"I built his office right next to mine" - Rick Hendrick reflects on late son Ricky's unfulfilled plans at HMS

Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports opened up on his late son's role in taking over the business before his untimely death. Hendrick's son, Ricky, tragically died in a plane crash, along with other members of the Hendrick family in October 2004.

Before his tragic death, 24-year-old Ricky Hendrick competed in both the Xfinity and Truck Series. He achieved a notable victory in the 2001 Kansas Speedway Truck Series race while driving for Hendrick Motorsports. However, due to the mental and physical demands of racing, the Charlotte native decided to retire from competition. He subsequently transitioned into a different role within the company, becoming the owner of two Xfinity cars for Hendrick Motorsports.

Speaking with The Charlotte Observer, Rick Hendrick discussed Ricky's aspirations to take over the business. The 75-year-old also claimed that his son would have done a better job than him in handling the organization. He said:

"He would have done a better job at this than I did. ... Ricky stepped out of the car in ‘03 when he had a wreck in Vegas, and it tore everything in his shoulder and pinched some nerves in his neck. ... He said: “I think I need to get out of the car and put Brian Vickers in.” And Brian won the [Xfinity]championship."

"Ricky had tremendous people skills, and he loved racing. Everybody here really enjoyed being with him. ... I built his office right next to mine [at Hendrick Motorsports]," added Hendrick.

HMS was founded in 1984 and is now celebrating its 40th anniversary. The Charlotte, North Carolina-based organization is the winningest NASCAR team with 14 Cup Series championships and more than 300 triumphs in the premier division.

Moreover, since the addition of NASCAR legends like Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson to the roster, the organization hasn't gone more than four years without winning a Cup Series championship title.

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"If we get there, we want to finish the job" - Rick Hendrick's thoughts on continuing their winning trend

Hendrick Motorsports and their drivers have been a force to reckon with this season. Kyle Larson has been the most dominant one with six victories, followed by William Byron with three, and Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman with one each.

In a recent post-race interview at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Rick Hendrick was questioned about the team's motivation for the current season, having missed out on the title during the last two years. Hendrick said:

"Nothing fuels you more than get to that final race and not being able to close the deal. You go to the offseason thinking about you got two cars there, and you didn’t get to close a deal. So every race this year the crew chiefs are talking about Phoenix, and they’re talking about wanting to get back and kind of have another shot." [4;20]

Furthermore, he added:

"Not trying to get ahead of where we are, but knowing if we get there, we want to finish the job." [5:20]

As things stand, Larson and Byron are above the playoff cutline with 33 and 4 points respectively. Meanwhile, Elliott is in the playoff bubble and is in a nine-point deficit.

NASCAR will be back in action for the first Round of 8 race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 20.