Rick Hendrick releases a statement on NASCAR granting Kyle Larson a waiver in 2024. Find out what Hendrick said about NASCAR’s decision!
[autotag]Kyle Larson[/autotag] was supposed to attempt “The Double” on May 26; however, the weather didn’t cooperate. Larson and Hendrick Motorsports chose to compete in the 2024 Indianapolis 500 and missed the start of the Coca-Cola 600. NASCAR took over a week to decide whether to give the Hendrick Motorsports driver a waiver and ultimately did so on Tuesday, June 4.
Following the announcement, Hendrick Motorsports owner [autotag]Rick Hendrick[/autotag] released a statement on NASCAR granting Larson a waiver. Hendrick was disappointed with the weather but thanked NASCAR for their flexibility.
“Under normal circumstances, completing ‘The Double’ is one of the toughest tests in sports,” Hendrick said. “Despite our best efforts, this year’s combination of weather conditions in Indianapolis and Charlotte made it impossible. Although losing ground in the standings was hard to swallow, we were especially disappointed for the fans at the Coca-Cola 600 who were not able to see [Kyle Larson] race.”
“I’m extremely proud of everything he did to prepare and the months of planning by our team and our partners at Arrow McLaren to run these two crown jewel events. We hoped race day would play out differently, but the program was still incredibly positive for everyone involved. Kyle’s performance throughout May was a great reflection on the level of talent competing each week in the NASCAR Cup Series. We appreciate NASCAR communicating with us throughout the effort and granting our request for a playoff waiver.”
Larson now sits second in the point standings, only 21 points behind Denny Hamlin. The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion entered the Coca-Cola 600 with the points lead but lost it after not competing. It was a disappointing attempt at “The Double” in late May, but Larson should have another opportunity in 2025 if he wants to try it again.
With lightning and downpours in Sunday’s forecast, which currently calls for nearly two inches of rain to land on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Mother Nature might derail Kyle Larson’s plans of competing in both the Indy 500 and NASCAR’s 600-mile …
With lightning and downpours in Sunday’s forecast, which currently calls for nearly two inches of rain to land on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Mother Nature might derail Kyle Larson’s plans of competing in both the Indy 500 and NASCAR’s 600-mile race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The latest prediction for Sunday has a 50-percent chance of foul weather descending on IMS almost two hours before the 12:45pm ET green flag and staying into the early evening, which could push the 200-lap contest to Monday.
To prepare themselves for the possibility of losing Larson to the needs of his full-time job in NASCAR on Sunday, the Arrow McLaren team and the IndyCar Series have started discussing options to keep the No. 17 Hendrickcars.com Arrow McLaren Chevy in the field if the skies open and force Larson to leave for North Carolina.
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Arrow McLaren sporting director Tony Kanaan has been the team’s backup plan in recent months. With the injury to former driver David Malukas, the 2013 Indy 500 winner was one of the primary options to step into the No. 6 Chevy, but that role was filled by Callum Ilott.
Although the team and the series weren’t ready to offer any official statements, both confirmed to RACER that they’re evaluating a possible refresher run for Kanaan — who did his Indy 500 farewell with Arrow McLaren last year and finished 16th — later this week.
If it were to rain on Sunday, but dry enough for the race to start after Larson needed to leave, Kanaan would be cleared to drive after a refresher is completed. If rain were to delay the 500 until the day after the Charlotte NASCAR race, the team and Larson would need to decide how they wanted to proceed.
Rick Hendrick also alluded to the possibility of keeping Larson in Indy at the expense of competing in the Cup race.
“We’ve talked about it many times, and we know we need to be at Charlotte for the points,” Hendrick said. “We’re just going to let it play out, and then Kyle and myself and Jeff Gordon, we’ll make that decision Sunday.
“The pressure of being in the race and starting with a great starting spot and knowing we’ve got the 600 to run, it’s going to be pressure all day. How does the race go? Is it going to rain? What time do we have to leave to get back to Charlotte? This is going to be a tremendous amount of pressure, but we signed up for it. We’re in the race. We qualified. Kyle is a heck of a talent. I just hope that the weather cooperates and we get to finish the race.”
