Kyle Larson Leads Hendrick Motorsports Teammates to Monumental Achievement After 11 Years

For the past five seasons, Kyle Larson has led the way for Hendrick Motorsports, especially after clinching the Cup Championship in 2021. While Chase Elliott remained competitive through 2022, his performances have since dipped slightly. Meanwhile, William Byron has steadily piled up wins, with Alex Bowman also claiming a victory last year and advancing to the Round of 12 with consistent finishes.

However, this time at Talladega, all four Hendrick drivers rose to the occasion and, for the first time in eleven years, matched a significant team achievement. Kyle Larson, who started from 25th position in the Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, maneuvered through the field to finish second, having won Stage 1 and secured third in Stage 2.

William Byron, who currently sits atop the driver standings, crossed the line in third after starting P16, leading 10 laps during the race. Byron wrapped up Stage 1 in second place and Stage 2 back in 20th place.

Hendrick Motorsports‘ third driver, Chase Elliott, brought home a fifth-place finish after starting deep in the field from P30. He wrapped up Stage 1 in fourth, dropped to 27th in Stage 2, and led only a single lap during the race.

Then, Alex Bowman, often perceived as the weakest link in the team’s chain, crossed the line in seventh after starting P18, finishing Stage 1 in P25 and Stage 2 in P15.

In doing so, “Hendrick Motorsports had all four cars finish top-10 at Talladega for just the second time — April 2011 was the other time it did.” What makes the feat even more impressive is that not a single HMS driver started within the top-10 on Sunday.

Hendrick Motorsports had all four cars finish top-10 at Talladega for just the second time — April 2011 was the other time it did.

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) April 27, 2025

In the drivers’ standings, all four HMS drivers also sit inside the top-10. William Byron and Kyle Larson, with one and two wins respectively, occupy P1 and P2, separated by 31 points.

Meanwhile, Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman hold P4 and P9, respectively, with no wins this season. Elliott has bagged three top-five Cup race finishes and Bowman has secured one in the first 10 starts.

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 5500 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

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