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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Gives Bold Prediction on Hendrick Motorsports’ Disappointing Darlington Run

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Armaan Agarwal | Last updated Sep 3, 2025 2:29 AM ET

Hendrick Motorsports is one of the biggest teams in NASCAR. The Chevrolet team has an incredible talent pool with the likes of Chase Elliot and Kyle Larson. However, the first round of the Playoffs was nothing short of a disaster for HMS. Now, NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. has revealed team owner Rick Hendrick’s role in helping the team bounce back.

At the first Playoff round in Darlington, none of the HMS cars even made it into the top 10. Chase Elliot was the best performer for Hendrick with a P17 finish, while Kyle Larson finished in P19. Regular season champion William Byron could only secure the 21st spot. With Alex Bowman finishing in a dismal 31st place.

This has definitely shocked many fans and Rick Hendrick himself as HMS is known to dominate the Playoffs. Dale Earnhardt Jr. reckoned that there’s almost no chance that such a disappointing weekend will be repeated again for the Chevrolet team.

Earnhardt claimed that Rick Hendrick will manage to make his team turn around its fortunes. According to the former Cup champion, the HMS owner is known for holding a serious meeting with his garage after such a bad day, and results soon follow.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. recognized that even a top team like Hendrick might have a bad day. But the way Rick Hendrick manages to play with his words, his drivers are always back on top of their game straightaway. Having raced for Hendrick himself, Dale Jr. was adamant that the team owner knows exactly what to do.

I don’t expect to see that to happen next week. You know why? Rick Hendrick has an unique ability to call everybody in on the carpet and ask for things to get better and they always get better. Nobody stays on top forever and even the best teams will have really rough days but I’ve been in that room after a race like that and Rick will say what he has to say and it’ll influence you to want to go out there and make sure that you’re not the weak link. He’s probably going to say the first words in the meeting and he’s probably going to say the last words in the meeting and at some point he’s going to tell everybody to figure it out.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. said on Dale Jr. Download.

If we know anything, it's that you can never count HMS out. @DaleJr | @Tjmajors pic.twitter.com/PWnI3tCuLs
— Dirty Mo Media (@DirtyMoMedia) September 3, 2025

Dale Earnhardt Jr. reveals pep talk that will change Hendrick Motorsports’ fortunes

The NASCAR Playoffs are never easy. It doesn’t matter how many races you won in the regular season, if you can’t stay at the top of your game in the Playoffs, it’s over. Thus, Hendrick Motorsports has no time to waste before the next race at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. insisted that Rick Hendrick will push his entire crew to the limit just by his words. He knows that even when it seems that there’s no room for improvement, there’s always a chance to make things better. Moreover, Dale Jr. revealed that Hendrick doesn’t use aggression in his meetings. Rather, the HMS boss will simply speak in a serious tone and that does the job.

He’ll challenge everybody to make a game. When you think that there’s nothing else to find, there’s not another two or five percent to learn, they go and get it. He doesn’t get loud, he doesn’t raise his voice at all but it is a very serious. I’m disappointed and I’m not here to be a loser or failure. That’s not what we’re about and it’s pretty impactful.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. explained.

Certainly, fans never expected to see all four HMS cars outside the top 10 in a Playoff race. Be it Chase Elliot, Kyle Larson, William Byron or Alex Bowman, all need to bounce back at the next race. After the first three races, four drivers will be eliminated. Thus, none of the HMS drivers have any margin for error remaining.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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