In 1983, Rick Hendrick formed plans to go racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. A car was built but a driver had yet to be signed.
There’s a picture of Rick Hendrick and Dale Earnhardt standings in the garage area at Charlotte Motor Speedway. That comes from a test session he ran with Hendrick Motorsports.
The photo is posted below.
Hendrick called Dale Earnhardt to test his new machine. And during that test, he attempted to sign him. However, he was unable to convince him.
Instead, Dale Earnhardt made his debut with Richard Childress Racing in 1984.
Meanwhile, Geoffrey Bodine was signed to drive the No. 5 car in the debut season for Hendrick. He collected a three race wins.
Dale Earnhardt Jr once had a Geoff Bodine hat; His dad set it on fire
Fast forward to 2026, HMS has collected 15 driver championships in the Cup Series. The first came in 1995.
Dale Earnhardt is a 7-time champion.
“Well, we just asked him to come over and shake the car down,” Rick Hendrick stated via the Dale Jr Download.
“So, we started talking and of course, I wanted him to drive the car. And you know, it was a startup team. No history. No nothing.”
“But, at least we had a relationship. And if you see the picture, he drove the car, then I drove the car. In a suit with a white shirt and his helmet.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr asked, “How fast were you?”
Hendrick joked, “A little bit faster than your dad. I’m going to stick with it too.”
“Oh yeah,” Hendrick confirmed on if he was trying to recruit him to the team. “Zero [chances]. But, I’m a car salesman, I mean I’ve got to try, right?”
The rental car scene in Days of Thunder was inspired by Dale Earnhardt and Geoffrey Bodine
Dale started introducing Rick around the garage area in and around 1982 as, “a fellow who wants to go NASCAR racing.”
By 1983, Rick Hendrick had bought into the Robert Gee Superspeedway Late Model Sportsman operation.
Robert Gee was Dale’s ex-Father-in-law and Grandaddy to… pic.twitter.com/kBogyEviuv
Rick Hendrick tried to recruit Dale Earnhardt? 🏁
Go check out this DJD Classic episode with Mr. H on the @DaleJr Download! 🎙️
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Rick Hendrick | Dale Earnhardt | Geoff Bodine | NASCAR
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