NASCAR owner Rick Hendrick has a special feelings for Kansas Speedway

Rick Hendrick stays busy when he comes to Kansas City for NASCAR race week.

Hendrick spends the early part of the week visiting some of the nine automobile dealerships he owns in the area. And once Hendrick arrives at Kansas Speedway, he makes the rounds at the garage, where his four Chevrolet race teams are in NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup and include the biggest names in the sport.

Hendrick checks on six-time champion Jimmie Johnson … visits with four-time champion Jeff Gordon … jokes with NASCAR’s most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., … and speaks with Kasey Kahne.

But when Hendrick has an idle moment, he gazes out to the start-finish line of the 1.5-mile tri-oval and recalls the fondest moment of his 30-year career as owner of Hendrick Motorsports.

It was there, on July 7, 2001, that Hendrick’s son, Ricky, took the checkered flag and won the very first NASCAR race at Kansas Speedway, a Camping World Trucks Series event. At 21 years, 3 months, Ricky Hendrick became the youngest driver to win a trucks race.

“I’ve been excited waiting for races to end,” Rick Hendrick said wistfully, “but that one, it was almost like I needed oxygen when that was over. That will always be special, him winning that inaugural race.…

“I have a lot of those pictures in my office, and I remember like it was yesterday, he was being interviewed in the press room, and I was standing in the back watching, knowing what it meant to him.”

It would be the only NASCAR race Ricky Hendrick won. Hendrick competed in the Nationwide Series for a year before injuries forced him to leave the race car in 2002 and put him behind a desk at Hendrick Motorsports.

In October 2004, Ricky was among 10 people, including the brother and two nieces of Rick Hendrick, who died in a plane crash while en route to a race at Martinsville, Va.

Hendrick, 65, has won a record 11 Sprint Cup driver championships and a record 14 NASCAR owner championships, but his most prized possession is a memento from his son’s victory at Kansas Speedway.

“When they repaved the track,” Hendrick said, “they dug up a chunk of the finish line and did a nice plaque and picture and presented it to me. That meant a lot to me.”

Ricky Hendrick was close friends with Dale Earnhardt Jr., whose father, seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt Sr., was killed in a crash in the 2001 Daytona 500. The two tragedies forged a bond between Hendrick and Junior, who began racing for Hendrick Motorsports in 2008.

“I think an awful lot of him,” Hendrick said. “He’s filled a void in my life, I’ve filled a void in his life and it’s just really good to see for him and his fans to see him do well.

“It’s really good to see Junior in such a great spot. I think this could be the year that he could win a championship.”

Having four of the 12 cars remaining in the Chase puts Hendrick in a ticklish spot.

What would mean more: Johnson tying Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the most championships in history? Gordon, at 43, winning his fifth title? Earnhardt Jr., after 15 years in the series, winning his first? Or Kahne breaking through and winning his first?

“Can you imagine Dale Earnhardt Jr. winning his first championship and what it would mean to the sport?” Hendrick said, perhaps letting his favoritism show through.

“The balance with the organization, seeing them all have wins. … This is what I’ve always wanted to have: when you go to the track, and all your cars run well. We get in the Chase, we go into that final race, I hope I have two or three cars in that final deal. … If we do, I know they’ll work together that morning and go out and race and let the best man win.”

In 2009, Hendrick drivers Johnson, Mark Martin and Gordon finished 1-2-3 in the Chase, which is a distinct possibility this year.

“Everybody likes to put a smile on Mr. Hendrick’s face,” Gordon said, “because you know he’s given us the resources and tools to go do it. If you don’t, it’s on you.

“We’re having a great year … we have high expectations because we are Hendrick Motorsports and we’ve won a lot of championships. We look at ourselves and say, ‘If we don’t win, we haven’t done our job properly.’”

This story was originally published October 4, 2014 at 7:42 PM with the headline "NASCAR owner Rick Hendrick has a special feelings for Kansas Speedway."