The NASCAR Hall of Fame vote takes place Tuesday, May 21, and there are some who believe there is one name that may belong in more than the others on the ballot: Ray Hendrick.
Hendrick was added to the Hall’s pioneer ballot this year thanks to his 700+ wins in NASCAR-sanctioned races in the modified and late model sportsman (now the NASCAR Xfinity Series) divisions. The NASCAR Hall of Fame website labels Hendrick “as a driver that was willing to race ‘anywhere and everywhere,’ filling his schedule with modified and late model sportsman races across the East coast.”
His desire to race anywhere was a double-edged sword, as he won so many races but never truly raced for a modified or late model sportsman championship. Though Hendrick did win five track championships at South Boston Speedway, and he also won at tracks such as Charlotte Motor Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway and Dover Motor Speedway.
Roy Hendrick, Ray’s son who also raced and was successful at the grassroots level, believes electing his father to the Hall of Fame is a no-brainer.
“I think he should’ve been in it a long time ago,” Roy Hendrick said. “I really do. Anybody who goes out and does what he did in his career, not just in modifieds. He raced on dirt when he first started racing … and he won, I don’t know how many races, because I was a little kid then. And then when he started racing for Jack Tant, they won about everything they ran.”
When Ray Hendrick paired up with Tant and Clayton Mitchell, he started driving the Flying 11. That red car with a white No. 11 featuring wings around it has become one of the most legendary and most-recognizable cars in racing lore. It even inspired the font when Ray Evernham started Evernham Motorsports.
Hendrick raced the Flying 11 for most of his modified and late model sportsman starts in his racing career, which spanned from 1950-88.
“When I was growing up as a kid, it was just the greatest car in the world for me, and it still is,” Roy Hendrick said.
Roy Hendrick said the No. 11 has always been his favorite number because of his dad. He looked forward to his 11th birthday and dreaded his 12th because his age wouldn’t be 11 anymore.
Hendrick described the team of his father, Tant and Mitchell as being “unbeatable” and “kind of like Rick Hendrick and them [Hendrick Motorsports] today.” Though not related to Ray and Roy, Rick Hendrick spent time in the 1960s…
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