"I pushed pretty heavily for that" - Jeff Gordon reflects on convincing Rick Hendrick to expand to a 4-car team with Jimmie Johnson

Jeff Gordon discussed how he convinced Rick Hendrick, the founder of Hendrick Motorsports, to introduce the team's fourth charter. HMS was running a three-car charter prior to Jimmie Johnson's arrival, and Gordon revealed how he brought in Johnson and persuaded Hendrick to expand to four cars.

Following its foundation in 1984, the team started racing that year. The team got renamed from All-Star Racing to Hendrick Motorsports in 1985 and expanded to two cars the very next year.

In 1987, HMS brought in its third car and in 2002, the fourth car was added. Hendrick Motorsports signed Johnson to put him in its fourth car. However, it was not before Jeff Gordon convinced Hendrick to do the same.

"We knew about Jimmie, Rickie Hendrick knew about Jimmie, Rick knew about Jimmie, Chevy knew about Jimmie, it was really about the fourth team, adding the fourth team and what value that brought to Hendrick Motorsports," Jeff Gordon told Kevin Harvick on the recent Happy Hour podcast.

"What we saw was trending in the sport, and sharing more information. And so I pushed pretty heavily for that. And so, there was another level of, 'okay, then you're going to help get us a sponsor.' So you know I would go to sponsor pitches and you know was right there when Lowe's came on board." (7:05-7:35)

Hendrick Motorsports currently fields cars in the Cup and Xfinity Series and is run by Jeff Andrews (President) and Chad Knaus (Vice President, competition).

Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon co-own HMS, and the latter also serves as the Vice Chairman of the most successful Cup Series team in history. The team is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States.

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Jeff Gordon's Hendrick Motorsports stands as the most successful NASCAR team

NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson (5) looks over at owner of Hendrick Motorsports Rick Hendrick during the kissing of the bricks following the Brickyard 400, Sunday, July 21, 2024, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Source: Imagn

In 2024, Hendrick Motorsports reached its 40-year milestone and in these four decades, it has become the winningest Cup Series team in NASCAR. HMS has 312 Cup Series race wins, putting it far ahead of the competition.

Hendrick Motorsports fields four cars in the Cup Series. Kyle Larson drives the #5 car, and Chase Elliott drivers the #9. Alex Bowman and William Byron drive the #24 and #48 cars respectively. The HMS drivers have picked up 11 victories this season in 34 races, the most by a team in 2024.

All four HMS drivers also qualified for the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. Larson, Elliott, and Byron made it to Round of 8 and will compete in the final race of the round at Martinsville this weekend.