William Byron, Chase Elliott suffer through miserable days at Bristol

In the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway on March 29, Chase Elliott took the checkered flag with two of his Hendrick Motorsports teammates finishing inside the top 10. Sunday's NASCAR race at Bristol Motor Speedway was the complete opposite for HMS. 

Kyle Larson was the lone bright spot for Hendrick, leading 284 of 500 laps and sweeping the stages. He finished third after a late-race duel with Ty Gibbs and Ryan Blaney. 

Rough day at Bristol for HMS trio

It was a rough day at the office for his teammates in Elliott, William Byron and Alex Bowman, who finished 22nd, 30th and 37th, respectively. 

Bowman, in his return to the track after dealing with vertigo symptoms for over a month, finished last after he was involved in a crash. Elliott ran inside the top 15 for a majority of the race before spinning late and fading outside of the top 20. 

It was Byron, however, who had the most perplexing weekend. After steering issues forced the two-time Daytona 500 champion to start at the rear of the field, Byron made little progress and went a lap down in Stage 1. 

Things kept getting worse for the No. 24 team throughout the day. Crew chief Rudy Fugle was unable to find a fix for the ailing No. 24 Chevrolet, which was lapped five times on the afternoon. 

Byron slipped from fifth to seventh in the Cup Series standings after Sunday. 

The good news for HMS? The Cup Series' next stop is Kansas Speedway on April 19. Larson and Elliott won the two Kansas races in 2025, while Chevy has won the last four at the 1.5-mile oval.