NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship Weekend: Three takeaways
By Ted Fleming
2. Rick Hendrick adds to his legendary status
Even before anyone knew how the 2016 Sprint Cup season would play out, Rick Hendrick was already headed to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. When he is formally inducted in January, his career stats line will have to be changed from the press release making the announcement.
When Jimmie Johnson took the checkered flag in the season finale, it became Hendrick’s 12th Cup championship, more than anyone in the history of the sport. He is also the only owner who has a title with three different drivers (Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Terry Labonte) and his 245 wins ranks second all-time and first in NASCAR’s modern era. Petty Enterprises has the most with 268.
To put Hendrick’s 12 championships in perspective against all sports, he ranks seventh all-time behind the New York Yankees (27 World Series titles), Montreal Canadiens (24 Stanley Cup titles), Boston Celtics (17 NBA titles), Los Angeles Lakers (16 NBA titles), Toronto Maple Leafs (13 Stanley Cup titles) and Green Bay Packers (13 NFL championships).
Since Hendrick Motorsports opened its doors, the company has amassed 15 car owner championships across three different series, 12 in Sprint Cup and three in the Camping World Truck Series.
Stability has been a hallmark of how Rick Hendrick operates. Jimmie Johnson has had the same sponsor, Lowe’s, in all seven of his championships, and his relationship with Chevrolet goes back to 1984.