RACER also understands a scenario where Kanaan is not used as Larson’s backup is being contemplated and the bumped Dale Coyne Racing driver Nolan Siegel, who is approved to race without needing to do a special session in the car, could be drafted in to pilot the No. 17 Chevy. Siegel is no stranger to McLaren CEO Zak Brown, who co-owns the United Autosports sports car team Siegel will drive for next month in the LMP2 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The precedent of using a bumped driver was seen as recently as 2023 when Stefan Wilson was injured and unable to drive for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing/Cusick Motorsports after being hit from behind during post-qualifying practice. The bumped Graham Rahal was recruited to drive Wilson’s No. 24 Chevy, which was moved from its 25th starting spot to the back of the field. If such a situation plays out with Larson and the No. 17 Chevy which qualified fifth, Siegel would be expected to start 33rd.
Rick Hendrick discusses winning the 2024 Daytona 500 with William Byron. Find out what Hendrick had to say about the Great American Race!
Prior to the 2024 NASCAR season, a driver for Hendrick Motorsports hadn’t won a Daytona 500 since Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2014. It had been almost a decade since the organization’s last victory; however, that changed on Monday evening. [autotag]William Byron[/autotag] barely beat teammate Alex Bowman in the 2024 Daytona 500, which ended in a 1-2 finish for Hendrick Motorsports.
Following Byron’s victory in the Great American Race, crew chief Rudy Fugle, vice chairman Jeff Gordon, and team owner [autotag]Rick Hendrick[/autotag] sat down for a press conference. Hendrick talked about how thrilling it is to win the Daytona 500, which is NASCAR’s biggest race.
“I forgot how thrilling it really is because the disappointment of coming off of 4, leading and getting crashed,” Hendrick said. “It’s hard to put into words how I feel about NASCAR the sport and being able to participate in it, and now tying, I guess, the all-time record for wins here in the 500, I think it’s going to sink in next week a little bit more, but yeah, the flyover was pretty cool the other night.”
William Byron *barely* beat Alex Bowman to win the 2024 Daytona 500.
It’s Byron’s first Daytona 500 victory as the No. 24 car returns to victory lane in the Great American Race. pic.twitter.com/8AduUkx5BC
“But I’m in awe of how hard it is to win this race. I’m just so happy for [William Byron] and [Rudy Fugle] and the organization and to see [Alex Bowman] finish second. That was great.
The last time Hendrick Motorsports won the Daytona 500 was the second of two straight victories as Jimmie Johnson won in 2013. The hope is that the past replicates itself and another Hendrick Motorsports driver wins in 2025. For now, the NASCAR organization will focus on the task ahead, and that’s another race weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Rick Hendrick would not let himself believe his organization had won the Daytona 500 until one of his cars crossed under the checkered flag and NASCAR confirmed it. William Byron was declared the winner of Monday night’s 66th running of the Daytona …
Rick Hendrick would not let himself believe his organization had won the Daytona 500 until one of his cars crossed under the checkered flag and NASCAR confirmed it.
William Byron was declared the winner of Monday night’s 66th running of the Daytona 500 with teammate Alex Bowman finishing second. NASCAR determined the winner using the timestamp of when the caution came out, along with video and photo footage.
But even more than the finish needing a review, Hendrick had been disappointed so many times in the last decade that he wouldn’t celebrate early. Byron’s victory was the first for Hendrick Motorsports in the Daytona 500 since 2014.
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“I guess it’s been a drought winning this race – we’ve led a lot of laps, and I just refused to get excited,” Hendrick said. “I was standing there when it was over wondering, ‘Did we win it? Was it one more lap? Did a caution catch us?’ When we were lined up, I thought we had a great shot.”
Byron chose the inside of the front row for the final restart alongside race leader Ross Chastain with four laps to go. Bowman was fourth, second in the outside lane. A third Hendrick Motorsports driver, Chase Elliott, restarted sixth.
With two laps to go, Byron led Austin Cindric and Corey LaJoie in a single-file line. Chastain began a charge in Turns 3 and 4 that brought him to Byron’s back bumper in the short chute leading to the trioval, but when Byron pulled up to block, Chastain went low and bounced off Austin Cindric, starting a multi-car crash. Byron was clear in the lead as Bowman charged to his outside but ran out of time when NASCAR called the caution.
The victory came 40 years to the day Rick Hendrick’s team, then called All-Star Racing, debuted in NASCAR. Geoff Bodine drove the No. 5 car to an eighth-place finish in the Daytona 500 on February 19, 1984.
