Bryan grew up playing football and watching motorsports. His father Don and mother Charlene could be seen on the dragstrips in the 1960's. The Hendrix family still has the car they used to field, a 1960 Pontiac. The car took Don to many wins and several trophies while inspiring Bryan to become a gear head.

Sadly Bryan lost his mother in the 80's but with her approval, he had already began his plans of a career in motor sports. While playing football and watching his dad Bryan would travel the fifteen or so minutes to a local dirt track, Atomic Motor Speedway. This is where he discovered his love of the cars that had to turn left. He soon realized that dirt racing was something he just had to do.

In 1983, his first car was a Camaro mounted on a 1955 frame and it wore his football number 78. He raced it three or four years in the Hobby Class at Atomic. Bryan left Atomic for Wartburg for a few seasons before coming back to Atomic until he discovered a new home at Tazewell Speedway in 1993. In that year alone he won three races and that was the start of his great Tazewell Speedway run.

Bryan admits the track scared him a little at first and that his dad tried to talk him out of racing at the ultra-fast 3/8 mile clay oval but he was determined to race and finished his first. A year later he took his first championship at the track that was then operated by David Pierce. The points were determined then on money earned not by a points system like we all know now. Bryan added, "We just got better each time we raced there. The night's were very long and the track was just super tacky and fast."

Bryan went on to win seven Tazewell Speedway Super Late Model Championships. He remembers his worst racing moment at the Taz as being the time he was racing Gary Blanken and contact sent him through the wall in turn one.

Bryan's favorite Taz moment was during a race that he was running second to Steve Smith the entire race until the final lap. The two came into turn four with Smith ahead but by the finish line Hendrix had somehow taken the surprising win by only inches. Another favorite racing moment happened during a $20,000 to win event at Bulls Gap. Hendrix started 8th and drove all the way to third place against the best in the nation.

His first sponsor of note was Bimbo's Fireworks but really had the most fun in racing for Armstrong Refrigeration. For two years Armstrong helped Hendrix run the Southern All Stars dirt series where he just missed finishing in the top five in points both years. Hendrix adds, "Without them I would not have been able to travel with the series and I am so thankful for the chance that Armstrong gave me."

Bryan would like to thank several people including Ron Boles, girlfriend Cindy, J.T. Kerr, Westhaven and Roger at Competition Racing. His familiar number 5 was in respect to one of his favorite drivers Ronnie Johnson.

He also got a kick out of watching Rodney Combs race and got a lot of advice from Skip Arp and H.E. Vineyard. Bryan would list his rivals as simply being everyone that he races with. At one time or other he enjoyed battles with Steve Smith, Team Trammel, Jeff Treece, Leroy Vann, Jeff Byrd, Team Wolf, Billy Ogle Sr. and Jr., Rick Rogers, David Crabtree, the Calloway's and many, many of the area's best wheel-men.

Bryan has raced in over 8 states and missed the 120 car cut once at the World 100 by only one car. He still has the goal of winning a Lucas race at the Taz and considers it unfinished business. Along with that goal he wants to get Championship number 8 at his favorite track, Tazewell Speedway. He plans to enter the Tazewell Late Model class soon with his new steel-head motor.

Bryan Hendrix in the 1990's was as good as any that took to the high banks of the Taz and that shows in his seven Championship trophies. He was and continues to be a hard-nosed and very competitive driver that is driven to win and will not stop trying to regain his winning form. He is thankful of his fans and all those that have helped him over the years and is now determined more than ever to capture that 8th Tazewell Speedway Championship.

No matter how history will see Bryan Hendrix's career, one thing is for sure, he is a Tazewell Speedway legend.

Photos courtesy of family archives.

Phots courtesy of Allen Earl.

If you know of a local legend you would like to have featured in the Claiborne Progress contact Allen Earl at pitchadude@hotmail.com or call 423-526-3480.