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Rick Hendrick, the owner of Hendrick Motorsports, has been in NASCAR since 1984 when he entered the high-octane sport with his team, All-Star Racing. Since then, HMS has housed some of NASCAR's greatest drivers.
They include seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, four-time Cup title winner Jeff Gordon, two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, 2021 victor Kyle Larson and NASCAR's seven-time Most Popular Driver Award winner Chase Elliott, to name a few.
HMS didn't restrict its operations to the stock car racing world. They have made a handful of starts in the ARCA Racing Series and showcased their most recent non-NASCAR effort at the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans, with Jimmie Johnson, F1 champion Jenson Button and 2010 LeMans winner Mike Rockenfeller.
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However, one question often circulates in the motorsports community -whether the $1B worth Rick Hendrick (as per Celebrity Net Worth) owns an IndyCar team.
The answer is no. Hendrick doesn't own an IndyCar team, but he's deeply invested in the open-wheel racing discipline through his versatile NASCAR driver Kyle Larson.
The Californian debuted in the Indy 500 this past season, in the #17 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, sponsored by Hendrickcars.com. Rick Hendrick reportedly splurged $3 million for his driver's Memorial Day Double effort.
Larson eyed to complete the 1100-mile Indy-Charlotte Double, but inclement weather played spoilsport. After wrapping the Indy 500 run in 18th and way later than the slated conclusion time, he flew for the Coca-Cola 600. But Mother Nature had other plans for the HMS driver, as officials canceled the race following a heavy downpour.
As a result, Larson's hopes were shattered. Not only did he lose out on a potentially promising result at the Indy 500, but failing to participate in the regular season Coca-Cola 600 jeopardized his playoff odds, as NASCAR says at least all 26 races must be run to become eligible for the title fight.
Kyle Larson will run his second Indy 500 with continued support from Rick Hendrick
The Memorial Day Weekend went from bad to worse after Larson couldn't participate in the Coca-Cola 600. Even though he got a waiver later, his quest to complete the Indy-Charlotte Double and join Tony Stewart remains unquenched. Stewart is the only driver thus far to have completed the 1100-mile affair on the same day.
Despite Larson's playoff prospects were jeopardized, Rick Hendrick wasn't ready to give up any more of NASCAR's crown jewel race for an alternative motorsports discipline, expressing his inclination toward the Coca-Cola 600. But he didn't close Larson's IndyCar chapter.
On September 10, it was announced that Kyle Larson will return to the Indy 500 in 2025 for some "unfinished business.
"I really enjoyed the month of May in Indy and racing with Arrow McLaren, but I was really disappointed with missing the Coca-Cola 600 with the No. 5 HendrickCars.com team.
"I appreciate the second opportunity because we have unfinished business. I really want to complete all 1100 miles, and I think we have the opportunity to battle for the win in both events," Larson said.
Rick Hendrick and Kyle Larson will return to the Indy 500. Do you think Larson could win this time, considering he led the field during his debut attempt, but the necessary pitstop with 17 laps left cost a potential race win?