“When I think back 40 years and coming down here and feeling like I didn’t belong, seeing Junior Johnson and the Pettys and Wood Brothers and man, here we were with five full-time people and no sponsor and finished in the top 10,” Hendrick recalled. “But to win this race – I guess since it’s been 10 years – I forgot how thrilling it really is because the disappointment of coming off of (Turn) 4, leading, and getting crashed.
“It’s hard to put into words how I feel about NASCAR the sport and being able to participate in it, and now tying the all-time record for wins here in the (Daytona) 500. I think it’s going to sink in next week a little bit more.
“I’m in awe of how hard it is to win this race. I’m just so happy for William and Rudy [Fugle] and the whole organization. And to see Alex finish second that was great.”
Hendrick Motorsports tied Petty Enterprises for the most Daytona 500 wins by an organization at nine. A Hendrick driver won the race in 1986 (Bodine), 1989 (Darrell Waltrip), 1997, 1999, 2005 (Jeff Gordon), 2006, 2013 (Jimmie Johnson), 2014 (Dale Earnhardt Jr.), and 2024 (Byron).
Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports, the winningest team in NASCAR Cup Series history, and the chairman and CEO of Hendrick Automotive Group, joined us for the 4th Annual Race Industry Week. Hosted by Jeff Hammond of SiriusXM, Ch. 90. Click …
Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports, the winningest team in NASCAR Cup Series history, and the chairman and CEO of Hendrick Automotive Group, joined us for the 4th Annual Race Industry Week. Hosted by Jeff Hammond of SiriusXM, Ch. 90. Click here to watch.
Although Kyle Larson’s plans to run the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day in 2024 were first announced back in January, they took another step forward on Sunday at Indianapolis with the reveal of the paint scheme for the …
Although Kyle Larson’s plans to run the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day in 2024 were first announced back in January, they took another step forward on Sunday at Indianapolis with the reveal of the paint scheme for the Chevrolet-powered Arrow McLaren IndyCar Larson will race at Indy in partnership with Hendrick Motorsports, as well as the Hendrick Chevy he will race that evening in Charlotte, which will also carry splashes of papaya orange.
“It hasn’t really set in yet that it’s truly a reality,” Larson said of his plans for the Indy-Charlotte double, last attempted by Kurt Busch back in 2014. “When you have days like today and you unveil the car, all those little steps, it definitely makes it seem more real. I’m sure once things slow down in the off-season, I’m sure that’s when all the nervousness will start to creep in, as well as the excitement.”
Larson’s team boss, Rick Hendrick has an ownership stake in both of Larson’s Memorial Day efforts next year, and plans to be at both events with his driver.
“We’re just real excited to think we can partner with a world class team that has tremendous speed and reputation. I feel very, very fortunate,” Hendrick said. “Number one, I felt I wanted to own the car, but I had to have a partner to make it work. So Gavin (Ward, Arrow McLaren racing director) and his team, everybody there, Zak (Brown, McLaren Racing CEO), have been so helpful. Of course Kyle put a lot of pressure on me, and I’m used to that with cars, but it’s all good. We’re real excited to do it with Chevrolet too.”
Rick Hendrick has an ownership stake in both Larson’s Indy-Charlotte double, and plans to see him in action at both events. Chris Owens/Penske Entertainment
Larson said his IndyCar simulator experience started off pleasantly within his comfort zone, but soon reached a different level.
“I did Mid-Ohio, and when I first got in it, I thought I would be out of control and go in the grass, all this stuff. I was like, ‘OK, I feel like I’m doing all right.’ I felt like I got into a rhythm.
“The engineers were staying pretty quiet. They would chime in like, ‘Hey, everything looks good. Just keep working on your braking zones and stuff. OK, more brake pressure, whatever, go a little deeper. Yep, that’s a little better.’ And I’m like, well, how much more do I need? They’re like, ‘Well, you need about a thousand more pounds of brake pressure.’ I’m like, ‘What?’
“So the max brake pressure there is like 2,800 pounds. That’s insane. I’ve never pushed anything that hard. For instance, here (on the Indianapolis road course) into Turn 1 we’d be like 800 pounds of brake pressure max. So trying to get your brain wrapped around slamming the pedal that hard and releasing it quickly but also like maintaining some was just super difficult for me. I couldn’t ever figure it out. I felt like I regressed once I got closer to the max brake pressure stuff.
