemed destined not just to drive but to shape the sport from the team owner's box. He proved a natural behind the wheel, winning in go-karts and Legends cars before making a splash in NASCAR's Craftsman Truck Series, where he became the youngest winner in series history at the time in 2001. A serious injury soon shifted his focus to management, where his easygoing personality and sharp eye for talent made him a respected leader at Hendrick Motorsports. He was instrumental in signing a young Jimmie Johnson. His death at 24 in a team plane crash was a devastating blow that unified the NASCAR community, and his legacy is honored every time the #5 or #24 cars, which he co-owned, take the track.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Ricky was born in 1980, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ricky Was Born
The biggest hits of 1980
#1 Movie
The Empire Strikes Back
Best Picture
Ordinary People
#1 TV Show
Dallas
Ricky's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1980Born
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1985Started school
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1993Became a teenager
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
1996Could drive
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
1998Could vote
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2001Turned 21
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2004Died at 24
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
Key Achievements
- Became the youngest winner in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2001 at the age of 21.
- Served as a partial owner and executive at Hendrick Motorsports, helping to build championship-winning teams.
- Won the 2003 NASCAR Busch Series race at Kansas Speedway, his only victory in that series.
- Played a key role in recruiting driver Jimmie Johnson and securing Lowe's sponsorship for Hendrick Motorsports.
- His early success in Legend cars included a national championship in the semi-pro division.
Did You Know?
He was the first fourth-generation NASCAR driver.
His NASCAR Busch Series car number was 5, which later became Jimmie Johnson's car number in the Cup Series.
He owned a motorcycle dealership called Ricky Hendrick's Performance Honda in North Carolina.
The plane crash that killed him also claimed the lives of nine other people associated with Hendrick Motorsports.
The annual NASCAR award for the most popular driver is named the NMPA NASCAR Most Popular Driver Award, but a separate fan-voted award in the Xfinity Series was once called the "Ricky Hendrick Award."
“I'm not just a driver; I'm building something that will last.”
