CONCORD, N.C. - Crew chief Cliff Daniels was on top of the pit box offering his gratitude and reflection as the team was jubilant below him.
“This for you, Mr. H,” Daniels said over the radio. “For you and all the teammates of (Hendrick Motorsports) from all those years ago. Excellent job. Great team, great job today.”
His team’s driver, Kyle Larson, had just put the finishing touches on a dominant win at Kansas Speedway in a Round of 8 playoff race. It was his third win in a row and ninth overall on the season, positioning the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet as a prohibitive favorite for his first NASCAR Cup Series championship.
But more importantly, that celebration had a greater meaning for the Hendrick Motorsports family. That’s because Oct. 24, 2021, date of the race, marked exactly 17 years to the day of the plane crash that tragically took the lives of 10 former teammates, including team owner Rick Hendrick’s son, Ricky.
Reality of the moment brought heaviness into what was an otherwise joyous occasion.
“I didn’t meet Ricky or the other men and women who lost their lives that day,” Larson said after the race. “But I felt the importance of this race. So crazy how it all worked out for me to win. So again, thank you Rick Hendrick. I know this means a lot to you and I’m glad I could get it done.”
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While in the winner’s circle at Kansas Speedway, it might have struck more than a few teammates in attendance that they were also witnessing something almost familiar. The blue, white and red scheme showcasing Larson’s HendrickCars.com sponsorship may have brought another rush of memories to life.
It had been a little over 20 years since Ricky Hendrick’s similarly hued No. 17 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series entry had visited Kansas Speedway victory lane in 2001. On that day, the 21-year-old series newcomer scored his first career win in NASCAR national series competition, holding off the late-race charge of Ted Musgrave.
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“I love those colors,” Hendrick told HendrickMotorsports.com after Larson’s first victory for the organization at Las Vegas Motor Speedway earlier in the year. “When we (Hendrick Automotive Group) were going to be on the car, I mean, I wanted to run that paint scheme with that number. That meant a ton to me (when Larson won) and to my family just to honor our son. I love the paint scheme, anyway. But Kyle made us proud.”
The win was featured among HendrickMotorsports.com's list of “40 Great Wins in Hendrick Motorsports” this past winter.
“I’d been around Mr. H for a couple of years before that and that was the first time he couldn’t talk,” Lance McGrew said to HendrickMotorsports.com, who was crew chief on Ricky Hendrick’s Chevy Truck that day. “He couldn’t even speak. That was the first time and only time I’ve ever seen him speechless.
“He was standing in victory lane with Mrs. H (Linda Hendrick), and he was wiping away tears because he was just so proud.”
As for Larson, win No. 10 would come two weeks later in the Championship race at Phoenix Raceway. It was the final piece to his first NASCAR Cup Series title, completing one of the most dominant seasons in Cup Series history which also included 20 top-five and 26 top-10 finishes.
Kansas Speedway will always hold a special meaning to Hendrick Motorsports.