“Then, (Arrow McLaren teammate) Felix Rosenqvist showed up and was way faster than me, so it was starting to get frustrating. It was just eye-opening to see data, right? I’ve always heard about the downforce cars and braking and all that, but I’ve never seen the telemetry of what they’re doing behind the wheel. So that was definitely interesting, to see how consistent they can be while pushing that hard was pretty wild, definitely eye-opening.”
All the new experiences will only help him as a driver, Larson believes.
“No matter the result from this whole experience, I’m going to come out of it a better race car driver,” he said. “I already have, I think, just in the short amount of time I spent in the simulator.
“It’s definitely having the support that I do from the teammates at Arrow McLaren as well as Chevrolet and drivers who have raced IndyCar stuff before as well as stock cars, I’ll have a lot of people to lean on to soak up a lot of knowledge. So very, very thankful for that.”
Larson is expected to take the next step beyond simulation in October at the mandatory rookie orientation on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 2.5-mile oval.
“I look forward to prepping even more. I definitely, obviously, look forward to October and getting to do the rookie orientation,” he said. “I am nervous when I think about that. But I think once I get in the car, a lot of those nerves will hopefully go away after a few laps, and it will feel like home — just like all the other race cars I drive.”
Rick Hendrick believes Ross Chastain is a talented race car driver, but the NASCAR Hall of Fame team owner hasn’t been impressed with his actions on the racetrack lately. Hendrick (pictured above, with Larson) offered pointed comments about Chastain …
Rick Hendrick believes Ross Chastain is a talented race car driver, but the NASCAR Hall of Fame team owner hasn’t been impressed with his actions on the racetrack lately.
Hendrick (pictured above, with Larson) offered pointed comments about Chastain at Darlington Raceway on Sunday night after he won the race with William Byron. It was a bit of a subdued victory as Hendrick watched one of his other drivers, Kyle Larson, taken out of contention for the win when he and Chastain collided with six laps to go in regulation.
“I think you can ask any driver in here that he’s wrecked or been involved with him, he doesn’t have to be that aggressive,” Hendrick said of Chastain. “I guess at this point in the race, maybe you’re super-aggressive but don’t run people up into the fence. He’s going to make a lot of enemies, and it’s hard to win a championship when you got a lot of paybacks out there. He’s got so much talent; I think if he just calmed down that there’s a time in the race.
“Dale Earnhardt Sr. told me one time — I won’t name the driver who drove for me, but he said, ‘He’s got all the talent, he just doesn’t know how to race.’ Meaning he just knows when to race, when to push it. (Chastain’s) got a lot of talent, but he’s making a lot of enemies out here. Kyle now, this one and Dover and Talladega. It’s really getting old with these guys.”
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Chastain admitted he turned himself in Turn 1 as he raced Larson off a restart. The two were side-by-side entering the corner, Chastain on the inside of Larson, when he tried to squeeze and push Larson up. But Chastain collided with Larson and was turned into the outside wall, taking them both out of contention.
Larson’s crew chief, Cliff Daniels, was heated in the intermediate aftermath of the crash. Daniels referred to three races that Chastain has “taken us out.” At Darlington, Chastain made direct contact with Larson, while incidents involving Chastain at Talladega Superspeedway, where he collided with Noah Gragson, and Dover Motor Speedway, where he ran into Brennen Poole, collected Larson.
“I don’t care if he’s driving a Chevrolet if he wrecks our cars,” Hendrick said. “I don’t care, and I told Chevrolet that. If you wreck us, you’re going to get it back. And if you don’t, they’ll run all over you. I’m loyal to Chevrolet, but when somebody runs over us, I expect my guys to hold their ground. I’m not going to ask them to yield just because it’s Chevrolet.”
Hendrick said he doesn’t know if Chevrolet can “cool it down,” but it’s not the way they operate. NASCAR has gotten involved with driver feuds in the past, but as Hendrick acknowledged, it’s not only one driver upset with Chastain.
Larson declined a radio interview on pit road and did not talk to the media before leaving the racetrack. Ironically, Larson said Saturday he’s not a fighter and doesn’t have a history of confronting other drivers.
“I would think Justin [Marks, Trackhouse Racing team boss] would have a conversation with him,” Hendrick said about who needs to get involved. “Again, if you have a lot of people wanting to pay you back, then it’s hard to win a championship that way. He’s got talent enough to do that, but we don’t want to get knocked out (in the incidents).
“If you look at the points that Larson’s lost because of (incidents with Chastain) and the race here today. I think somewhere in the stages, he was all over Larson. The drivers have to settle that.”
