"When you're young, you're fearless": HMS' billionaire owner Rick Hendrick opens up on the big gamble at the start of his career

Rick Hendrick recently spoke about a risk he took that paid off at the start of his career as the owner of Hendrick Motorsports. HMS was founded in 1984 and at one point was one race away from being closed according to Hendrick.

The team then won arguably their most important race with Geoff Bodine behind the wheel at Martinsville. And it was that win that ensured that HMS wouldn't close shop. 40 years on, HMS is now the most successful organization in the history of NASCAR.

During a recent interview with Kelley Earnhardt, Rick Hendrick was asked about the risk he took at the beginning as an owner of HMS.

"I thought I was going to be partners with Spurlock and Kenny Rogers and Richard Petty was going to drive the car and it all fell apart. I had no sponsor, no driver and two cars and five employees. So it was a gamble and you know when you're young, you're fearless so we went on starting racing and then we almost had to, 'Well, we want to close the doors,' won a race and got a sponsor and the rest is history," Rick Hendrick described. [22:55]

Hendrick also revealed that he tried to sign Dale Earnhardt Sr. to HMS at the time. He claimed that they got close to getting his signature but the move didn't materialize.

Further sharing his thoughts on taking risks, Hendrick added:

"I think just taking a chance, it could've gone the other way. I think about it all the time how blessed we were to win that race because we were definitely agreeing to shut it down. I couldn't afford it with no sponsor and then we added the second car and then the rest is history."

---

Rick Hendrick and the Earnhardt family had a long connection before Dale Jr.'s 2007 move

In an interview earlier this year with NASCAR veteran Kenny Wallace, Kelley Earnhardt revealed how Rick Hendrick and the Earnhardt family share a connection. She said that her grandfather was an employee at HMS until he passed away in 1994.

Because of that, Hendrick always held 'a high regard' for her grandfather. And the same was reciprocated for Mr. H in the Earnhardt household. She said that the first time she met Hendrick was when he came to visit her grandfather in the hospital.

Kelley Earnhardt said this history between the two families was a big factor when Dale Jr. decided to race for HMS in 2007 as he switched from DEI.

Kelley added that Rick Hendrick is a 'great father figure' and she can call him for business and personal reasons, even to sometimes complain about her brother she quipped.