Hendrick4824
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| Flag of Hendrick4824 | |
| Motto: "It takes six 8's to make one 48" | |
| None | |
| Region | Tundra |
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| Capital | |
| Official Language(s) | English |
| Government | |
| Population | 4.7 billion |
| Currency | Dollar |
| NS Sunset XML | |
The Racing Kingdom of Hendrick4824 is a massive, economically powerful nation, remarkable for its punitive income tax rates. Its hard-nosed, hard-working population of 1.006 billion are either ruled by a small, efficient government or a conglomerate of multinational corporations; it's difficult to tell which.
It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent government stops and the rest of society begins, but it concentrates mainly on Law & Order, although Defence and Commerce are secondary priorities. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 53%. A powerhouse of a private sector is led by the Beef-Based Agriculture, Book Publishing, and Cheese Exports industries.
It is a crime to offend someone's religious beliefs, cheese has become the new icon of political dissent, citizens must pay to enjoy Hendrick4824's pristine beaches, and mobile phone masts are being erected all over the country. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is well under control, thanks to the all-pervasive police force. Hendrick4824's national animal is the thoroughbred, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, and its currency is the dollar.
History
On February 17, 1836, under the heroic leadership of Rick Hendrick, who would become King Hendrick I, the nation you currently know as Hendrick4824 was born. But it took alot of courage from our founders to make this the nation it is today.
King Hendrick I declared the nation's independence from the mighty Glaucomian empire, and in a battle lasting approximately three years, the Glaucomians conceded the fight. The early years of the country, only known then as Hendrick, were a time of industrial growth, but right away racing became a big part of the foundation of the nation. Of course, there were no cars to race back then, but there most certainly was horses. Horse racing tracks were built all over the nation almost as quickly as schools were. Gambling was the way to get rich, and some people made out very well, while others didn't. Those who lost at the track were given other ways to redeem themselves, but if they still weren't able to, they were forced to do slavework.
In 1887, under the leadership then of King Hendrick IV, these slaves rose up for their rights, and the nation was hit with a civil war between the haves and have nots. It had the makings of something that could tear apart the growing country, but Hendrick IV was a noble leader, and declared the times of oppressive slavery would be over in this country after about 2 years of fighting. The horse racing tracks survived, but those not able to make money through gambling were given government subsidies to try to make their living in various industries that were growing across the country. The period around the turn of the century was a huge industrial revolution.
In 1914 however, the country became involved in a bitter war with Newmanistan. Both countries had been growing economies, and growing militaries, and the fighting action on both sides was fierce. The present river which borders SW Hendrick4824 and SE Newmanistan was a huge player in this war, as the Newmanistans poisoned the water supply that flowed south of modern day Pole City. This tragic event killed many innocent civilians in our country, and greatly harmed the environment of Hendrick4824. The Newmanistians then assassinated King Hendrick X, but that would prove to be a mistake in the long run, because King Hendrick XI was one of the strongest leaders the nation has seen. The great leader executed a brilliant military plan, and with the help of a couple allies, the tide quickly turned on Newmanistan. General Jeff Vickers carried out the plan to perfection. Six years after the war began, the two sides declared a cease fire. Since 1920, Hendrick4824 and Newmanistan have only seen their diplomatic relationship strengthen, and today they are close allies. In 1922, Hendrick XI honored the brave general by naming the capital city after him.
It was after the Hendrick-Newmanistan war that auto racing took over in the country. In 1922, the first ever race track was built, and within 5 years, there were 20 tracks built across the country. In 1928, the first season of Hendrick racing was born. Immediately, the country had a stock car legend to follow. A young Jimmie Gordon won 8 of the first 9 championships of the Hendrick racing season, and he was truly one of the all time greats. He would win 201 races in his 15 year career driving the #24 car. In 1938, however Mr. Gordon brought along a young driver from western Hendrick by the name of Jeff Johnson. Gordon allowed Johnson to race in his equipment while he just simply went out and got more for himself, and would change the number to a 48 for Johnson. Johnson would win 189 races in his 16 year career. Between then in total, Gordon won 11 Championships, and Johnson won 9. These two drivers were seen as such great heroes, that the nation would honor them in its name, and the nation of Hendrick became Hendrick4824. Every year, drivers from across the country have competed in the country's own stock car racing season, but none have come remotely close to the level of success enjoyed by Gordon and Johnson. Blake Reid is the defending champion, and dreams of one day competing in the great TARSCAR series, but that is a little out of his reach right now. In addition to the IRP track you are familiar with in Vickers for TARSCAR, the country also has 2 other famous race tracks. One being the DuPont Superspeedway, which is located in Western Hendrick4824, a 2.5 mile superspeedway, and restrictor plates are unheard of. About 200 miles north of Vickers is the Terry Labonte Speedway. While just a standard 1 mile oval, the tradition of this track is so deep, drivers are thrilled to have the opportunity to race on it. This was the first track that was built in 1922, and it is amazing how renovations to it have allowed it to keep up with the times. In 1995, King Hendrick XXIII had to issue a royal order preventing anyone from purchasing this track and moving its date on the schedule somewhere else.
In 1960, Hendrick4824 was involved in another war, this time with Wrecker. Both strong armies battled hard, but Hendrick was concerned with too much Stewartian influence from entering our country. Wreckerians tried to push this wave of thought across our borders, and it got to the point where military action was necessary. After two years of senseless deaths on both sides, King Hendrick XXI agreed to allow only a small portion of Stewartian thought to enter the country. Since then Hendrick4824 and Wrecker have had a rocky relationship at times but have generally had peaceful co-existance along the borders. Mini-Harvicks have become a cause of recent concern however, as they are abundant in Wrecker and not welcome at all in Hendrick4824. A special border patrol, which has been in recent controversy, was put in place just to prevent mini-Harvicks from entering.
Today Hendrick4824 is generally a respectful nation of its neighbors. Every now and then we are faced with people who try to convince us to become more democratic and that monarchies are a thing of the past, but if you have ever been here, you could never see this country led by anything but a king.