Rick Hendrick likes NASCAR’s schedule updates. But he’s hoping for more.
NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick, like so many others in racing, is a fan of the creativity and risks the sport has been taking recently with its schedule, adding new tracks and changing a lineup that drivers previously called “stale.”
But, as he explained, he’s hoping for more.
In addition to including more road courses in the Cup Series schedule — including Circuit of The Americas, where the sport races this weekend for the second consecutive season — NASCAR mixed it up last year by debuting a dirt race at Bristol Motor Speedway, which returns this season with the Food City Dirt Race on April 17. Another creative example this season was The Clash at the Coliseum, with the annual preseason exhibition race on a purpose-built short track inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for what turned out to be a massive success.
So what more could NASCAR do? The Hendrick Motorsports owner hopes the sport adds a street-course race.
Both the IndyCar Series and Formula 1 feature multiple street circuits on their respective schedules — including F1’s new Miami Grand Prix this season with a 19-turn temporary street course around Hard Rock Stadium — but not NASCAR. For now, anyway.
When asked Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway about NASCAR’s revamped schedule, Hendrick called the changes and updates “exciting” and explained:
“I think it’s great for NASCAR. The stadium brought a lot of new fans in. The dirt track — I’ve got people coming out of the woodwork wanting to go to Bristol now for that race, and I think it’s exciting for the fans and the drivers are adapting well.
“This car, we basically run the same car everywhere, and so I think it’s great for the sport, and I would like to see a street race. Hopefully we’ll just continue to work outside the box, and I think that’s growing a lot of new fans for us.”
Continuing to emphasize the importance of NASCAR drawing in new fans, Hendrick — who was speaking at a winning press conference after William Byron took the Atlanta checkered flag — was asked to elaborate. About the possibility of a street race, he said:
“I just think it’s exciting. I think it’s different. I think it would be, why the Coliseum race? I mean, if there’s a right street circuit that we could race on, I just think something different brings in a new level of fans. And it’s exciting. It’s something different to talk about.
“I think keep changing it up, and it just seems to bring in a lot of new people that we haven’t seen. The age group at the Coliseum were people — I think they said, like, 60 percent had never been to a NASCAR race. I think just doing something different than you’ve done for years and years is good for the sport.”
NASCAR has not yet released its 2023 schedule, so perhaps Hendrick’s wish will come true in the future.
The seven-time champion announced his plans for the future on social media Wednesday, effectively commencing a retirement tour as he competes in a 36-race schedule (plus two exhibition events) one last time.
Entering his 19th full-time season, Johnson has 83 career wins in a tie for No. 6 on the all-time list. He’s spent his entire Cup career in the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, and, despite a recent slump in his performance, will have one more opportunity to earn a record-breaking eighth series championship, which would separate him from Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr.
Following Johnson’s announcement, he and team owner Rick Hendrick had a joint press conference Thursday to discuss the decision, the 44-year-old driver’s legacy and his future, along with that of the No. 48 team.
Here are eight things we learned from that press conference.
(It actually starts around the 1:04:00 mark.)
1. Jimmie Johnson realized he wanted to retire in October
Johnson signed a three-year contact extension with Hendrick Motorsports in 2017, so as the second year of that extension began winding down, the speculation about his future grew. In September, Johnson told For The Win: “So I could see another year or two potentially, but it wouldn’t go much further than that.”
But something changed for him not long after, and he compared the realization of wanting to retire, and being certain about it, to proposing to his wife, Chandra.
“Many of you that know me, I like to have a plan, and I like to think things through. I did plenty of that through the spring and summer, just knowing that I’d have to make a decision. In my mind, I felt like I needed to make a decision by the end of the year. And nothing really hit me in the gut with the feeling that I wanted to stay or stop at the end of 2020.
“And then as the year went on, and we roll into October, the feeling just became real. It really did, and it felt good to think about it. It was such a profound moment that I really take it back to the moment in time where I knew I wanted to buy a ring for her [gestures toward Chandra]. It was just that strong in my stomach. I was like, ‘Wow, this is what I want to do.'”
“I feel very, very good about my decision, and it’s time,” he added. “I feel so fortunate that it showed up to me in that way.”
2. Mr. Hendrick didn’t believe Johnson at first
Johnson said he told the team owner of his decision about three weeks ago at Hendrick’s house. Describing their conversation, Johnson said:
“On a funny note, I did mention to him I think twice, maybe three times, that 2020 was going to be my last year, and he never reacted. And then the fourth time he said, ‘I guess you’re serious about this, aren’t you?’”
