![]() Robert Jr and Jimmy, Gee's sons, today hang bodies in Dale Earnhardt Jrs JR Motorsports shop.ĭale Earnhardt, the former seven times champion, was married to Gees daughter Brenda (1971-77). Hendrick sponsored Gees dirt track car and they co-owned the Busch car in which Dale Earnhardt won Hendricks first ever NASCAR race. Mutual respect was soon forged between them, and years later the two would come together with a fledgling HMS operation. Its no coincidence when a youngster called Rick Hendrick needed work on his car he headed to Gees body shop. ![]() He had no education in aerodynamics, but he could look at the race car and figure out how to reduce drag. The cars were so well made, there was never any question as to whether they would fit the templates, as they always did. Independent teams would flock to him for help where he would labor over the cars as if they were his children. Robert Gee was the best body man of his era. He would also play a big part in the lives of Darrell Waltrip and Rick Hendrick, along with many others helping them get a foot in the door, ![]() This man was ROBERT GEE, the man whose son in law would become 7 times Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt and grandfather to Dale Earnhardt Jr and Tony Eury Jr. From there they would be sent to a house around the corner where a tough looking big guy cigar in mouth would be working on fabricating cars. It became a magnet for the hopefuls looking for work and the break needed to get into their beloved NASCAR. During race dates, everyone from drivers, crew chiefs and parts cleaners could be found eating breakfast or lunch. Īlong Highway 29 at the corner of Morehead Road stood a little diner, The Apollo - but, across the street was Charlotte Motor Speedway. One of Robert Gee's drivers on the dirt circuit was our own RR member Billy Scott. However, it doesn't begin to scratch the surface of who drove for Robert Gee over the years or who he helped. win for Rick Hendrick, don't you "young" fans be surprised to learn that he wasn't the first Earnhardt to win for Rick Hendrick in NASCAR.īack a few years ago, did a story about Robert Gee. when you see all those winning teams and drivers at Hendrick Motorsports and the big success of Rick Hendrick in racing, you need to think back to Dale Earnhardt's late father-in-law, Robert Gee and his little shop on Hudspeth Road near Charlotte Motor Speedway. OctoRobert Gee in red shirt and "Papa Joe" Hendrick flank Geoff Bodine at Rockingham as they accept hardware for winning the pole position. ![]() The initial win came in the fall race at Martinsville. In 1984, With Geoff Bodine in the driver's seat and Robert Gee building cars, Hendrick would win in his first season of Winston Cup. Robert Gee would go on to head up fabrication for Hendrick Motorsports until his death from a second stroke in 1994.įall 1983 - Dale Earnhardt in a blue & yellow Wrangler driving uniform with no patches and wearing Wrangler boots and a Gilmore-Foyt cap, stands in the Charlotte Motor Speedway garage with Rick Hendrick during a shakedown session with Earnhardt testing new Hendrick cars for the 1984 season. He couldn't get Dale Earnhardt as his driver, but he did ask if Dale could help shake down his new equipment, with the fabrication done by Earnhardt's former father-in-law, Robert Gee? The answer was "Yes" and Dale Earnhardt gave Rick Hendrick's Winston Cup cars their initial shakedown at Charlotte Motor Speedway in late 1983. Hendrick Motorsports photoīefore 1983 was over, Hendrick had formulated plans to go Winston Cup racing in 1984. It was Hendrick's first ever NASCAR win and it came with Dale Earnhardt, Sr. in Victory Lane at Charlotte Motor Speedway with a young Rick Hendrick. Dale Earnhardt drove the car and I sponsored it for Wrangler.ĭale Earnhardt, Sr. When Dale Earnhardt won the Mello Yello 300 NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman race in the blue & yellow #15 Wrangler Jeans Pontiac at Charlotte, Rick Hendrick was co-owner of the team. By 1983, Rick Hendrick had bought into the Robert Gee Superspeedway Late Model Sportsman operation. ![]()
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