When Rick Hendrick decided that he was going to form a racing team and contest in the 1984 Winston Cup season, he used a #5 white-colored Chevrolet Monte Carlo as his test car for the initial shakedown. As we enter the organization’s 40th year of operation in 2024, you could own a die-cast of this precious piece of history.
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Through NASCAR’s official die-cast partner, Lionel Racing, Hendrick Motorsports has made a replica of this car available for sale. Designed by artists in a 1:24 size ratio, the cast has been recreated using photos from the team’s archives and is one in the NASCAR Classics lineup.
The recreation has been priced at $93.95 on the team’s website.
It all started with this car.
Make sure to pre-order the Hendrick Motorsports 1983 No. 5 test car die-cast today: https://t.co/KIsvPTeiNJ pic.twitter.com/0nY2WElxIs
— Hendrick Motorsports (@TeamHendrick) January 2, 2024
After the initial test, the #5 Monte Carlo was driven by Geoff Bodine and it helped him get 3 Cup wins in his first season with the team. Each die-cast from Lionel Racing has an operational hood and trunk, Goodyear tires, door numbers, decals, and many other features that make it resemble the real car as closely as possible.
The replicas also come with identification numbers to help prove authenticity.
Dale Earnhardt Sr. adds value to the #5 Hendrick Motorsports Monte Carlo die-cast
Rick Hendrick’s entree into the tracks of NASCAR is intertwined with a relationship that he shared with Robert Gee, the former father-in-law of Dale Sr. Mr. Hendrick bought into the Robert Gee Superspeedway Late Model operation in 1983 to kick his racing journey off. When he decided that he would leap into the Winston Cup Series, his go-to choice for a driver was Dale Sr.
Though the Intimidator refused to race for the team that Mr. Hendrick was putting together, he did give his nod to shake his test car down. Thus, Dale Sr. became the test driver of the #5 Chevrolet Monte Carlo in 1983 at the Charlotte Motorspeedway.
Not many are aware that Dale Earnhardt Jr. wasn’t the first Earnhardt to drive for Hendrick Motorsports. Fewer are aware that Dale Sr. was the driver who gave Mr. Hendrick his first win when he won the 1983 Mello Yello 300 NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman race at Charlotte.
Hendrick/Earnhardt relationship goes way back. #1983 https://t.co/Xv8Cthga8B
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) May 11, 2018
The #5 Chevrolet Monte Carlo serves as a symbol of the strong connection that Dale Sr. shares with Rick Hendrick and Hendrick Motorsports. As the team completes its 40th year of dominance in NASCAR, what better way to remember this long journey than owning a die-cast of the car that started it all with the Intimidator behind its wheel?
