NASCAR Preview: Which Hendrick Driver Has Best Chance to Win at Richmond?

As NASCAR prepares to host the seventh race of the season at Richmond, both Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing seem equally poised for the win. The 2024 short-track and street circuit rules package has witnessed a win each from both JGR and HMS.

Kyle Larson may have the highest chance of bagging the win on Sunday and here’s why. In the last eight short-track events, the Elk Grove native has the highest average finish of 5.13, besides a couple of runner-up positions. Moreover, since the usher of the NextGen car, Larson has held the third-most points (416) on short tracks.

Next on the list is none other than Chase Elliott. Maybe he hasn’t been able to regain his winning momentum yet, but that doesn’t change the fact that this 29-year-old Georgia native has seven top-10 finishes in the last nine races at NASCAR’s short tracks. Through the previous six races of the current season, the #9 driver holds the seventh-best average (13.34) running position.

Not far behind is 26-year-old William Byron. Since the new car started running a few years ago, Byron has led the highest number of laps (239) at Richmond Raceway. He also has not recorded finishes worse than a P9 in the last six night races.

Indeed, Alex Bowman hasn’t won in a long time, but what’s important to note is that the #48 star has back-to-back top-5 results and also boasts the fifth-best average finish (12.50). Even he could launch a breakthrough at the Virginian racetrack.

Past HMS winners at Richmond

Hendrick Motorsports has won on 12 occasions at Richmond. On top of that, Mr. Hendrick’s team leads the field at Richmond with the highest marks in these three aspects: Pole wins (18), top-five finishes (67), and top-10 finishes (123).

The maiden victory for the team at the track came in 1986 through the hands of Tim Richmond. But the winningest driver here was Terry Labonte, who picked up three wins in 1994, 1995 and 1998. Right behind Labonte’s record are Jeff Gordon’s victories in 1996 and 2000. In 2003, Joe Nemechek (John Hunter Nemechek’s father) emerged victorious and a few years later in 2008, Jimmie Johnson took home another victory. As for the current HMS drivers, both Alex Bowman (2021) and Kyle Larson (2023) have one win each at Richmond.