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Concord, North Carolina-based Hendrick Motorsports is a team synonymous with success in NASCAR. Founded by American businessman Rick Hendrick in 1984 initially as All-Star Racing, Hendrick Motorsports today is one of the biggest teams in the sport.
The organization boasts of having the most successful record in the premier series of the sport, the NASCAR Cup Series. Rick Hendrick has 14 Cup Series championships to his name, along with 294 trips to Victory Lane over the years. One of the most mind-boggling statistics that puts the team's performance over the years in perpective is that they've won at least one race in a season consecutively for the last 37 years.
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One of the reasons behind the team's successful toppling of the historic Petty Enterprises from the top is down to Rick Hendrick's eye for talent behind the wheel. The Warrenton, North Carolina native, who is a self proclaimed 'gearhead' not only has the brains to capitalize on business opportunities, but can also put himself in the driver's shoes.
This has enabled the NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee to pick out drivers who have championship caliber, often times out of the rough. After all, Rick Hendrick himself was involved in Drag Racing with his father, giving him this knack for finding talent.
Who are the top 5 Hendrick Motorsports drivers in NASCAR?
Statistically speaking, Hendrick Motorsports has provided fans of stock car racing with some of the biggest icons of the past 30 years. Drivers such as Geoff Bodine, Kasey Kahne and Mark Martin have all driven for the team over the past decades, leaving their own legacy behind in the sport.
But then comes the cream of drivers who have clearly risen above everyone else in the team's as well as the sport's history. Here are five of those drivers to have driven for the Concord, North Carolina-based racing outfit:
5. Terry Labonte
Statistically speaking, Texas-born Terry Labonte kicks off the list of five most successful drivers in Hendrick Motorsports' history in the NASCAR Cup Series. The two-time champion of the Cup Series (known as the Winston Cup back then) clinched the ultimate prize in stock car racing in 1984 and 1996. Over a span of 890 races over 37-years in the sport, Labonte won 12 times out of his 387 Cup Series appearances.
4. Kyle Larson
Dirt-track racer and driver for Chip Ganassi in the Cup Series, Kyle Larson had one of the most dominant seasons of any driver in the history of the sport. After the Elk Grove, California native was let go by Ganassi due to racial controversy, Larson went on to dominate the 2021 season with an unprecedented 10 wins for Hendrick Motorsports, and clinched that year's championship.
3. Chase Elliott
Son of former NASCAR driver Bill Elliott, Chase Elliott burst onto the scene with Hendrick Motorsports full-time in 2016. Over his eight seasons with the team, Elliott has proven to be one of the most popular drivers on the field in the modern day and age. With performances to back it up, Elliott has 18 victories in 259 starts, along with the 2020 Cup Series championship and 2022 Regular Season Championship titles to his name.
2. Jeff Gordon
Now acting Vice Chairman at Hendrick Motorsports, Jeff Gordon is the second most successful driver in the team's history with four championships to his name. Well known for driving his #24 DuPont liveried Chevrolet, Gordon has by far the most starts and wins for the team with 803 and 93 respectively.
1. Jimmie Johnson
Often regarded as one of the best drivers in the history of the sport, Jimmie Johnson is certainly a top-dog at Hendrick Motorsports. The legendary driver has managed to equal greats such as Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty with seven Cup Series titles to his name. Over a span of 686 races, Johnson visited Victory Lane 83 times and led 18,941 laps over the course of his career.
After retiring from the sport and the team in 2020, Johnson went onto explore the world of open-wheeled racing in the NTT IndyCar Series before making a part-time return to NASCAR in 2023. Johnson was last seen driving at the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix in Austin, Texas earlier this year.
