Nice Guy Finishes First: ESPN Hendrick Bio

[Ghrankenstein]

The Whole Article Here

This is a great article about Rick Hendrick, and it underscores many of the reason why I think so highly of him. As a former Hendrick employee, I was routinely inspired by the personal words that he sent out company-wide, and that I heard when he visited the stores at which I worked. He spoke and wrote candidly about his feelings and setbacks, and how they affected him in any number of contexts: human, brother, father, husband, salesperson, Christian, CEO, and beyond. Colleagues (i.e. managers) that got to speak with him more frequently often relayed more equally touching conversations.

On his dealership visits, Mr. Hendrick takes the time to talk to everyone. He frequently asks frontline employees in any given department, including cleanup, accounting, sales, and service, for their feedback in improving the company. I've said this before, but I was especially flattered when Hendrick remembered me from an earlier visit, and was interested in my take on future products (the then-upcoming CTS and 6L80E).

I wish that more people, and more Hendrick store managers, had the same level of class and integrity as Mr. Hendrick.

Ghrankenstein

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Rick Hendrick had visions of being in the middle of nowhere 31 years ago when Chevrolet offered him the opportunity to run his first dealership in Bennettsville, S.C.

Sure enough, he was.

As he drove past the county line on Highway 401, he saw a house in the middle of a swamp. Soy bean and cotton fields were at seemingly every corner, including the one where the dealership sat.

The dealership itself was nothing to write home about. There were only two salesmen and no showroom, a far cry from the job he had in Raleigh, N.C., where he had 30 salesmen who sold 300 cars a month under him.

It was a shock, even for somebody who grew up on a "poor-ass farm."

"I was, 'Oh, there's no f------ way,' " Hendrick said. "But Chevrolet told me if I could turn it around, they would give me a bigger opportunity."

Hendrick, now 58, turned it around. He now owns 65 dealerships in 10 states. He rakes in an annual revenue of more than $3 billion and employs thousands of people.

His race organization isn't doing so badly, either.

[A Bum In A Bus]

Wow, Wow, and Wow, way to go Rick.......

[XCR440SP]

Nice guy my butt, Felon, criminal, and theif yes, and in my opionion that makes nice guy a title he can't hold.

How about an article about the dealers he ran out of buisiness through his bribery scams, and how about how if you make a large enough donation to his library, Clinton will pardon him.

It makes me sick that he gets all good press despite his wrongs. I go out of my way to not buy from his sponsors, due to his criminal past.


One of my favorite signs of all time was on a sign on a motorhome at the Kansas City race a few years ago after Jr got his penalty for swearing, it said "Nascar Welcomes convicted Felons, just don't say "****""

Here's some links for those who know nothing about Rick Hendick's past.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...3/ai_n13881660

http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3a99b62033ef.htm

[Shotgun]

Originally Posted by XCR440SP

Nice guy my butt, Felon, criminal, and theif yes, and in my opionion that makes nice guy a title he can't hold.

How about an article about the dealers he ran out of buisiness through his bribery scams, and about how if you make a large enough donation, Clinton will pardon him.

It makes me sick that he gets all good press despite his wrongs. I go out of my way to not buy from his sponsors, due to his criminal past.


One of my favorite signs of all time was on a sign on a motorhome at the Kansas City race a few years ago after Jr got his penalty for swearing, it said "Nascar Welcomes convicted Felons, just don't say "****""

Your points are quite valid. I respect Mr. Hendrick as a team owner, but his business dealings are crooked. It's very ironic that your "cancer" is cured the same time your house arrest is over...

[tgagneguam]

This is a short thread, but already I've noticed quite disparate images painted of the same man. Does the truth rest somewhere in between? I find it quite inspirational when people born to something much less than privilege make something of their lives; that seems so American. But if success comes by way of felonious, unethical means, I not surprisingly pass on the opportunity to heap praise.

[eaton53]

All I know is that when I owned my BMW 320is years ago the local dealer here was a blithering idiot who couldn't even get a hood ornament ordered right.

I got far better (actually perfect) results by ordering BMW parts from the Hendrick store in North Carolina, having them shipped to Illinois and having an independant shop do the work. I considered their operation to be very competant, and that was before they started winning everything in NASCAR.

[big swede]

Originally Posted by XCR440SP

Nice guy my butt, Felon, criminal, and theif yes, and in my opionion that makes nice guy a title he can't hold.

How about an article about the dealers he ran out of buisiness through his bribery scams, and how about how if you make a large enough donation to his library, Clinton will pardon him.

If you claim to be a Christian and tell everyone what they want to hear you get a free pass to being a good person by a suprising amount of people.

[Ghrankenstein]

Originally Posted by big swede

If you claim to be a Christian and tell everyone what they want to hear you get a free pass to being a good person by a suprising amount of people.

I'll add to that: starting a charity that only 100% of contributions go directly to those in need and saving barely 440 lives.

That jerk Hendrick.

[big swede]

Originally Posted by Ghrankenstein

I'll add to that: starting a charity that only 100% of contributions go directly to those in need and saving barely 440 lives.

That jerk Hendrick.

