Brian Vickers and Ricky Hendrick find the winning streak at IRP | Hendrick Motorsports, 40 NASCAR wins in 40 days

“(Ricky Hendrick) was watching (Brian Vickers) drive and he slides sideways, but he just keeps going. He asks, ‘Who is this guy?’ He introduced himself and they became fast friends, and when the opportunity arose to put someone else in the car, that was Ricky’s choice.”

Lance McGrew, crew chief

Editor’s Note: This is the eighth part of a 40-part series highlighting 40 of the greatest victories in Hendrick Motorsports history as it concludes its 40th anniversary season. A new episode will be released every day from November 22, 2024 until New Year’s Eve. Votes were cast by Hendrick Motorsports employees as well as representatives from the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Racing Insights, with all unanimous decisions automatically initiated. The remaining victories were deliberated and decided by a small committee.

CONCORD, NC – Some of the greatest victories in Hendrick Motorsports history are revered because of the prestige of the event at which they were achieved.

Others are held in high regard because of their place in the midst of championship runs or legendary careers.

Then there are a select few who will forever have special sentimental value within the organization; Victories and days that can never be measured by facts and figures alone.

And the rarest of them are a combination of all of the above.

One of those victories occurred in the late evening hours of August 2, 2003 at Indianapolis Raceway Park when Brian Vickers parked the No. 5 car in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, then known as the Busch Series, winning Kroger 200.

For Vickers, getting there was no easy task, both in terms of the event’s 200 laps of the 0.686-mile short track and in terms of the opportunities themselves. As the story goes, Vickers wasn’t even the first choice of company owners and founders Rick Hendrick when it came to hiring a driver.

But it was a good thing Hendrick wasn’t technically listed as the owner for the No. 5 Xfinity Series entry. That was Ricky Hendrick, who came to the table early and often for Vickers.

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“(Ricky Hendrick) was watching a Busch race in Atlanta and all of a sudden this kid qualified at the front,” recalled Lance McGrew, the team’s crew chief. “He watches him drive and he slides sideways, but he just keeps going. He asks, ‘Who is this guy?’ He introduced himself and they became fast friends, and when the opportunity arose to put someone else in the car, that was Ricky’s choice.”

Shortly before, Ricky Hendrick himself sat in the cockpit of the No. 5 and looked forward to a bright racing future. However, he suffered a broken shoulder in a crash at the third event of 2022 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and while the physical ailments healed, the mental scars just wouldn’t go away. 19 events after his return, Ricky called Hendrick McGrew for a private meeting.

“He had post-traumatic stress disorder from that hit and he hid it for a long time,” McGrew said. “I remember it like it was yesterday. I was sitting in the living room and the phone rang and it was Ricky. He said, “Can you get out of here?” He was in a rental car, I got in with him and he said, “I just can’t do this anymore.” I can’t drive the car the way I need to to be successful be. I don’t have it in me.’ I’m like, ‘Are you sure?’ He said, ‘I feel like I’m not doing justice to the team and I’m scaring the crap out of myself.’ And that’s it.”

David Green stepped in and ran the final six races of the 2002 season, and Ricky Hendrick remained in charge, switching roles from driver to team owner.

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And when it came time to fill the spot with a full-time driver the following season, Ricky Hendrick stood his ground.

“Ricky was just relentless with this new addition,” said Lisa Smokstad, the team’s tire specialist and longtime Hendrick Motorsports teammate. “Ricky really thought Brian could do it, and you know what? He was right.”

Still, there were growing pains early on. Vickers and the No. 5 team didn’t finish in the top five until the eleventh race of the season. Heading into IRP, the 22nd event of the 2003 Busch Series, Vickers and Ricky Hendrick were still looking for their first win together.

But it came. And McGrew knew it.

After Vickers was caught with a lapped car, which cost the team a good result at Pikes Peak International Raceway a week earlier, McGrew stepped in.

“We didn’t fly back until the next morning and I caught up with him at the hotel,” McGrew said. “I think, ‘Brian, you need to be smarter.’ And we sat in his room and talked about it. He said, “Well, I still feel like I have something to prove,” and I said, “Of course, but when you’re in a situation like that, you can’t throw it away.”

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“We went to the airport afterwards and I think we walked right past Vin Diesel and I remember thinking, ‘You’ve got nothing on us, mate.'”

Lisa Smokstad, tire specialist

The fifth car was strong when unloading at IRP and took third place in qualifying. But Shane Hmiel, only 18 years old himself at the time, took pole and had a strong car on short routes.

Luckily for Vickers and the No. 5 team, only three caution flags flew for a total of 20 laps, and although Hmiel pulled away early in the fuel cycles, Vickers was able to catch up to him as time went on.

Hmiel, who led 153 of 200 laps, got past Vickers on a restart with 66 laps to go, but lapped traffic and worn tires put Vickers back on Hmiel’s bumper. As Vickers pressed, Hmiel moved further up the track, using a higher line to take advantage of the progressive lean and using the direct speed to negate Vickers’ ability to roll through the corners.

Side by side, lap after lap, the battle raged, with the third and fourth placed cars of Jason Keller and Scott Wimmer also throwing themselves into the fray. With four cars at the front, McGrew watched from pit road as a classic finish brewed.

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“Brian and Shane Hmiel put on one of the best races you’ve ever seen,” McGrew said. “You shouldn’t be able to do IRP racing at the bottom, but Brian did it and they did so many laps side by side.”

The conversation the two had had a week before played a big role. Vickers had the better car and he knew it, but never got impatient and waited for his opening until it finally happened with 20 laps to go. He slipped at the bottom, slid up the rail, slammed the door and sailed from there to the checkered flag.

Rick Hendrick was immediately invited for a television interview and paid tribute to his son. He beamed as Vickers roasted the tires and possibly an engine in a post-race celebration.

“I have to give Ricky credit for that,” Rick Hendrick said. “Brian was his choice and boy was it a good choice.”

“Everyone held their breath until the end,” said Smokstad. “This is such a great route. It was hot and it was late at night and we were there all day, but we were so excited to see the look on Ricky’s face. He realized that he had made the right decision. There were a lot of father-son things, like, “Look, I picked the right man.” I’ll never forget that.

Vickers would continue to prove it. The team started this IRP race in fifth place in points, 124 points behind leader Scott Riggs. Two more wins and 12 races later, Vickers was the season’s champion. It remains Hendrick Motorsports’ only championship in the Xfinity Series.

But even if success would soon come quickly, the championship ambitions could still wait that evening.

Nobody had it better than the No. 5 team at that moment.

“It was an unforgettable night. “We rolled through the technology at about 2 a.m., but not a single person was tired,” Smokstad said. “We went to the airport afterward and I think we walked right past (actor) Vin Diesel and I remember thinking, ‘You got this.’ Nothing against us, buddy.’”