_{*Quick Summary: The author describes Ricky Hendrick’s late model race team, and their attendance competing in the 1999 Taco Bell 300 race.*}

In my career in racing, there were many high points and several of those have been posted here. The highest high was by far the 1999 Taco Bell 300 NASCAR Winston Racing Series Late Model Stock race at Martinsville, VA, and around Fall every year, my thoughts return to that event.

At this point in 1999, Ricky Hendrick had begun driving other cars in other places outside of Late Model Stock cars. He had plans laid out for Hendrick Motorsports and Gordon/Evernham Motorsports as well. While this would not be his final Late Model race, we didn’t know that. To us it felt like the last hurrah. There are so many memories from this weekend that I can’t list them all, but suffice it to say it was one of the best times all of us ever had.

There are things I won’t talk about publicly from this event. Part of it is because of the people involved, and part of it is because I’m not sure if the statute of limitations has expired! Ha-ha-ha! While that is a joke, for those who were there, the phrases – “leaky faucet”, “The Onion Fairy”, “The Rock Crusher”, “the older gentlemen just left”, along with stink bombs in the hallway, the taco eating contest with people not even on our crew, switching the room numbers on the NASCAR Officials rooms, the van ride from the steakhouse to the hotel with the world’s stinkiest onion, throwing up in front of the gas station, the extra key to the Crew Chief’s room, the beer can pyramid, and so many more fun things, will bring nothing but smiles.

Ricky told me a couple of years later this trip was the most fun he’d ever had at the race track, aside from racing. Whether he was just being kind is debatable, but what isn’t up for debate is the fact those of us who were there will never forget this race. On-track, we accomplished something no one else had up to that point. We qualified for the race on our first attempt. We started 17th and finished 11th. Not bad for our first time there, and given the fact the, “Who’s Who” of the Late Model Stock world was our competition. In a race where just as many drivers fail to qualify as race, doing what we did was quite an accomplishment to be proud of. Beyond that, the time we had cannot be equaled in my mind. This was the pinnacle for me. To be with that stellar group of guys, Ricky, and the entire Late Model world, in the center of one of the sport’s most prestigious races, was so special. To know now the significance Martinsville would have on Ricky’s life later, just adds to the emotions.