Carl Kiekhaefer had demonstrated the potential of multi-car teams as far back as the mid-'50s, fielding as many as six cars in a single race and winning nearly everything in sight in 1955 and '56. Kiekhaefer was a wealthy businessman who was racing as a hobby and as a way to market his company, Mercury Outboards, which had brought him millions. It was nearly 40 years before the multi-car concept took root in NASCAR.
Other car owners tried it over the years--with Holman-Moody, Petty Enterprises, and Junior Johnson being the most popular--but none were able to change the complexion of the sport. While Hendrick Motorsports didn't single-handedly change the sport, the success of that operation certainly showed the racing community that multi-car teams could work, and work well.
The No. 21 Ford of Wood Brothers...
The No. 21 Ford of Wood Brothers Racing was the only one-car team toreach victory lane in 2001.
"I just think guys didn't step up because there weren't enough good multi-car teams at the time," says Hendrick. "Junior (Johnson) really had it going and he, because of the politics involved with his teams, just quit."
With so few examples to follow, Hendrick had to draw on his business experience and follow his gut instinct to make it work.
"It's one of those deals you know in your heart that it will work," says Hendrick, who is one of the country's largest auto dealers. "I looked at multiple dealerships and saw we could learn from each other and could grow people and give people opportunities to step up. I knew in the business world that it would work, and I thought it would work in this sport. We just had to work to where we could make it work and win."
Making it work isn't easy, especially with the parity found in the sport today. Finding the right chemistry is key, whether it's with a single-car team or a multi-car one. Chemistry, or the potential lack of it, was an overriding factor when the majority of team owners were content to run a car with one driver.
"When I was reasonably successful on a consistent basis, I wanted to do a multi-car team at that time," says McClure, "but the drivers I had certainly didn't want to do that. They didn't want any emphasis taken off them."