As President of Motor Racing Outreach, I’ve had the opportunity of having insider status in many NASCAR-related venues. One of the places I’ve been privileged to go in the past is to the museum at Hendrick Motorsports for their weekly Wednesday Bible study.
On these days, rows of tables and chairs would be set up, along with another long table filled with food for all the employees and guests who wanted to attend. Often I would grab my 
plate and have a seat with some of the employees. But as I began to eat, I’d look toward the back of the room and see an elderly gentleman, arms crossed, maybe eating--maybe not, just quietly taking everything in. Despite all of the activity in the room, my attention would still be drawn to this gentleman in the back—ball cap on, very quiet, very unassuming. Joseph R. Hendrick, Jr. was his name. The father of Rick Hendrick, he was fondly referred to—and is still remembered today—as “Papa Joe.” (Shown here with his grandson -- the late Ricky Hendrick)
He began his racing career in the early 1960’s, winning races throughout the state of Virginia at tracks like South Boston, Martinsville and Richmond. Papa Joe was also a decorated World War II veteran, having served in the US Air Force as a flight engineer and gunner. At Hendrick Motorsports, he oversaw the show car program and was actually the co-owner of two of the teams.
But here is why he consistently caught my eye: Papa Joe always seemed at peace. He had a calming presence about him and seemed almost assured; in every way, that everything was okay. Whether that was always the case, I don’t know; he was a man and, like all of us, he probably had his struggles and battles in life. But you’d never know that to watch him.
I’ve often described this experience to others in light of my own relationship with my grandfather, who I remember often sitting on his front porch, quietly and calmly watching the world rush by. On those Wednesdays, I could almost hear Papa Joe saying, “Come here boy. Sit down for a moment and let me share something with you. Listen son, there’s a lot of stuff going on in life—a lot you can be busy with, a lot you can be doing. But take it from me, I’ve been there and done it, and at the end of the day there’s really only one thing that matters: Know the Lord.”
In the same way, when I read the Bible I see the Apostle Paul as a man who was at peace. Toward the end of his life he wrote a letter to a group of believers in the city of Philippi to help them understand how life is to be lived. I can almost see him there, perhaps sitting on his front porch, writing this letter. In it he tried to persuade his readers to wisely invest their earthly time and efforts, helping them to understand exactly what their (and our) purpose is in life. The Apostle Paul wrote these words of encouragement for us to focus us and to help us minimize wasted time: “For my determined purpose is that I may know Him” (AMP).
So what brings true peace in life? I believe it’s coming to the point, which I believe I saw in Papa Joe, where we realize that our true purpose in life is one thing: to know God through Jesus Christ, his Son. Everything else that’s good and worthy that we may seek to accomplish originates from this purpose.
Papa Joe Hendrick passed away in July of 2004. Obviously, he has not been forgotten.
--Billy Mauldin