“I hurt for Joe, not too bad”: Rick Hendrick hilariously calls out Coach Gibbs for not picking up his phone after NASCAR championship race

During the 2025 NASCAR Awards ceremony on Tuesday, in a moment that perfectly captured the camaraderie among NASCAR legends, Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick poked fun at Joe Gibbs and other fellow team owners following the emotional NASCAR Cup Series championship victory.

Hendrick, whose team secured its 15th Cup Series title with Kyle Larson’s third-place finish at the season finale at Phoenix, jokingly called out Gibbs for not returning his call after the race. Hendrick and Gibbs’ teams competed against each other for the prestigious Bill France Cup. From HMS, it was Kyle Larson and William Byron, and Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe were on JGR’s side.

During the NASCAR Awards ceremony in Scottsdale, Arizona, HMS owner hilariously revealed that his friend and fellow champion team owner, Gibbs, whom he beat by a small margin for the 2025 title, didn’t pick up his call and didn’t even call back after the Phoenix championship race.

“See Joseph sitting down there. I actually hurt for Joe, not too bad. But I did call Joe, and he didn’t call me back right away. You know, he doesn’t answer his phone…He gets upset at me if I don’t return his calls. But he doesn’t return my call.” Hendrick jokingly said.

Rick Hendrick also praised Denny Hamlin and his team’s efforts after the heartbreak of coming up short in the championship fight. Hamlin led a race-high 208 laps, but the late-race caution and four-tire choice changed the outcome of the race.

“But Joe and Denny..I called Denny. I felt bad for those guys. That’s the most excited I’ve been; I almost jumped off the pit box with one lap.” HMS owner said.

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“My hero over there, thank you for what you do for this sport”: Rick Hendrick expresses his gratitude toward Roger Penske

In the above-mentioned conversation, Rick Hendrick showed deep respect toward another fellow team owner, Roger Penske, calling him his hero and thanking him for whatever he had done for NASCAR.

“And Roger Penske. Roger, my hero over there, thank you for what you do for this sport. Thank you for being a friend. I got two heroes here I have to race against,” Hendrick continued.

Rick Hendrick’s playful comment didn’t stop here as he teased Richard Childress as well for not calling him back. He said:

“And all of the other friends, Richard Childress. I called Richard Childress; he didn’t call me back either… Nobody called me back.”

Penske’s three-year streak of winning the NASCAR championship had also been ended this year, as all three of his drivers were eliminated from the Championship 4 race.

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Edited by Yash Soni