A larger-than-life figure within the NASCAR world, legendary team owner Rick Hendrick is impossible to miss — even in a big crowd.
When Hendrick isn’t at the racetrack, people notice his absence just the same.
Throughout the 2025 season that recently ended, Hendrick wasn’t around the Cup Series garage nearly as much as is his custom. So, naturally, his absence fueled speculation about why he wasn’t as visible.
Well, it turns out there’s a pretty simple answer. Hendrick provided that answer while participating in a Zoom call with reporters the week leading up to the 2025 season finale.
So, What Kept Rick Hendrick Away From The Track So Much In 2025?
When Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson captured the 2025 Cup Series title at Phoenix Raceway, Rick Hendrick was there to see it happen.
However, championship weekend marked one of the rare occasions this past season that Rick Hendrick witnessed a race in person rather than at home in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“I think my job is during the week and when the crew chiefs are back here, knowing what they need,” Hendrick said. “I’m trying to run a hundred car dealerships. I’ve also had an operation on my leg.
“But I do have the ability to listen to every guy and to monitor what’s going on and be the Monday morning quarterback, (with questions like), ‘Why did you do this, why did you do that?’”
Not that Hendrick finds himself asking that many questions on the heels of a race weekend.
“I’m very confident in the people we have,” said Hendrick, whose organization has celebrated a record 320 Cup Series victories over more than four decades. “I miss going every weekend. But there’s a lot of other things I have to handle. No matter where I am, I’m in constant contact with the guys.
“Hopefully, you’ll see me more next year. I kind of like my role as I can watch, listen and critique.”
Despite Absences On Race Day, Famous Team Owner Remains Heavily Involved
Rick Hendrick followed his “critique” comment with a laugh. Clearly, he meant it in jest.
“I’m just kidding,” the 15-time NASCAR Cup Series champion team owner said. “Those guys know what to do.”
Well, maybe not with everything. Apparently, Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon — who won four Cup Series championships for Hendrick as a driver — has a problem remembering that the bossman always wants to talk on the phone with his current drivers whenever they win a race.
“I have to remind Jeff Gordon, ‘Don’t forget me now. I want to talk to the driver when we win,’” Hendrick said. “One race, he was standing in Victory Lane, but he never handed the phone off.
“I wouldn’t speak to him for a week. Wouldn’t even talk to him. I said, ‘I’m not talking to you anymore.’”
All jokes aside, whether he’s at the racetrack or not, Hendrick remains intricately abreast of the day-to-day operations of the company he founded as All-Star Racing in 1984.
“He knows when the engines come off the dynos. He knows what we’re working on in the wind tunnel or on sim,” Gordon said. “It blows my mind how engaged Rick is and how engaged he is on the automotive side and every meeting and how important that business is, too.
“He has a lot on his plate. I’ve never seen anybody that has the capacity and the energy to be involved in the things that he’s so passionate about. He’s an incredible leader for us to know that somebody is there that is that involved and engaged in everything we do.”
