The four-decade tale of Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) is a chronicle that was written race-by-race with the help of many able hands. The racing team stands as NASCAR’s most successful organization because of the achievements of legends like Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. Celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2024, let’s take a look at the impact that the team’s current roster of drivers has made in creating its proud legacy.
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When William Byron won last year’s race at Texas, he made HMS the first Cup Series team in NASCAR history, as per Hendrick Motorsports to win 300 races. After Victory No. 303 in Las Vegas earlier this month, the team does not appear to be hitting the brakes anytime soon. A key figure in advancing its dominance is the #5 Chevy Camaro driver, Kyle Larson.
Larson has collected 18 wins for HMS since joining it in 2021 and has earned a strong reputation as one of the most skilled racers of the current generation. Only Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson have a higher number of wins than him for Rick Hendrick’s team. He is also the team’s fourth-best driver when it comes to laps led (4,548 laps).
Standing right alongside him is the 2020 Cup Series champion, Chase Elliott. Elliott, too, has 18 wins for HMS but leads Larson in the laps-led category with a 5,108 count. While his contribution to the success of the team can be questioned by none, he is currently in the middle of a rough patch with a 38-race winless streak.
The fast-rising importance of William Byron in the Hendrick Motorsports garage
26-year-old William Byron is unlike his counterparts in many ways. He did not have the traditional upbringing that it takes to make it in the highest levels of motorsports. Teaching himself to drive on computers, he climbed the ladders and has now turned out to be a driver that HMS can’t make do without.
He has gathered 11 wins for the team so far and is its 6th most successful driver. After making it to the Championship 4 last year, he has already begun collecting his tolls in the ongoing season by winning the Daytona 500. Byron has thus far proven himself to be a worthy successor for Jeff Gordon’s #24 car.
The fourth and final driver of the HMS roster is Alex Bowman. Driving the #48 car, he has won 7 races and led 1,301 laps. After a forgettable season in 2023, he hopes to bounce back and reach the level of his teammates this year.
Going forward, it will be fate that decides which of these four capable drivers will grab Victory No. 304 for Team Hendrick.
