After a 13-year break from the Xfinity Series, Hendrick Motorsports decided to restart its program in 2022. Partnering with Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports, co-owned by Rick Hendrick, the organization was already fielding four cars. So HMS reintroduced the No. 17 Chevrolet to the Tier 2 Series.
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With lesser practice time available in recent seasons, especially since 2020, Cup drivers of HMS felt additional seat time could sharpen their edge and boost the team’s overall performance. That’s why, since early 2024, Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, and William Byron have each taken the #17 Chevy to Victory Lane in Xfinity. Byron’s win at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May was the team’s recent success.
Growing talents like Corey Day and Jake Finch, along with Truck Series regular Rajah Caruth, have also taken turns behind the wheel. The #17 team, making 21 starts in 2025, operates under the guidance of 10-time Cup Series-winning crew chief Greg Ives.
Ahead of the 2025 campaign, Adam Wall, formerly an engineer on Larson’s #5 team, returned to the fold as crew chief. The program mirrors the processes of HMS’ Cup operations, though most of its crew remains independent.
Jeff Gordon admitted that having an in-house Xfinity team gives HMS a proving ground for its next generation. It allows emerging talent within the system to witness Cup-level operations firsthand while taking on added pressure and responsibility to measure how they handle the heat and evolve in real time.
Gordon added that this hands-on approach lays the groundwork for the organization’s long-term succession plan. By gaining that experience within HMS walls at the Xfinity level, drivers, crew chiefs, engineers, and mechanics alike can naturally climb the ladder to Cup-level roles once the time is right.
The collaboration with JR Motorsports remains a cornerstone of the effort. Corey Day and Adam Wall attend JRM’s weekly competition meetings to review race weekends, ensuring both organizations pull in the same direction.
For 2025, the #17 team’s primary mission has been to help drill Corey Day, fueling his transition from dirt to pavement. After a P22 finish at the Charlotte Roval, Day will climb back into the car this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He will also take the reins for the final two races at Martinsville and Phoenix.
Those starts not only serve as crucial laps for Day’s development but also reinforce the #17’s role as a vital talent pipeline for Hendrick Motorsports’ future.
