“Rick [Hendrick] Is a Grown Man” – Dale Earnhardt Jr Left Shocked as Former Owners “Toilet Paper” Antics Come to Light

When we talk about some of the biggest names in American motorsport, no conversation is complete without mentioning Rick Hendrick. Hendrick’s legacy as a team owner will perhaps never be topped. But even this iconic team was once close to shutting its doors owing to sponsorship pressure in 1984. And the pressure of redemption fell on the then HMS driver Geoff Bodine to deliver a heroic drive at Martinsville Speedway. And that’s exactly what the NASCAR Hall of Famer did. However, post-win, the “celebration” that happened will definitely tickle your funny bones. Want a hint? It involves loads of toilet paper!

Geoff Bodine’s new book exposes Rick Hendrick’s unusual way of celebrating HMS’ first win

When Rick Hendrick called up his driver Geoff Bodine and crew chief Harry Hyde to inform them about HMS’ potential closure, what he didn’t know was that a grand win awaited them in the spring of 1984. Leading 55 laps, including the final 49, at Martinsville Speedway that day, Geoff Bodine made the wrote history by beating Bobby Allison, and set the ball rolling for what would become the NASCAR Cup Series’ winningest team! After such an iconic, perhaps much-needed win, one would think that the team owner would be present in person to congratulate his driver, right? Well, not exactly!

Instead, the owner was at a church retreat with his wife, leaving the fate of his team in the hands of his faith in God and Bodine. Right after the retreat, Hendrick received a call from his mother, who broke the news of the team’s improbable success. While this story is well known at this point, Bodine revealed a hilarious detail about Hendrick’s actions after learning of the vital victory in his newly launched book.

And, recently, in the latest episode of Dale Earnhardt Jr’s podcast, the Dirty Mo Media crew discussed the various details surrounding that win and Bodine’s recollection of it in the book,

“All of It: Daytona 500 Champion Tells The Rest of The Story”. And while most details revolved around the importance of faith and religion in Bodine’s journey, Earnhardt Jr couldn’t help but point out Hendrick’s behaviour after their win.

Junior shared. “HMS wins its first race at Martinsville with Geoff behind the wheel. Rick’s not there. Rick’s first reaction as a new winning car owner in the Cup Series is to go to Geoff’s house and toilet paper his house. That happened. I don’t know why I thought that was funny. Rick is a grown man, the owner of a dealership.”

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At the time, Hendrick was already an established businessman with his ties to Chevrolet, prompting Junior to wonder why Hendrick chose to toilet paper Bodine’s house, of all things! While the casual prank may make it seem like the win wasn’t as consequential for HMS, the truth is far from it.

“That was a pivotal race” – How Bodine’s Martinsville win was a make-or-break moment for Hendrick Motorsports

Reflecting on Bodine’s iconic win, Rick Hendrick recently highlighted how big of a make-or-break moment it was for Hendrick Motorsport’s future in the Cup Series. Not only was the team close to shutting its doors, but the idea of attending a race at a superspeedway with such a situation wasn’t originally in the plans. So when crew chief Harry Hyde suggested that the team should go to Martinsville owing to Bodine’s skill at the track, Hendrick had nothing to lose.

The legendary owner shared in a team statement, “That was a pivotal race. We had decided to shut the doors because we didn’t have a sponsor and couldn’t go any further. Harry (Hyde) said, ‘Hey, Geoff (Bodine) is good at Martinsville (Speedway). Let’s go to that race’. We won that and got a sponsor, Northwestern Security Life, and then later Levi Garrett came on.”

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At that moment, Rick Hendrick realised a huge burden had been lifted off the team’s shoulders. He concluded, “You just think back on those moments in time. It was so close to there not being a Hendrick Motorsports.” Iconic, isn’t it?