I have never understood the logic that if someone does something fabulous, terrific, wonderfull or even life saving that it automatically makes them a good person. There are lousy people who have done nice things for others, especially when cameras are rolling.


I guess by that logic if you do something great for someone you can treat everyone else horribly and you will only be judged on the great thing you did. Wow that makes it easy.

[XCR440SP]

Originally Posted by Ghrankenstein

I'll add to that: starting a charity that only 100% of contributions go directly to those in need and saving barely 440 lives.

That jerk Hendrick.

So if I steal your money and use 10% of it to start a chairity (which I can then deduct on my taxes, the real reson that most support charitys), that makes me a nice guy. I guess my viewpoint is different than yours

[KAH24]

so if a guy does something bad and pays his debt to society (albeit at home) he is still bad? so no change he makes to his life is good enough to be forgiven his sins? I’m not defending him specifically but if he does change he should not have to continue to pay for his transgressions forever. There are very few things in this would not forgivable and that is determined by the courts. I know people who have served time and if they continue to make the wrong choices then they will go back to jail and do it all over again. If he hasn’t been sent back then either he’s doing a better job of hiding the wrongs or he has truly cleaned un and is trying to make amends.

[bone]

I believe Rick Hendrick has made serious mistakes in his life,however, I also believe he has more than paid his debt to society. He has built an unbelievable dealership empire that employs thousands and a NASCAR team that I am very happy is to say is a Chevy, not a Toyota operation.

[mikesright]

Originally Posted by bone

I believe Rick Hendrick has made serious mistakes in his life,however, I also believe he has more than paid his debt to society. He has built an unbelievable dealership empire that employs thousands and a NASCAR team that I am very happy is to say is a Chevy, not a Toyota operation.

Agreed. You'll never find anyone in NASCAR that will say a bad thing about the guy, because he's like a father to so many of the people in the sport and he treats people outside of his organization so well. Along with his charity work, he's more than paid his debt to society, and is a genuine nice guy and fierce competitor.

Besides that, Honda executives were the real crooks anyway, as they made just about everyone who got a dealership from them pay a little under the table to get them.

[Ghrankenstein]

Besides that, Honda executives were the real crooks anyway, as they made just about everyone who got a dealership from them pay a little under the table to get them.

EXACTLY. Hendrick's mistake was playing the game. Yes it was his fault for doing it, but he was the one who was made the example, when it should have been everyone, including Honda.

I have never understood the logic that if someone does something fabulous, terrific, wonderfull or even life saving that it automatically makes them a good person.

It doesn't. But neither does making a mistake make someone a bad person. That's what mistakes are. We've both likely made mistakes that we probably could be prosecuted for. I have (smoking unregulated non-nicotine containing products). While I don't make any personal claims of being a good person (I'll let everyone else be the judge of my character), I try not to let simple claims of "X-person is a crook," cloud my own judgement, not hard when people exhibit horrible character on a daily basis.

Maybe my logic, in the form of sarcasm, was faulty...

"Maybe if everyone who'd ever been close to you had died, you'd be sarcastic too." (Garth Marenghi)

If you claim to be a Christian and tell everyone what they want to hear you get a free pass to being a good person by a suprising amount of people.

A surprising response from BigSwede, knowing my stance on the issue of metaphysics, since the only reference to Hendrick's personal faith was mine.

To clear things up, I withhold my spirituality on this forum out of respect and responsibility. When Hendrick commented (during my time with the company) to the Hendrick Automotive Group on his spiritual bias, he only spoke in terms of his own perspective. Despite the fact that I fundamentally, and possibly controversially, disagree with Hendrick, reading his address about how the accident (his words) affected him in multiple roles (Christian among them) was touching, insightful, and profound, and not simply the "faith-based solution" that people "want to hear."

I worked for an imposing "christian" company, my first dealership. If I had ever thought Hendrick was like that, I would admit them, even if it meant not calling out dealerships.

I -do- respect and admire Rick Hendrick. He and GM have been great for each other. Those are the reasons that I posted the ESPN link.

Ghrank

[DuraMax Hammer]

Originally Posted by XCR440SP

Nice guy my butt, Felon, criminal, and theif yes, and in my opionion that makes nice guy a title he can't hold.

How about an article about the dealers he ran out of buisiness through his bribery scams, and how about how if you make a large enough donation to his library, Clinton will pardon him.

It makes me sick that he gets all good press despite his wrongs. I go out of my way to not buy from his sponsors, due to his criminal past.


One of my favorite signs of all time was on a sign on a motorhome at the Kansas City race a few years ago after Jr got his penalty for swearing, it said "Nascar Welcomes convicted Felons, just don't say "****""

Here's some links for those who know nothing about Rick Hendick's past.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...3/ai_n13881660

http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3a99b62033ef.htm

Thanks for saying that. Its everything I would have said. I liked the guy for about 2 minutes, then my father-in-law told me some good stories, like the ones above, and I quickly turned to feel like that I would piss on him if he was on fire.

I also would like an explantion of how your cancer disappers as soon as you get done with your house arrest. If that was the case, I'm sure my dad (along with our family) would have served time under house arrest and not trying to treat the cancer with trial drugs.