Hendrick said he was “shocked” when Johnson told him he’s going to retire.
“Every time one of these drivers call me and come to my house, I know that’s not a good situation,” Hendrick joked, after recently losing drivers like Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. to retirement.
Jimmie Johnson and Rick Hendrick (AP Photo/Bob Leverone)
3. Johnson said his team’s recent slump didn’t have a huge impact on his decision
For a driver with an incredibly impressive resume, Johnson and the No. 48 team aren’t competing the way they’d like. Johnson’s last win was in June of 2017, and for the first time in his career, he missed the playoffs in 2019.
When asked about his struggles recently playing a role in his decision to retire, Johnson said:
“Truthfully, it had very little implication on me making the decision. … In my heart of hearts, it was not because of the struggles of the last couple of years. Life’s a journey, as we all know. Motor sports is a ruthless sport, and it doesn’t matter who you are. It can eat you up and spit you out the other side. I feel so fortunate that I had just this magical moment for so many years, and five in a row and the seven championships that we had.
“When timing was right and my opportunity was right, I took the most of that opportunity and made stuff happen. And I feel like that’s coming. I feel like 2020 can be that moment for me. And these last two years are just part of that in building up for what could be a really special year.”
4. He consulted several former drivers about deciding to retire
It’s hardly surprising that Johnson spoke to big-name drivers who have already retired to get their thoughts on the subject. After all that, and speaking with his wife, he said, “It just feels right.”
“I’ve talked to greats like Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin, Jeff [Gordon], Dale [Earnhardt] Jr.,” Johnson explained. “And everyone has had their own journey. Some of those guys maybe set a date and left before their heart really wanted to leave, or a lot of other athletes, their time is called and they don’t have that opportunity to pick their moment. And I feel very blessed and fortunate to have this opportunity.”
5. Johnson won’t be a full-time driver, but he’s not done racing
Johnson made it very clear multiple times that he’s not finished racing, but he’s looking for “a better balance in life.” So he’s just stepping away from NASCAR’s brutal nine-month schedule after the 2020 season ends.
“This is not a retirement from driving race cars,” Johnson said. “This is just slowing down from 38 weekends a year, and you certainly know the stress, pressure and grind that it takes.”
Yesterday was a big moment for our family. I am looking forward to many more with these girls! pic.twitter.com/87TMB1SaRt
Johnson said he’s “wide open” at this point and interested in exploring all possibilities, including returning to the Cup Series, just not full time.
“I would come back and drive Cup cars for Rick, without a doubt. All options are open, honestly — except IndyCar and fast ovals. I really look forward to what might develop in 12 months from now and see what opportunities might be out there.
“So I wouldn’t mind going and getting dirty again. I know we have a history with off-road racing in the dirt, and I’ll just kind of wait and see. And most importantly, I feel like I need to take a deep breath and just see what comes from there. Put my family first instead of racing first for once, and take it from there.”
6. Other racing series have already reached out to Johnson on social media
But as far as actually making concrete plans goes, he said he hasn’t talked to anyone yet.
“I saw them all pinging me on social media, like, ‘Hey, dibs! Come race here,'” Johnson said. “Even the World of Outlaws sent me a tweet.”
Johnson’s first career win came in his 13th overall start and the 10th race of his first full-time season in 2002. He won the NAPA Auto Parts 500 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. When asked about his most significant win, he said:
“I go to the first. My dream was to be a Cup driver and to win a race. That was the top for me. So to be able to do that in my 13th start at my home track, that was a very, very special moment.”
8. Why Mr. Hendrick thinks Jimmie Johnson is the “perfect” athlete
(Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports)
Hendrick explained the many ways in which Johnson has elevated the team as a whole and how it operates. He said:
“If you just said, ‘I’m going to make a list of what the perfect driver would be, from the talent to the ability to work with sponsors, the athlete,’ — he’s just raising the bar for our company. From fitness to charity, it’s unbelievable how perfect he is. So whatever he wanted, I wanted for him. I told him that this year; I said we’re not on a clock, you tell me what you want to do and we’ll make it work. …
“He’s going to be a buddy, a friend, and we’re gonna do things together, and we’ve been partners in business. So this chapter’s going on but he’s just an unbelievable person and an unbelievable friend. So, he’s not just a driver to me; he’s family.”
