Before establishing himself as one of NASCAR’s most successful team owners, Rick Hendrick also took a brief turn behind the wheel. His driving résumé was limited, consisting of one start each in ARCA, the Super Truck Series, and the Busch Series, along with two appearances in the Cup Series. Across those outings, only one produced a top-15 result. That finish came in 1988, when Hendrick brought the car home 15th in the Budweiser 400 after starting 13th, a race that still weighs on his mind nearly four decades later and prompted a long-overdue apology to Richard Petty.
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The 1988 Budweiser 400, contested on June 12 at Riverside International Raceway, ended with Rusty Wallace taking the victory following a late restart. It also marked the 20th and final NASCAR Cup Series race held at Riverside. That same season, Hendrick Motorsports found success elsewhere, as Geoff Bodine captured the pole for the Budweiser at The Glen in August.
Yet Hendrick seems to have revisited his own Riverside outing, not for the result, but for a misstep that nearly sent Petty off course. Recounting the moment during a 2019 appearance on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s podcast, Hendrick explained that after qualifying 13th, he stayed on track while others pitted, briefly inheriting the lead. When the field regrouped for the restart, the pack stacked up behind him, a situation that rattled his nerves.
“But I guess one of the things the most about race is Richard Petty was right on me and went into turn nine, and he got under me, but then when you come off of nine, and you go to the flag stand, it goes back to the left. So if you’re on the outside or you don’t give the guy room, he’s going in the dirt. So, I didn’t and I looked in the mirror and he was doing donuts through the parking lot. I don’t know I haven’t told him, I don’t know if he remembers that or not.”
When Earnhardt Jr. pressed Hendrick on whether he wanted to clear the air after all these years, Hendrick did not hesitate, offering a direct mea culpa: “Richard, I’m sorry. I really am.”
If Richard Petty sees this, just know Mr. H is sorry. ♂️
️ From The @DaleJr Download pic.twitter.com/0rnIIBlj7y
— Dirty Mo Media (@DirtyMoMedia) January 1, 2026
Long before his ownership empire took shape, Hendrick also paid his dues as a pit crew member for the Flying 11 driven by Ray Hendrick, no relation, during the 1960s. Today, the organization he founded has rewritten the record books.
HMS stands as the winningest team in Cup Series history, with 383 victories overall, including 320 at the Cup level. Since its inception in 1984, the team has claimed 15 championships, the most recent coming in 2025 when Kyle Larson secured his second Cup title.
