Rick Hendrick, the celebrated Hendrick Motorsports owner, has helped restore racing history by bringing Ray Hendrick’s legendary No. 11 modified car back to its former glory for the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2026. This Rick Hendrick racing restoration effort, marked by a collaboration with Ray Evernham, aims to honor friend and iconic driver Ray Hendrick, whose extraordinary career shaped the world of modified racing.
Restoring Ray Hendrick’s Modified: A Journey Back in Time
The heritage of the No. 11 car and its driver, Ray Hendrick, finds renewed life as Rick Hendrick and Ray Evernham unite to restore the vehicle that shaped both the man’s legacy and the direction of NASCAR’s modified division. During the NASCAR Hall of Fame Fireside Chat, hosted by Kyle Petty, Evernham explained that it was Ray Hendrick’s modified car which first sparked Rick Hendrick’s ambition to enter team ownership within the racing world. The car, revered for its dominance on the track, was a source of inspiration not only for Rick Hendrick but also for many others such as Richie Evans and Jerry Cook, reshaping the modified racing landscape.
Ray Hendrick, widely known as “Mr. Modified,” led his division with unyielding prowess, attracting attention and raising the profile of the entire series. His achievements culminated in his 2026 induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, an honor witnessed with pride by longtime friends and collaborators Rick Hendrick and Ray Evernham.
The Motivation and Process Behind the Restoration
The drive to bring back the fabled No. 11 came from an emotional connection as well as a desire to preserve racing history. Ray Evernham, recalling his deep interest in the car, actively pursued various opportunities to acquire it even as it changed hands and locations over the years. Despite being unable to purchase it outright, Evernham continued visiting places where the car was displayed. Eventually, he reached out to Rick Hendrick about the unique chance to restore the vehicle together.
One day saw it sitting in Martinsville, Virginia, and a man named Ken Stewart owned it. Remember years later saying, ‘Mr. Hendrick, hey, that car is in, you know, Martinsville, Virginia, and Ken Stewart’s run me out of there 20 times for trying to buy it. Maybe he’ll talk to you.’ So Mr. Hendrick called him up, and they made a deal. And it’s been—it’s been at your place now for several years, right?
Once the car was in their possession, the restoration process began in earnest. Attention to detail was paramount, as the team sought to revive not only the car’s appearance but also its mechanical essence. This meant returning the car to the way it drove and looked during its heyday, requiring both original components and faithful craftsmanship.
I went to Trenton, New Jersey, with Ray and Frank Edwards, and Jack Tant said, ‘This is it.’ And Frank restored it. But the amazing story is Frank traced—went all over that car, but the motor… When I talked to Jack Tant, he said, ‘You know, I took that motor and put it in my truck years and years—40 years ago.’ Yeah, it’s in his shop on the floor. And Ken had, so we went back through it with Hilborn injectors… The car got the truck. Yeah, pulled that car back in the day.
The team went as far as to recover the original engine, involving figures like Jack Tant and Frank Edwards, to ensure authenticity. Their meticulous approach earned admiration from the NASCAR community, including host Kyle Petty, who was surprised to see the car restored with such precision that it mirrored its racing prime.
Legacy and Personal Meaning for Rick Hendrick and Ray Evernham
This restoration is more than a mechanical project; it is a tribute to deep personal connections and racing heritage. For Rick Hendrick and Ray Evernham, working together on the No. 11 was a chance to revisit the pivotal beginnings of their shared journey in motorsports and to honor a friend who enabled their passion for racing to blossom.
For Rick Hendrick and @RayEvernham, finding and restoring Ray Hendrick’s modified for the @NASCARHall of Fame was a personal project that took them back to where it all started.NASCAR Hall of Fame Fireside Chat | Ray Hendrick Part 1 pic.twitter.com/IVtW4PZqL5— Kyle Petty (@kylepetty) February 9, 2026
The restoration not only revived a storied race car but also rekindled strong memories of past races, team camaraderie, and the spirit of innovation that defined an entire era in NASCAR’s modified ranks.
The Story Behind the Iconic No. 11
Ray Hendrick’s “Flyin’ No. 11” was notorious throughout the modified circuit for dominating races, earning a reputation so formidable that fellow competitors were shocked only when he didn’t secure a victory. The origin of the No. 11 on his car, however, is a tale passed down through the Hendrick family and the racing community.
During Ray Hendrick’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony, his son Ronnie Hendrick revealed the unique story of the number’s inception. According to family lore, car builder Jack Tant selected the number after discovering 11 pennies beneath the carpet of a salvaged car intended for racing. Inspired by this quirk, and drawing on creative influences like Joe Weatherly’s car design—known for its “angel wing”—Tant directed the number’s stylization, envisioning a flame motif that resonated with the car’s competitive spirit.
“Now, through the years, people have asked me—where did the No. 11 come from? Well, I was told by Jack Tant that when he built his first race car. Back in his day, you didn’t have fabrication shops; you had to go to a junkyard, or you had to find a car somewhere to build and put it on a race track. So he found one, got to his garage, tore it apart, and when he came to pull up the carpet in the racecar, he found 11 pennies.
He said, that’s gonna be the number. Number 11. And then he said, ‘I just don’t want to have 11. That’s nothing; that’s just a number.’ So, the late Joe Weatherly in the 1950s drove a No. 9 with a white wing behind the number. It looked more like an angel wing… And Jack Tant said, ‘Nahh. We are going to put a wing around his car. But it’s going to be cool-looking. We are going to paint it on the inside with red, orange, and yellow. It’s going to look like it’s fire.’”
The visual transformation and the number itself took on legendary status, and every time drivers saw Ray Hendrick and his iconic No. 11 on the track, they felt a mixture of awe, fear, and motivation to elevate their own racing efforts just to keep up. Hendrick’s consistent dominance inspired competitors to modify and innovate, hoping to close the gap on the master.
The Impact of the Restoration and What Lies Ahead
The restoration of Ray Hendrick’s No. 11, spearheaded by Rick Hendrick and Ray Evernham, is an enduring example of how motorsport legends and their machines continue to shape not only the memory of fans but also the ongoing evolution of racing. The car’s return to the NASCAR Hall of Fame stands as a tribute to Ray Hendrick’s legacy and reaffirms the importance of preserving racing’s tangible history.
For Rick Hendrick, Ray Evernham, Ronnie Hendrick, and the NASCAR community, the revived No. 11 is more than a restored artifact—it is a testament to shared experiences, enduring passion, and the ongoing spirit of competition on the track. As fans and future generations visit the Hall of Fame, they are invited to witness firsthand the power that a single car and the people behind it can wield in inspiring the world of motorsports.
For Rick Hendrick and @RayEvernham, finding and restoring Ray Hendrick's modified for the @NASCARHall of Fame was a personal project that took them back to where it all started.
NASCAR Hall of Fame Fireside Chat | Ray Hendrick Part 1 pic.twitter.com/IVtW4PZqL5
— Kyle Petty (@kylepetty) February 9, 2026
