The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is famous for hosting IndyCar's Indianapolis 500 for IndyCar and NASCAR's Brickyard 400. This week saw a meeting of both worlds for some of the more popular figures in both sports.
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Rick Hendrick was at Indianapolis to watch his driver, Kyle Larson, complete rookie orientation for the 2024 Indianapolis 500, as Larson gets set to run the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing" with Arrow McLaren.
Two Time IndyCar champion and 2018 Indy 500 winner, Will Power, was also on hand to test IndyCar's new hybrid engine, which will debut in 2024, on the 2.5-mile oval. He also used the opportunity to present a gift of gratitude to Hendrick.
Power's wife Liz fell ill this year, and as he explained in a video posted on the official NTT INDYCAR SERIES X page, she nearly passed away. Hendrick had been one of the first people to reach out to Power after the news about his wife's health scare surfaced.
When @12WillPower's wife Liz was sick earlier this year, Rick Hendrick was there to help.⁰ ⁰Today, Power was able to give him a small gift of thanks. pic.twitter.com/ICmdTndZSN
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) October 12, 2023
"My wife got very sick in the offseason, and Rick was one of the first people to call me and help me out," Power said. "When he found out he put me in touch with the best doctors, the best people who could take care of it, she was very close to dying... It was a very tough situation and he never stopped calling through the whole process."
Power is one of IndyCar's most respected drivers, and Hendrick is one of NASCAR's biggest names and is the sport's winningest car owner. Power presented Hendrick with a signed helmet during Larson's rookie orientation run, because he couldn't think of a better gift to return for all of Hendrick's support.
Hendrick suffered a very tough health battle of his own in the late 1990s and many in the racing community rallied around him to ensure he knew that he was not alone in his fight. Hendrick has been paying that forward to others in need since. It's so good to see NASCAR and IndyCar connecting on something far bigger than just racing.
