Rick Hendrick's Gulfstream G650ER flies to Monterey as motorsports mogul expands luxury empire

Rick Hendrick's Gulfstream G650ER (N1RH) was tracked departing Hollywood Burbank Airport at 18:33 UTC on August 12, 2026, and arriving at Monterey Regional Airport 49 minutes later, having climbed to 24,000 feet and reached a maximum ground speed of 474 knots. The aircraft, registered to HMS Holdings LLC, covers a route between two California airports that, while brief, places the machine in a region where its owner has recently made significant business moves.

If Rick Hendrick was aboard, the timing would align with the aftermath of a major expansion into luxury automotive retail. As reported by the Dealership Guy newsletter on July 8, Hendrick Automotive Group acquired Foreign Cars Italia Charlotte and Foreign Cars Italia Greensboro, adding Ferrari, Aston Martin, Bentley, and Maserati to its portfolio — brands Hendrick described as curing his "Ferrari fever." The deal closed June 30, and the group now operates over 100 dealerships across 12 states, with plans for a new Ferrari facility in Charlotte and a Porsche dealership in Greensboro (news.dealershipguy.com). Monterey, home to the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, is a regular gathering point for the collector-car world — a natural place for someone with Hendrick's personal car collection, housed at the Hendrick Heritage Center in Concord, North Carolina, to engage with that community.

The flight fits a broader pattern of Hendrick's aircraft movements. Over the past week, his Gulfstream has logged legs between Concord-Padgett Regional Airport (KJQF) and Des Moines International Airport (KDSM), then to San Jose and Burbank. The Des Moines legs, recorded on August 7 and 8, suggest a connection to NASCAR's Iowa Corn 350 weekend, held at Iowa Speedway in July, though the flights in early August could relate to other business or team matters — Hendrick Motorsports, the winningest team in NASCAR history with 322 Cup Series wins, maintains a presence across the country. The Burbank stop, popular for its proximity to Hollywood and entertainment industry travelers (nvoii.com), preceded the short hop to Monterey.

Hendrick's fleet of two aircraft — the Gulfstream G650ER and an Embraer ERJ-145LR team shuttle (N508RH) — has accumulated 29 flight hours across 19 tracked movements, emitting an estimated 141.2 metric tons of CO₂, per Celebplanes' calculations using public ADS-B data and manufacturer fuel burn figures. A 50-meter yacht, "Wheels," built by Trinity Yachts in 2009, is tracked by AIS via our partner site celebyachts.com and was last seen at rest off the U.S. East Coast roughly 29 minutes before this flight's arrival — nowhere near Monterey, reinforcing that this trip is likely about business, not leisure.

Whether Rick Hendrick was aboard or not, the aircraft's movement to Monterey during one of the most important weeks on the collector-car calendar — and just weeks after adding Ferrari to his dealership empire — suggests the kind of convergence of hobby and commerce that defines the Hendrick brand.