“It All Started With This”- Relive Hendrick Motorsports’ Humble NASCAR Beginning as Historic #5 Test Car Die-Casts Hit Production Line

Hendrick Motorsports is the winningest organization in the history of NASCAR. Naturally, with the success came the lore behind it. While the team’s success has been relatively recent in the long history of NASCAR, every success story has an origin. Rick Hendrick and Co.’s success started with the No. 5 car driven by Hall of Famer Geoff Bodine.

Over the years, it has had some legendary drivers race in it. Currently, 2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson is the driver of the iconic car and has continued the tradition of winning races and competing for the title of the best in the sport. As a tribute to the long and rich history of the No. 5 car, Hendrick Motorsports has unveiled the 1983 #5 Test Car 1:24 Die-cast in its official stores. This initiative allows the fans to own a piece of the team’s glorious history for under $94.

Hendrick Motorsports announces the release of the 1983 No. 5 Test Car die-cast

The No. 5 car will always have a special place in the lore of Hendrick Motorsports. When Rick Hendrick had finalized the details of his venture into the 1984 NASCAR Cup Series season, the team wanted to run a test car before they began their success story. Mr. H and his team resorted to the white #5 City Chevrolet test car, which ran at the iconic Charlotte Motor Speedway in the autumn of 1983.

“It all started with this car. Make sure to pre-order the Hendrick Motorsports 1983 No. 5 test car die-cast today,” tweeted the official Hendrick Motorsports handle on Twitter, opening the gates for fans to grab a miniature No. 5 Chevy Monte Carlo.

The product is available on Hendrick Motorsports’ official web store and can be bought for $93.95 only. The product is a preorder item; shipping is expected in October 2024.

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Over the years, with its success, HMS has earned a huge fanbase. One of the major reasons behind it is the continuous desire for victory and the drivers that have resonated with it. The No. 5 has been donned by some iconic drivers who have added more reasons to celebrate the No. 5’s history.

The history of the legendary No. 5 Chevrolet

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The No. 5 Chevrolet marked Hendrick Motorsports’ arrival on the big scene. The first driver to race in it was Dale Earnhardt‘s stern rival, Geoff Bodine. Bodine began the movement with five victories with the team and eventually ended his tenure at HMS with seven wins. Ricky Rudd was the next No. 5 driver in line and recorded four victories in four seasons before passing the torch to a former champion.

Terry Labonte became the Cup Series champion the year HMS made its Cup Series debut. Surprisingly, Labonte succeeded Rudd in the No. 5 in 1994, raced as a full-time driver for 11 seasons, and raked in 12 victories then. As Labonte retired in 2005, some of the sport’s most loved drivers took over the helm.

Kyle Busch took over the No.5 from Labonte and started with a bang, securing the Rookie of the Year award in his debut season. Performing to the organization’s expectations, Rowdy recorded four wins in his two seasons with Hendrick Motorsports. Cult hero Mark Martin was next in line and replaced Casey Mears in 2009.

Mark Martin became the only fourth NASCAR driver to win a race after turning 50 and won five races. He even had a chance to win the Cup Series championship in 2009 before an unfortunate crash ruined his plans. Martin’s tenure ended in 2011, and he moved to Michael Waltrip Racing in 2012.

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The one that followed Mark Martin was none other than Kasey Kahne. Kahne had a rough start to life at Hendrick Motorsports and found it tough to garner pace. However, following a win at the 2012 Coca-Cola 600, he banked on it to have a career-best 4th-place finish in the same year. Kahne raced with Hendrick Motorsports until 2017 and won 6 races in these five seasons with the team.

From 2017 to 2020, Hendrick Motorsports didn’t run the No.5 in the Cup Series, and seemingly fate has its plans. Following a fiasco, HMS signed Kyle Larson from Chip Ganassi Racing. Kyle Larson scored an astounding ten victories in his first season with the team and declared himself worthy of the No.5 car. Since then, he has won 16 races and has continued the winning tradition for the No.5 team.