CONCORD, N.C. — You can't win a NASCAR race on Sunday by re-arranging the furniture for company on a Thursday, the same way you can't win a football game in the fall by taking a day off from practice in May to learn how to change tires.
But the little things, the habits, and that atmosphere where excellence is the expectation are what Panthers head coach Dave Canales was looking for when he took his team to Hendrick Motorsports on Thursday in a break from OTAs.
Moments before the Panthers players and coaches arrived on four buses Thursday morning, Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman and four-time Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon was preparing the team's Atrium Health Motorsports Athletic Center for guests. When he looked to the corner and saw two of the four armchairs in a waiting area slightly askew, scooched over from a previous conversation, he walked over and meticulously moved two of them himself, stepped back to see if they were straight, before adjusting again so they'd all be at perfect right angles around the circular table in the middle. He didn't ask someone to do it, or see if anyone noticed him. The NASCAR Hall of Famer himself, the guy with 93 career Cup wins, made sure it was just so. (It's not unlike when Hall of Fame linebacker Luke Kuechly helps the Panthers equipment staff set up shoulder pads on game day, and it may say something about why certain people become Hall of Famers.)
Hendrick Motorsports is a shrine to the idea of "how you'll do anything is how you'll do everything." And that's what Canales wants his team to see again. They made this trip two years ago, but with roster turnover, only 24 of those players remain, and the lesson is important enough to reinforce.
Gordon moving the furniture was a little thing, a detail, the kind of thing no one may have noticed if he doesn't do it. But that level of attention is part of the reason Hendrick has 15 Cup championships and 322 race wins (along with the 571 total Cup wins for engines they've built for themselves and other teams) in becoming the dominant force in their sport.
"Culture is not what we talk about, it's what we show," Gordon told the Panthers once they made their way into the Papa Joe Hendrick Meeting Room to start their day.
"To me it goes right to practice; that's where championships come from," Canales added to his assembled team. "This inspired me. The personal touch, the personal connections, everything's first class. You can feel the care, and the loyalty, and the love we have for each other.
"Pay attention to the excellence you see in every corner of this place."
Championship culture's one thing. They also have big, loud, fast race cars, and all kinds of cool tools that make them go faster.
And that show is what the Panthers came to see, so when the first race car roared into position, it got everyone's attention.
The football players split into teams of five and headed out to Hendrick's pit pad, where the pros practice each day to shave critical thousandths of a second off their times. (In NASCAR, a tenth of a second is two car lengths on the track, evidence of small margins making big differences.)
Hendrick has four Cup Series teams, each with five pit crew members, but they have over 50 "athletes" in their pit crew program. Part of that is so they have contingency plans — every team needs backups — but they also lease four crews to other race teams that don't have the same operational gravity of Hendrick, which sprawls across 18 buildings on the Cabarrus County campus near Charlotte Motor Speedway. That creates some internal competition, because if you're in the Hendrick program, you want to be on one of those four crews for either Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, William Byron, or Alex Bowman.
"We feel like if you're P1 at Hendrick, you're P1 at the track on Sunday," said Jacob Claborn, the head pit coach for the Hendrick teams. "And I'm a firm believer that competition breeds success.
"So when we practice together, we build in competition throughout the season to continue to push everyone on our team."
So when the Panthers came to his practice facility, Claborn made sure they got the message.
First, he had the players choose roles. One was on the jack (usually a lineman, since NASCAR cars weigh around 3,200 pounds without a driver or fuel), two were carrying tires, and two were using the air gun to loosen and tighten the single lug that holds each wheel on the car. And then they practiced, under the watchful eye of the professional crew members, who offered tips and guidance.
When guard Damien Lewis' team came in slower than expected — he lowered the jack before the front wheel was tightened fully, eliciting a pained "awwwwwwww, man," — he was immediately consoled by Eric Ludwig, the jackman on the No. 5 Kyle Larson car. Ludwig played defensive line at Elon in his college days, and told Lewis "it happens to the best of us, I did that two years ago at Phoenix and felt like a real a--hole."
"You're constantly building as you go, and sometimes as races go on, you're trying to push for that extra little bit of time," Ludwig said. "Sometimes in football, you can make a mistake and still make a play; you have to keep going. But in these situations, as a jackman, if I screw up like I did that time, that can be 2 or 3 seconds added to the stop, which is forever for us."
The reason so many of these guys found a quick bond is that so many of them have a similar context, on the crew and in management.
Rob Hanrahan is Hendrick's athletic department project supervisor. He's also a former pro scout with the Panthers. And what he and they look for in crew members is similar to what a football team wants. Hanrahan said probably 75 to 80 percent of their crew members come from college football backgrounds, though they have a wrestler, a baseball player, and just added a former discus All-American from Arizona State.
"Great core strength and balance and explosiveness," Claborn said of the former thrower.
Most of the crew members have outside linebacker or tight end bodies, like former Penn State tight end Matt Lehman (who was listed at 6-6, 262 pounds in college). "Maybe a bigger cornerback, or safeties," Hanrahan said. "We're not as caught up in straight line speed, because we work in such a small box here, so it's those guys with quickness, change of direction, and balance."
And just like in football, there can be lineup changes. They just replaced a jackman on one of the four Cup crews three weeks ago. Those changes aren't common, but they can happen, and add to that spirit of competition and need to adjust on the fly.
For crew member Blaine Anderson, a lifelong Panthers fan who graduated from Myers Park High and was a walk-on defensive back at Alabama, the chance to work alongside the guys he's watched made it a cool day — including asking long snapper JJ Jansen if they should tape a quick episode of Cart Talk in the practice area. Asked which former Panther would make the best crew member, he thought for a second before declaring, "Kuechly would have been a beast as a jackman."
Anderson is not a beast; his Alabama bio listed him at 5-10 and 187 pounds, so he's one of the smaller crew members. But he makes up for it in speed and bravery. He used to wear his Cam Newton jersey on Sundays in college to watch Panthers games, and if you're willing to rep an Auburn man in a Tuscaloosa sports bar, you're not one to back down from a challenge.
He's not currently on one of the top four crews, but is on one of the ones Hendrick leases to other teams, the No. 77 Spire Motorsports car of Carson Hocevar.
"We're all pushing to be the best," Anderson said. "One of those top spots is what we're all after, and just like in football, we're doing it together."
That's the part Canales loves as an object lesson for his guys. As he stood at the end of the practice pad, he said he wanted to see who took on which roles as they went through the exercise, and which guys loved jumping into an unfamiliar world with both feet.
"It's the movement and competition part that I want to see," Canales said. "I want to see who wants to be on the jack. I want to see who wants to be on the gun, because those are kind of the two biggest parts. And you'll see guys say 'No, I've got it,' or 'I'm good,' or who wants to grab the wheels vs. who wants to stand back and watch.
"You're learning stuff about guys all the time, so it's a great chance, mixing with offense, defense and special teams, mixing the groups. And seeing the guys work is awesome."
One group worked better than the rest, by a considerable margin.
The Hendrick teams hope to change a pair of right-side tires in under 3 seconds, and that's after jumping over the wall carrying the equipment and running in front of a car coming to a screeching halt. (Tires are around 30 pounds each, and a commercial jack can weigh around 20 to 25 pounds, though Hendrick engineers their own jacks in-house).
The Panthers weren't jumping over anything, and definitely weren't getting in front of a speeding car whose brakes you're hoping work.
"I like feeding my kids, I don't want to lose my job, so nobody's getting in front of a moving car today," Claborn laughed into his microphone after the players watched the pros do a full-speed stop.
So from their stationary starts, the groups of Panthers players were mostly managing to change two tires in 10 to 15 seconds. Derrick Brown's team managed a solid 8.35-second time, the fastest in the first wave, and he felt pretty good about that.
But then came running back Chuba Hubbard's team, which included kicker Ryan Fitzgerald, cornerback Akayleb Evans, rookie safety Zakee Wheatley, and guard Ja'Tyre Carter. Hubbard wasn't going to let anyone take the jack out of his hands, leading his group with confidence.
They promptly posted a 6.65-second time, the fastest of any of the groups.
(For context, the Hendrick crews averaged 8.90 seconds per four-tire stops last weekend, according to Ludwig.)
"We want to be sub-3.0 for two (tires)," Claborn said.
Asked how many of the Panthers he could turn into full-time crew members, and he just nodded.
"Most of them," Claborn said. "As athletes, they can do it right now. You give us a few days to train them, and they'd be ready."
Hubbard considers himself ready now.
"When you're that good, it looks easy," he said to quarterback Will Grier after his winning stop.
But Hubbard wasn't around to collect his prize after lunch, because he was still inside Hendrick's state-of-the-art new weight room and training facility. Among the equipment and recovery equipment, Hendrick has a machine to test reflexes and hand-eye coordination using sticks that drop from a rack. The football players quickly became competitive because of course they did, and Hubbard was in the middle of it (quarterback Bryce Young worked up to a clean 10-of-10 because he also wasn't going to stop until he aced it).
But mostly it wasn't about the new automotive expertise, as the Panthers headed back to their familiar surroundings.
It was about themes that are familiar to them, being expressed at the highest level by the Hendrick crews.
"It's just unbelievable, the care they take here," Canales said. "They're very personable here. They respect each other. Hendrick Motorsports is obviously the best in the world for what they do, and for Jeff Gordon to take time out of his day to come and talk to the group, and just how generous they are with their time, with their information, sharing their culture is amazing.
"And sharing all the different parts of how they're trying to continuously improve. There are just so many parallels to what we do and what we're trying to build, and pursuing excellence. So I love for our guys to be able to see that and to feel that type of culture right here in front of us."
Panthers head coach Dave Canales took the team on a trip to Hendrick Motorsports to get a hands-on look at what it takes to build a well-oiled, championship-winning culture.
The Carolina Panthers participate in team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Robert Rochell and Nic Scourton participate in team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Jeff Gordon participates in team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Jeff Gordon and Dave Canales participate in team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers participate in team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Dave Canales participates in team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Nick Samac and Mitchell Evans participate in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Ja'Tavion Sanders, Mitchell Evans and Anthony Tyus III participate in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Jared Bartlett participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers participate in team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers participate in team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Trevin Wallace participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Tommy Tremble participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
John Metchie III participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Rasheed Walker participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Tommy Tremble and Jalen Coker participate in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Tommy Tremble participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Nick Scott and Maema Njongmeta participate in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Nick Scott and Maema Njongmeta participate in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Bobby Brown III, Bam Martin-Scott and Trevin Wallace participate in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Trevis Gipson participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Bernie Parmelee participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Trevis Gipson participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Bernie Parmelee, Thomas Incoom and Princely Umanmielen participate in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Mayur Chaudhari and Scott Cooper participate in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Trevis Gipson, Albert Reese IV and Derrick Brown participate in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Nick Samac and Parker Petersen participate in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Isaiah Smith, Rasheed Walker, Thomas Incoom and Kenny Pickett participate in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers participate in team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers participate in team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Jaelan Phillips participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Jaelan Phillips participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Jaelan Phillips participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Chuba Hubbard participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Chuba Hubbard participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Chuba Hubbard participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Chuba Hubbard participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Chuba Hubbard participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Ja'seem Reed participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Miles Davis, Cam Miller, Lathan Ransom, Mike Reid and Dan Chisena participate in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Monroe Freeling participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Lathan Ransom participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Zakee Wheatley participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Jared Harrison-Hunte and Devin Lloyd participate in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Bryce Young participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Monroe Freeling participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Monroe Freeling participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Will Lee III participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Jimmy Horn Jr. and Lathan Ransom participate in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Devin Lloyd participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Devin Lloyd participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Devin Lloyd participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Devin Lloyd participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Mike Reid participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Bryce Young participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Bryce Young participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Zakee Wheatley participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Lathan Ransom participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Lathan Ransom participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Ja'seem Reed, Zakee Wheatley, Mike Reid and James Mitchell participate in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
James Mitchell participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Ja'seem Reed participates in Carolina Panthers team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Brycen Tremayne and Bryce Young participate in team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Bryce Young participates in team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Bryce Young, Jalen Coker, David Moore, Tommy Tremble and Demani Richardson participate in team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Brycen Tremayne, Bryce Young, David Moore, Tommy Tremble, Jalen Coker, Tetairoa McMillan and Demani Richardson participate in team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
David Moore participates in team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Jimmy Horn Jr. and Bryce Young participate in team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Bryce Young and Jalen Coker participate in team bonding Thursday, May 28, 2026 at Hendrick Motorsports in Charlotte, NC.
Bryce Young is seen during Carolina Panthers team bonding excursion to Hendrick Motorsports on Thursday, May. 28, 2026 at the Atrium Health Motorsports Athletic Center in Concord, North Carolina.
Robert Hunt is seen during Carolina Panthers team bonding excursion to Hendrick Motorsports on Thursday, May. 28, 2026 at the Atrium Health Motorsports Athletic Center in Concord, North Carolina.
Robert Hunt is seen during Carolina Panthers team bonding excursion to Hendrick Motorsports on Thursday, May. 28, 2026 at the Atrium Health Motorsports Athletic Center in Concord, North Carolina.
Jimmy Horn Jr. is seen during Carolina Panthers team bonding excursion to Hendrick Motorsports on Thursday, May. 28, 2026 at the Atrium Health Motorsports Athletic Center in Concord, North Carolina.
Jimmy Horn Jr. is seen during Carolina Panthers team bonding excursion to Hendrick Motorsports on Thursday, May. 28, 2026 at the Atrium Health Motorsports Athletic Center in Concord, North Carolina.
Bryce Young is seen during Carolina Panthers team bonding excursion to Hendrick Motorsports on Thursday, May. 28, 2026 at the Atrium Health Motorsports Athletic Center in Concord, North Carolina.
Jeff Gordon and Dave Canales are seen during Carolina Panthers team bonding excursion to Hendrick Motorsports on Thursday, May. 28, 2026 at the Atrium Health Motorsports Athletic Center in Concord, North Carolina.
Jeff Gordon and Dave Canales are seen during Carolina Panthers team bonding excursion to Hendrick Motorsports on Thursday, May. 28, 2026 at the Atrium Health Motorsports Athletic Center in Concord, North Carolina.
Monroe Freeling, Demani Richardson, Chuba Hubbard, Lathan Ransom, Jonathon Brooks, Ja'Tavion Sanders, Bryce Young, Jaycee Horn and Scott Cooper are seen during Carolina Panthers team bonding excursion to Hendrick Motorsports on Thursday, May. 28, 2026 at the Atrium Health Motorsports Athletic Center in Concord, North Carolina.
Patrick Jones II, Claudin Cherelus, Nic Scourton, Robert Rochell and Isaia Glass are seen during Carolina Panthers team bonding excursion to Hendrick Motorsports on Thursday, May. 28, 2026 at the Atrium Health Motorsports Athletic Center in Concord, North Carolina.
Jeff Gordon and Dave Canales are seen during Carolina Panthers team bonding excursion to Hendrick Motorsports on Thursday, May. 28, 2026 at the Atrium Health Motorsports Athletic Center in Concord, North Carolina.
Carolina Panthers team bonding excursion to Hendrick Motorsports on Thursday, May. 28, 2026 at the Atrium Health Motorsports Athletic Center in Concord, North Carolina.
Dave Canales is seen during Carolina Panthers team bonding excursion to Hendrick Motorsports on Thursday, May. 28, 2026 at the Atrium Health Motorsports Athletic Center in Concord, North Carolina.
Dave Canales and Jeff Gordon are seen during Carolina Panthers team bonding excursion to Hendrick Motorsports on Thursday, May. 28, 2026 at the Atrium Health Motorsports Athletic Center in Concord, North Carolina.
Dave Canales and Jeff Gordon are seen during Carolina Panthers team bonding excursion to Hendrick Motorsports on Thursday, May. 28, 2026 at the Atrium Health Motorsports Athletic Center in Concord, North Carolina.
Jeff Gordon and Dave Canales are seen during Carolina Panthers team bonding excursion to Hendrick Motorsports on Thursday, May. 28, 2026 at the Atrium Health Motorsports Athletic Center in Concord, North Carolina.
Jimmy Horn Jr. is seen during Carolina Panthers team bonding excursion to Hendrick Motorsports on Thursday, May. 28, 2026 at the Atrium Health Motorsports Athletic Center in Concord, North Carolina.
Damien Lewis is seen during Carolina Panthers team bonding excursion to Hendrick Motorsports on Thursday, May. 28, 2026 at the Atrium Health Motorsports Athletic Center in Concord, North Carolina.
Lathan Ransom and Zakee Wheatley are seen during Carolina Panthers team bonding excursion to Hendrick Motorsports on Thursday, May. 28, 2026 at the Atrium Health Motorsports Athletic Center in Concord, North Carolina.
Robert Hunt is seen during Carolina Panthers team bonding excursion to Hendrick Motorsports on Thursday, May. 28, 2026 at the Atrium Health Motorsports Athletic Center in Concord, North Carolina.
Robert Hunt is seen during Carolina Panthers team bonding excursion to Hendrick Motorsports on Thursday, May. 28, 2026 at the Atrium Health Motorsports Athletic Center in Concord, North Carolina.
Robert Hunt is seen during Carolina Panthers team bonding excursion to Hendrick Motorsports on Thursday, May. 28, 2026 at the Atrium Health Motorsports Athletic Center in Concord, North Carolina.
