"I'm glad I didn't have to retire or die": When Rick Hendrick and Richard Childress earned Hall of Fame nods while still shaping NASCAR

Rick Hendrick and Richard Childress are two of the most recognizable names of NASCAR team owners the sport has ever seen. Back in 2017, the duo were acknowledged for their contributions to the sport when they were inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Although Hendrick and Childress both saw themselves being enshrined in the Hall of Fame someday, they didn't expect it to happen as soon as it did. Here's what Rick Hendrick was quoted saying the weekend of the 2016 Coca-Cola 600 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway:

"We're still racing. I understand and think it is right that you get all of the guys in that came before us. I would have felt bad if we'd been early."

Rick Hendrick knew he and Richard Childress' day would come, but they expected it to take a while. Hendrick believed that he'd have to be retired from the sport or gone completely before his name was embedded in the Hall of Fame. Yet, he's grateful he got the opportunity to do it while he's alive and still involved in NASCAR.

"I felt our day would come but after several years of being on the ballot and not getting in — one day I'd get in but I thought they'd wait (to elect me) after I retired or died, so I'm glad I didn't have to retire or die."

Rick Hendrick is the owner of Hendrick Motorsports, which is the winningest team in the history of the Cup Series with 317 victories. HMS also has 14 Cup Series titles, the most of any team.

Richard Childress is the owner of Richard Childress Racing, a team that won six Cup Series titles with the late Dale Earnhardt. The organization has captured 117 Cup Series race victories.

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Rick Hendrick's team Hendrick Motorsports shows off paint schemes ahead of Dover Cup race

Hendrick Motorsports, owned by Rick Hendrick, is showing up to this weekend's NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover in style. HMS' social media team recently took to X to show a few glimpses of the team's four cars and what paint schemes they'll be sporting this weekend.

HMS dropped a five-word caption in reference to "The Monster Mile," which is the nickname of Dover Motor Speedway. Here's what they wrote via X:

"The calm before the monster."

HMS fields four full-time cars in the NASCAR Cup Series, driven by Kyle Larson (#5), Chase Elliott (#9), William Byron (#24), and Alex Bowman (#48). Larson and Elliott have both won respective Cup Series championships with the organization.

Hendrick Motorsports has five victories in 2025, led by Larson with three (Homestead-Miami, Bristol, and Kansas). Byron won the season-opening Daytona 500, while Elliott picked up a victory at EchoPark Speedway.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua