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In honor of the organization's 40-year anniversary, Hendrick Motorsports has been looking back at some of its most iconic wins over the years. One of them includes the team's very first win when Geoffrey Bodine captured the victory at the Martinsville Speedway in 1984.
Had it not been for that win, car owner Rick Hendrick believes HMS wouldn't exist today, let alone have the success it has had over the years. The 14-time Cup Series champion owner was quoted by author Ben White in the book "Hendrick Motorsports 40 Years" telling Harry Hyde, the team's crew chief at the time, that HMS wouldn't last past the Darlington race that year.
However, Hendrick said Hyde instilled confidence in him about Martinsville, adding:
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“I told Harry Hyde we couldn’t go past Darlington, or I’d be putting my entire business at risk. We went to Darlington and finished 35th, and I thought that was it. Now, again, Harry was a great salesman. He kept saying, ‘Just let us go to Martinsville, Bodine is good there. We can win.’ He talked me into it.”
Sure enough, Bodine wheeled his way to victory in the #5 HMS machine after leading 55 of the race's 500 laps. It marked not only the first win for HMS but also the first of Bodine's Cup Series career.
The now-75-year-old told HendrickMotorsports.com that he recalls getting emotional as the final laps of the race wound down.
“I kept thinking something could still happen, but it was all starting to set in,” Bodine said in the book. “With five to go, tears were flowing down my cheeks. That’s when I started thinking about all the sacrifices I put my family through. It was finally paying off. It was finally going to work.”
For Hendrick, the win was pivotal in keeping the organization alive as they continued to move on and ultimately become the most accomplished Cup Series team in history. Without a doubt, Hendrick said had it not been for Bodine's triumph, there wouldn't be a HMS today.
“It was such a relief,” Hendrick added. “If we hadn’t, there’s no way we would be here today.”
All four Hendrick Motorsports drivers won in 2024
Hendrick Motorsports is still going strong 40 years later as all four of their full-time NASCAR Cup Series drivers scored victories in the 2024 season. The team was led by Kyle Larson with a season-high six wins.
Larson won races at Las Vegas, Kansas, Sonoma, Indianapolis, Bristol, and the Charlotte Roval. William Byron kicked off the season with a win in the Daytona 500 and added two more victories at Circuit of the Americas and Martinsville.
Chase Elliott snapped a 42-race winless streak with his sole victory of 2024 at Texas. Alex Bowman ended an 80-race winless streak with his only victory of 2024 in the Chicago Street Race.
