“He was unbelievable”: Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon earn spots on billionaire Rick Hendrick's best former HMS driver list

Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) owner Rick Hendrick has named Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon as two of the best former Hendrick Motorsports drivers in the team's 40-year history in the sport. Johnson and Gordon played key roles in HMS’s success and built the team’s legacy, making them the winningest team in NASCAR Cup series history.

Hendrick recently sat down with the “Sports Legends of the Carolinas” podcast and talked about his best former HMS drivers. Hendrick praised Johnson and Gordon’s incredible contributions to the team's success, referring to Johnson as ‘unbelievable’ and Gordon as ‘talented’. Both former drivers secured multiple championships for HMS and became iconic figures in NASCAR.

Describing Johnson and Gordon as HMS’ best former drivers, here’s what $1B worth Rick Hendrick (according to Celebrity Net Worth) said:

“Jimmie was the guy that could pick the car apart. If you listen to drivers today, they’ll say (very detailed instructions about what the car needs). ... Nobody ever did that until Jimmie Johnson came along. And so he would start running over 200 in a corner, loose and out of control, telling Chad (Knaus, Johnson’s crew chief) what he thought the car did, what needed, and what it was doing. His attention to detail and his talent — he was unbelievable.”

Praising Jeff Gordon, who is a former HMS driver and current vice chairman of HMS, Hendrick said:

“Jeff was so talented. Jeff just could outmaneuver and outdrive (everyone). He and Ray (Evernham, Gordon’s longtime crew chief) were like magic.”

Rick Hendrick is regarded as the most successful NASCAR team owner in the history of the spot. He has won 14 NASCAR Cup championships and 304 races in NASCAR Cup Series as of 2024.

Out of 14 titles, 11 had been shared between NASCAR legends Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon. With seven NASCAR titles, Johnson is tied for the all-time record with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. While Gordon is a four-time Cup champion.

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Rick Hendrick also remembers Tim Richmond as HMS's best former driver

Hendrick Motorsports owner also named Tim Richmond while speaking about HMS's best former drivers. Hendrick reflected on the unbelievable talent of Richmond, a former NASCAR driver from the 1980s known for his raw driving skill and fearless attitude.

Rick Hendrick believes Richmond had the potential to win multiple NASCAR championships if he had lived longer, as he passed away tragically at the age of 34 in 1989.

In the aforementioned podcast, Hendrick said:

“Tim Richmond had an unbelievable amount of talent. If that guy had lived, he would have won a lot of championships. He had as much raw talent as anybody I’ve ever seen, and he loved it. He would want to mess around with Earnhardt. He would want to rub on him a little bit, and he was the only guy out there that Earnhardt knew not to mess with.”

Tim Richmond had competed in 37 races and won nine races in the #25 HMS Chevrolet from 1986 to 1987. Last year, he was named as one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers.