Denny Hamlin reflects on Ray Hendrick's NASCAR HOF worthiness, highlighting ties with "Mr. Modified's" family 

Denny Hamlin shared his thoughts on Ray Hendrick's candidacy for the 2025 NASCAR Hall of Fame (HOF). The Joe Gibbs Racing driver revealed his personal ties with Hendrick's family and how the modified stock car driver was someone Hamlin 'idolized growing up'.

Both Hamlin and Hendrick hail from Virginia, where the latter's family built a strong legacy in short-track racing. Hendrick's dominance in the modified stock car racing scene earned him the nickname 'Mr.Modified', with most of his 700 wins coming from that division. Till this day, he remains the all-time wins leader at Martinsville with 20 victories between 1963 and 1975.

As such, he was chosen as one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers in 1998. His son, Roy Lee Hendrick, continued in his father's footsteps and won his first track championship at Southside Speedway, a circuit Hamlin considered his 'home track' while honing his skills in the Mini Stock division. Notably, Hamlin's racing number serves as a nod to the iconic 'Flying 11' made famous by the father-son duo.

Ray Hendrick is on the HOF ballot for the second consecutive year, with the previous nomination coming shortly before his son's passing a year ago. When asked about Hendrick's worthiness for the racing honour, Denny Hamlin replied (via X/Steven Taranto):

"I knew his son more more so than than anyone else. From watching him, he was one of the guys that I kind of really idolized growing up....I've got to meet his family and whatnot, and so it's just a really historic family and they've been in the racing industry for generations now....The Flying 11 was something that was so iconic for so long. The time Ray showed up, he was just the guy to beat when it came to short track racing."

Ray Hendrick was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2012, adding to his earlier induction into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2007. Denny Hamlin ran a tribute paint scheme for the racing legend in 2017, when he sported the famed 'Flying 11' at Darlington Raceway.

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When Denny Hamlin won it all at the 2017 Southern 500 with Ray Hendrick's 'Flying 11' paint scheme

Denny Hamlin paid tribute to Ray Hendrick with a throwback paint scheme featuring the iconic 'Flying 11' in the 2017 Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Driving the No.11 Toyota Camry, Hamlin led a dominant 313 of 367 laps to earn the checkered flag.

Speaking to the media post-race, Hamlin reflected on the 'Flying 11' paint scheme.

“That’s as hard as I can drive. What can I say — it’s the ‘Flying 11.’ It means everything to me. I mean, as far as I’m concerned, this is a throwback to my history – this is for Ray Hendrick, Bugs Hairfield, Wayne Patterson, Eddie Johnson, the short track guys that I grew up watching," Denny Hamlin said via NASCAR.

The result marked Hamlin's second victory for the 2017 Cup season, and his second-ever at the "The Lady in Black".