VIDEO NEWS RELEASE: Hendrick Motorsports to Celebrate 40th Anniversary in Full Force During Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway
Click here to download video from today‘s event.
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (February 15, 2024) — Hendrick Motorsports kicked off its 40th anniversary today with some special announcements at Daytona International Speedway during Speedweeks Presented by AdventHealth — the kickoff to the 2024 NASCAR season.
- Winston Kelley, Executive Director of The NASCAR Hall of Fame, led the festivities at the Chevrolet Experience in Daytona International Speedway‘s Infield, honoring Hendrick Motorsports executives, drivers and crew chiefs.
- NASCAR President Steve Phelps gave some remarks on Hendrick Motorsports‘ legacy within NASCAR (1:52).
- Hendrick Motorsports drivers Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, William Byron, and Alex Bowman, and crew chiefs Cliff Daniels, Alan Gustafson, Rudy Fugle, and Blake Harris unveiled their 40th anniversary ruby red paint schemes for the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway taking place on April 7 (1:03).
- Jim Campbell, VP of General Motors Performance and Motorsports, announced that Rick Hendrick, Hendrick Motorsports team owner and founder of Hendrick Automotive Group, will be the honorary pace car driver for the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway.
- Martinsville Speedway Track President Clay Campbell announced that Jeff Gordon and Geoff Bodine will serve as Co-Grand Marshals for the Cook Out 400 (3:42). Gordon is a former Hendrick driver and current Vice Chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, while Bodine earned Hendrick Motorsports‘ first ever win 40 years ago at Martinsville Speedway, back when they were known as All-Star Racing.
- Hendrick Motorsports holds the record for most all-time wins by a team at a track with 28 victories at the historic half-mile.
The Cook Out 400 is part of a triple-header NASCAR race weekend at Martinsville Speedway in April, kicking off on Friday, April 5 with the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The race weekend continues on Saturday, April 6 with the NASCAR Xfinity series.
Then, on Sunday, Martinsville Speedway honors Hendrick Motorsports‘ 40 years of racing with “Mr. H” himself leading the field to green after a command given by NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports legends Jeff Gordon and Geoff Bodine ahead of the Cook Out 400.
About Martinsville Speedway
Founded by H. Clay Earles in 1947, Martinsville Speedway is the only NASCAR track to host NASCAR Cup Series races every year since its inception in 1949. At .526 miles in length, the track annually hosts two NASCAR race weekends featuring the NASCAR Cup Series, along with NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races in the fall. Martinsville Speedway also annually hosts the ValleyStar Credit Union 300, the nation‘s biggest, richest and most prestigious NASCAR Late Model Stock Car race. For more information about Martinsville Speedway, visit martinsvillespeedway.com.
About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 16 of the nation‘s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR sanctions races in three national series (NASCAR Cup Seriesu2122, NASCAR Xfinity Seriesu2122, and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Seriesu2122), four international series (NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race, NASCAR Mexico Series, NASCAR Pinty‘s Series (Canada), NASCAR Whelen Euro Series), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour) and a local grassroots series (NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series). The International Motor Sports Associationu2122 (IMSAu00ae) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championshipu2122, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races annually in 12 countries and more than 30 U.S. states. For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR‘).
