NASCAR Insiders Bury Hendrick Motorsports’ Championship Hopes

Hendrick Motorsports has been left in the dust. With Joe Gibbs Racing’s Round of 16 sweep and Team Penske’s domination at New Hampshire in the first race of the Round of 12, team Hendrick seems to be lagging. The struggles started with Darlington itself. And now, as the Round of 8 on the horizon, HMS’s inconsistencies have made headlines, and NASCAR insiders strongly believe they will need a miracle to win the championship from here.

Despite Chase Elliott making a move on Denny Hamlin to take the lead of the Hollywood Casino 400 on the last lap, it wasn’t Elliott’s race to be won. Denny Hamlin was leading 159 laps of the race, the most he’s ever on a 1.5-mile race track. His No. 11 Toyota had immense speed and looked like Kansas’ favorite until his last-minute run-in with Bubba Wallace. However, as Elliott punches his way to the round of eight, The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi is sounding off on HMS’ run for the Championship 4.

HMS’ road to glory is more difficult from here, feels Bianchi

Speaking on the Teardown Podcast, Jordan Bianchi and Jeff Gluck weighed in on HMS’s rest of the playoffs. Jordan Bianchi starts off by saying, “I’m looking at this going ‘I think a driver from Hendrick Motorsports winning the championship this year’ to ‘A lot’s going to have to go their way’ because of Las Vegas, because of Martinsville, and because of Phoenix. Like they’re not going to be. There isn’t a track the rest of the way where you’re going to look at anybody from Hendrick Motorsports and say they’re the favorite. There isn’t.” 

Kyle Larson and William Byron, with their top 5 and top 10 results, saw themselves above the cutline heading to Charlotte next weekend. But Bianchi knows that it will only get more difficult from here. And there is reason to believe so. Last year, HMS kicked off the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season with a bang.

William Byron captured the Daytona 500, and Kyle Larson ruled the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. However, the Shriners Children’s 500 at Phoenix Raceway told a different story. Larson crossed the finish line in 14th, Byron in 18th, and Chase Elliott in 19th, with none of the drivers leading a single lap. Holding this experience of Phoenix in mind, even Jeff Gordon, HMS’ Vice Chairman, concedes to Team Penske, who rules the Phoenix raceway.

Moreover, they have struggled at Martinsville this year. Throughout history, HMS has consistently brought a winning formula to the iconic short track in South Virginia. With four cars qualifying inside the top 10, it seemed like another triumph was headed back to Concord, North Carolina. On paper, two top-five finishes would be a strong day for the team, but it felt short of the dominance Hendrick displayed last year with a 123 sweep.

Bianchi has already gone a step further, assigning the tracks to the teams (Toyotas, Fords, and Chevys). He added, “You go to Vegas, it’s going to be Toyota. You go to Talladega, it’s Talladega. I would put the Penske cars up there. And then you’ve got Phoenix and Martinsville and it’s going to be the 22(Joey Logano) and the 12 (Ryan Blaney), especially the 12. There isn’t anybody. There isn’t a team right now from Hendrick Motorsports that scares me. That’s a sad reality. Even though Chase Elliott won today.”

Joe Gibbs Racing has experienced a mix of performances at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in recent years. Last year, Christopher Bell secured the pole position and led the race for 155 laps, showcasing JGR’s strength on the 1.5-mile oval. However, despite leading the race, Bell finished second, with Joey Logano of Team Penske taking the victory.

The duo of Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney has given Penske three straight championships and four of the last seven. Only Hendrick Motorsports in 2020 and 2021 and Joe Gibbs Racing in 2019 have broken through Penske’s recent dominance.

With the final playoff races at Las Vegas, Talladega, Martinsville, and the Championship 4 showdown at Phoenix looming, these tracks are the last major tests for challengers trying to keep pace with Team Penske’s powerhouse performance. However, despite all the odds, Jeff Gordon still has some faith in his team.

Jeff Gordon spots championship momentum for Hendrick Motorsports

Jeff Gordon’s optimism isn’t misplaced. Hendrick Motorsports drivers have been sharpening their skills on flat tracks since last year. Despite racking up 39 wins over the past three seasons, HMS had fallen short of claiming the championship at Phoenix’s 1-mile desert Oval. Performances at Gateway, a track with a similar layout, signal that the team is making strides.

The outcome at Kansas Speedway left Hendrick Motorsports chairman Jeff Gordon over the moon. Chase Elliott clinched the victory in an overtime thriller, edging out Denny Hamlin by just 0.069 seconds. Gordon sees this momentum as a positive omen heading into Phoenix Raceway.

He said, “Obviously, this is a huge spark for the nine team. This late in the season, this stage and round in the playoffs, it’s so important to get some things to go your way to give you that extra incentive, just extra motivation to go win a championship and believe that you can do it.” Now, heading into the second half of the playoffs, HMS carries renewed confidence. With Chase Elliott securing his second win, Gordon remains upbeat about his teammate’s prospects, even amid the challenges he has faced.