“He’s a hell of a boss”: NASCAR insider heaps praise on Rick Hendrick amid Charlotte success

Former NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace recently commended Hendrick Motorsports CEO Rick Hendrick for the team's outstanding display in the Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. HMS driver Kyle Larson dominated the race and grabbed his sixth win this season.

Rick Hendrick founded HMS, one of the most successful teams in Cup Series history, in 1984. Co-owned by four-time Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon, HMS has secured 16 championship titles and 339 race wins across NASCAR’s top three divisions. The team fields four Cup Series entries, three of which are driven by a former champion.

Following the end of the race on October 13, Wallace praised Hendrick for his team's performance on his podcast:

"He's a hell of a boss. He's got it going on, and successful companies have great bosses. Roger Penske [of Team Penske] is a successful man, but some of his drivers have had some tough luck." [02:58]

All four Hendrick Motorsports drivers secured a spot in the 2024 Cup Series playoffs Round of 8. However, after the post-race inspection, the #48 Ally Chevy driven by Alex Bowman did not meet the post-race weight requirements. Bowman had initially knocked out Team Penske's Joey Logano from the Round of 8, but his disqualification has bumped Logano back up into the playoffs by default.

Meanwhile, Rick Hendrick's star drivers Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, and William Byron have advanced to the Round of 8 and will continue their title chase.

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“I felt it was a fair deal”: Rick Hendrick explains why he signed the charter proposal amid 23XI controversy

NASCAR teams 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are the only teams that have refused to sign the new charter agreement proposed by NASCAR. The dispute has escalated to a legal matter as 23XI and FRM filed an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR and CEO Jim France.

HMS owner Rick Hendrick pointed out the reasons for his decision to sign the new deal amid the escalation (via AP):

“I think we worked really hard for two years and it got down to, you’re not going to make everybody happy. And I think it got down to, I was just tired. Not everybody was happy. But in any negotiation, you’re not going to get everything you want, and so I felt it was a fair deal and we protected the charters, which was number one, we got the (revenue) increase, and I feel a lot of things we didn’t like we got taken out, so I’m happy with where we were.”

Meanwhile, despite being in a legal dispute with the organization, a joint statement from the Michael Jorden-led 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports indicated that they are "fully committed to competing in next year's Cup Series."