Hendrick Motorsports have always strived to be the best in the sport. Be it drivers, executives, or crew members, they have always produced the best of them. Losing a potential driver of Josh Berry’s caliber to Stewart Haas Racing is certainly a loss for them. But they never stop at that, do they?
What sets them apart from other teams is their definition of goals and implementation of actions towards realizing them. With one foot in the playoffs already, what remains for them ahead is achieving their personal milestones and a collective one.
Hendrick Motorsports Look to Achieve the Incredible Target in Cup Series
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Kyle Larson and William Byron have been the pick of the drivers in the HMS pits. The duo has virtually sealed their place in playoffs with race wins. Alex Bowman, although without a race win, sits at the last eligible spot for the playoffs. Bowman could have contributed more if not for his back injury, which kept him out for 3 point-awarding races. Another driver who has missed out on the action this season is Chase Elliott.
Their most popular driver missed seven races at the start of the season. Unfortunately, suffering a tibia injury during snowboarding, Elliott will have a hard time trying to clear the cutoffs. While these targets will be what the drivers will have on their minds, Rick Hendrick will be preparing for another celebration.
With 14 Owner and Driver championships shared in its history, HMS has some elusive records to break. With 296 Cup victories, they will be aiming to make it 300 this season itself. They will try to pace up their pursuit with only ten races remaining before playoffs. The team has yet to achieve the feat that Hendrick wants to bench. A milestone fitting to the winningest team in NASCAR history.
Another such statistic from the books is of the number of poles in the Cup Series as well. Hendrick Motorsports have amassed 244 Cup poles. Other than that, six more victories will also imply 500 engine wins for the outfit. After their latest stint in Le Mans, they’ll be looking to replicate their run of success ahead in the season.
Josh Berry Set to Snub HMS for Tony Stewart’s Team
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With Kevin Harvick announcing his retirement scheduled for the season-end, the driver chosen by Stewart-Haas Racing is Josh Berry. Harvick will also help in the transition of his seat as SHR’s ace crew chief, the legendary Rodney Childers will retain his duties.
Hendrick Motorsports will be mourning a missed chance. After impressive finishes as a replacement for the injured Bowman and Elliott, Berry proved his worth on the track. With 8 Cup starts already in his bag this season, SHR decided to put its trust in him. A top-5 and 3 top-10s as a substitute is not a bad record at all.
Hendrick Motorsports Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon was one of the vocal supporters of Berry’s appointment. Speaking to Fox Sports in April, the four-time Cup champion said, “Certainly, everybody has known his talent watching him in other forms of racing, late models, and the Xfinity Series. You have to put him in other cars with other teams and other people to really see how far he could take it.”
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“I think he’s got a future in the Cup Series.”
SHR sets "major announcement" for Wednesday as the long-awaited Josh Berry-replacing-Kevin Harvick news at Stewart-Haas Racing expected to become official. @NASCARONFOX https://t.co/SIq4TPODNL
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 19, 2023
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Well, it seems Berry did have a future in the Cup Series, just not for Hendrick Motorsports.
Watch This Story: Amid worrying concerns for Tony Stewart following Kevin Harvick’s exit row, Joe Gibbs breathes a sigh of relief