Hendrick Motorsports

Chicago-native Tanner Andrews reflects on his recent decision to become a member of the pit department at Hendrick Motorsports.

It was just an ordinary day in 1990. I had stopped by a local Busch race team in Lake Wiley, South Carolina, and was browsing around the shop. This wasn’t anything unusual for a guy like me. With a background in machinery and a strong passion for racing, my purpose in the shop that day was simple—to learn as much as I could about the sport I loved. Little did I know, my casual visit to the small shop would change my life forever.

Thirty days. That’s how long Harry Hyde gave me to make a good impression on him upon my arrival at Hendrick Motorsports on July 9, 1984. Harry was the crew chief for the No. 5 car of Geoff Bodine at the time and other than Mr. Hendrick, he was the boss at the top of the hill.  If he liked me after 30 days, I could keep working as a body man painter on the No. 5 car at Hendrick Motorsports. If not, I was to go back home to Ohio and find a job there.