Ricky Hendrick

Template:Short description Template:Infobox NASCAR driver 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.

Racing career

Hendrick began his career in auto racing at age 15 in the Legends Series Summer Shootout, winning five races in 1995 and one in 1996.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He moved into late models and won three NASCAR Winston Late Model Series races in 1998 and one in 1999; during this period (1997–2000) his late model team was crew-chiefed by longtime Hendrick Motorsports fabricator and mechanic Frank Edwards.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Hendrick competed in two ARCA Menards Series races — October 4, 2000, at Charlotte Motor Speedway and the 2001 Daytona event in February.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

He continued to run late models in 2000 while adding select NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts in the No. 17 GMAC/Quaker State Chevrolet Silverado. He also made starts in the No. 24 Busch Series car but was involved in several accidents and suffered concussions.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2001, Hendrick ran the full Truck Series schedule. He earned his first NASCAR win at Kansas Speedway on July 7 — at the time, the youngest Truck Series race winner — and posted 19 top-ten finishes, then a rookie record. He finished second in Rookie of the Year to Travis Kvapil.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

File:Hendrickricky.jpg

Hendrick's Busch Series car in 2002.

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.<ref name="biographyrick.net">Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In April 2003 he launched Ricky Hendrick’s Performance Honda Suzuki Aprilia in Pineville, North Carolina.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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**.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Busch Series

NASCAR Busch Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	Template:Tooltip	Pts	Ref
1999	Gordon/Evernham Motorsports	24	Chevy	DAY	CAR	LVS	ATL	DAR	TEX	NSV	BRI	TAL	CAL	NHA	RCH	NZH	CLT	DOV	SBO	GLN	MLW	MYB Template:Small	PPR	GTY	IRP	MCH	BRI	DAR	RCH Template:Small	DOV	CLT	CAR Template:Small	MEM Template:Small	PHO	HOM			92nd	155	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2000	JG Motorsports			DAY	CAR Template:Small	LVS	ATL	DAR Template:Small	BRI	TEX	NSV Template:Small	TAL	CAL	RCH Template:Small	NHA Template:Small	CLT	DOV	SBO Template:Small	MYB Template:Small	GLN	MLW Template:Small	NZH	PPR Template:Small	GTY Template:Small	IRP Template:Small	MCH	BRI Template:Small	DAR Template:Small	RCH	DOV	CLT Template:Small	CAR Template:Small	MEM	PHO				49th	876	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
		14																																	HOM Template:Small
2001	Hendrick Motorsports	24	Chevy	DAY	CAR	LVS	ATL	DAR	BRI	TEX	NSH	TAL	CAL	RCH	NHA	NZH	CLT Template:Small	DOV	KEN Template:Small	MLW	GLN	CHI	GTY	PPR	IRP	MCH	BRI	DAR	RCH	DOV	KAN	CLT	MEM	PHO	CAR	HOM Template:Small		75th	267	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2002		5		DAY Template:Small	CAR Template:Small	LVS Template:Small	DAR	BRI	TEX	NSH	TAL	CAL	RCH Template:Small	NHA Template:Small	NZH Template:Small	CLT Template:Small	DOV Template:Small	NSH Template:Small	KEN Template:Small	MLW Template:Small	DAY Template:Small	CHI Template:Small	GTY Template:Small	PPR Template:Small	IRP Template:Small	MCH Template:Small	BRI Template:Small	DAR Template:Small	RCH Template:Small	DOV Template:Small	KAN Template:Small	CLT	MEM	ATL	CAR	PHO	HOM	28th	2125	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Craftsman Truck Series

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	Template:Tooltip	Pts	Ref
2000	Hendrick Motorsports	17	Chevy	DAY	HOM	PHO	MMR	MAR	PIR	GTY	MEM	PPR Template:Small	EVG	TEX	KEN	GLN	MLW	NHA Template:Small	NZH	MCH	IRP Template:Small	NSV Template:Small	CIC	RCH Template:Small	DOV Template:Small	TEX Template:Small	CAL	30th	846	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2001				DAY Template:Small	HOM Template:Small	MMR Template:Small	MAR Template:Small	GTY Template:Small	DAR Template:Small	PPR Template:Small	DOV Template:Small	TEX Template:Small	MEM Template:Small	MLW Template:Small	KAN Template:Small	KEN Template:Small	NHA Template:Small	IRP Template:Small	NSH Template:Small	CIC Template:Small	NZH Template:Small	RCH Template:Small	SBO Template:Small	TEX Template:Small	LVS Template:Small	PHO Template:Small	CAL Template:Small	6th	3412	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

External links

• Template:Racing-Reference driver
• Template:Racing-Reference owner