“This has been a season about reflection and reminiscing about what this organization has done over 40 years.” Jeff Gordon said this as the Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman cheered for the four drivers in the post-season. Indeed, Rick Hendrick’s drivers have lived up to HMS’ name on the team’s 40th anniversary. They have stuck to the one thing that propelled Gordon to break down the championship wall in 1995 – team unity.

And Hendrick is strictly following that tradition to this day. Kyle Larson leads the HMS group now, clinching his 6th win of the season at Charlotte. William Byron holds 3 wins, while Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman own one victory each. But they thrive in each other’s presence, constantly communicating with each other regarding race strategy. Hendrick said that is what makes them a star team.

Rick Hendrick reveals the key to HMS success

Owning 312 Cup Series wins over a span of 4 decades. Rick Hendrick’s team is star-studded. Kyle Larson added the most recent one as he swept up the Bank of American Roval 400 race. On the other end of the spectrum, Alex Bowman faced a shock ejection from the playoffs after failing a post-race inspection. Nonetheless, the team’s flawless ideals of unity may propel it forward – plans are afoot to appeal against Bowman’s penalty. It may be achieved by the rising tide that lifts all the HMS boats – mechanics, engineers, marketing executives, public relations representatives, and others.

That is what Rick Hendrick emphasized in a post-race press conference for the winning team at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He said how all four teams in Hendrick Motorsports are in constant rapport to share racing strategies and resources. “I had our general managers in and these guys talk to them. But we want to call audibles immediately, constant communication, constantly getting better. I want to get them on the plane together coming home after a race…So the drivers and crew chiefs can debrief when it’s on that mind. And then the very next morning.”

A NASCAR team’s resilience is proven when it sticks together in tough situations. So Rick Hendrick emphasized that the lack of rifts is the signature of the 14-time Cup Series championship-winning team. “We don’t have any disagreement in our camp…we don’t have any infighting with crew chiefs or drivers in our camp. I’m not going to tolerate that. I see that out there sometimes. But we’re stronger together. We’ve proven it over 40 years and that’s what’s made us strong. And I don’t have to worry about that with these guys…Sometimes we have a little scuff up at the racetrack, but we get over it pretty quick.” 

And this solid integrity might land Rick Hendrick his 15th championship this season. This is something even Jeff Gordon agrees with.

Versatility rules the game

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Other than rock-solid unity holding the team together, HMS boasts versatility. Rick Hendrick’s drivers own victories at road courses, short tracks, and intermediate tracks. While superspeedway wins still elude Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman, this trend may flip any time soon. All of them have experience in championship runs as well. Larson (2021) and Elliott (2020) own Cup titles. Byron reached the Championship 4 last year and Bowman made a run to the Round of 8 in 2020. The four totally own 24 prior postseason berths with none of them coming in with less than five.

So four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon is keen on another HMS championship. “Champions have always had to be diverse and win at any type of track. I think the playoff system has only heightened that more, especially with more road courses being added. But I think that NASCAR, when they look at it, they’re looking at it that way too. We want to have the most complete champion, driver and team and we want to throw as many challenges at them as possible because the best team and driver are going to win this thing. Even though it comes down to one event, you’ve still got to get there.”

If Alex Bowman recovers from his post-race penalty, then all four of Rick Hendrick’s drivers would be solid threats for the 2024 Cup Series title.