SOUTHFIELD, MI — Hendrick Motorsports Owner Rick Hendrick was presented the 2004 NASCAR/Champion Spark Plug Buddy Shuman Award in a ceremony in New York City last week.
Presented by Champion annually since 1957, the Shuman Award recognizes an individual or group that has made a significant contribution to the growth of NASCAR Nextel Cup Series racing. Champion spark plugs are manufactured and marketed by Federal-Mogul Corp.
Hendrick came to NASCAR competition in 1984 after dominating drag-boat racing as a team owner. In its first year of Cup competition, Hendrick’s team won three races and claimed three pole positions with driver Geoff Bodine. Hendrick Motorsports today operates five teams and employs more than 450 at its 62-acre complex in Concord, N.C. The organization has won more than 100 Cup Series events and claimed five Cup championships.
Hendrick Motorsports’s success continued in the 2004 Cup Series — with two of its teams involved in the tightest championship points chase in NASCAR history. However, the year also brought a devastating tragedy in the form of an October plane crash that claimed members of the Hendrick family and team.
“The Shuman Award committee made an excellent choice in honoring Rick,” said Jay Burkhart, vice president of global marketing for Federal-Mogul. “He is an extraordinary asset to the sport and without peers in terms of his ability to build a successful racing organization. But his legacy extends well beyond this sport; Rick’s generous support of charitable organizations has inspired everyone in the NASCAR community.”
Hendrick, who was diagnosed as having a rare form of Leukemia in 1996, today serves on the board of The Marrow Foundation and has established the Hendrick Marrow Program to assist victims of the disease.
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