Rick Hendrick has laid the platform for unparalleled success. The inception of HMS was led in the year 1984 by Rick Hendrick and since then it has continued to become one of the most successful teams in NASCAR. They have collected 16 driver’s championships, 339 wins, and 298 poles across all three major series, dominating the sport since their arrival.

They have had the most prolific drivers in their cars, names such as Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Kasey Kahne, all at the same time! That’s right, Hendrick Motorsports’ full-time lineup from 2012 to 2015 comprised drivers with multiple championships. Jeff Gordon had won four titles by that time, Johnson had won six and Dale Jr. had two Xfinity Championships. This iconic quartet lasted for four years and saw Johnson pick up his seventh championship in 2013. However, fast-forward to 2025 and their current lineup seems to have outlasted the old.

HMS’ 2025 lineup has already outperformed the 2010s quartet

The tenure from 2012 to 2015 was indeed iconic for Hendrick Motorsports and all for the right reasons. The team consistently saw the face of success. Despite drivers like Jeff Gordon and Dale Jr. not being in the prime of their careers, they still put on a show. Between 2012 and 2015, Hendrick Motorsports achieved an impressive 41 victories. This includes 9 wins in both 2013 and 2015, 13 wins in 2014, and 10 wins in 2012, averaging just over 10 victories per season during these four years.

However, the year 2016 saw a dip in the performance of the team where they ended up winning only five races. While the four-driver lineup in Rick Hendrick’s team is iconic and stood strong for a timeframe of four years at a stretch, this lineage has now been taken over. The new crop includes Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, William Byron, and Kyle Larson. The 2024 season itself saw all four of its drivers finish in the top 10 in the NASCAR Cup Series, a feat that the legendary quartet of 2012-2015 never achieved. To add to that, across their four years together, this quartet has notched up 49 victories.

A recent post on Reddit attracted the attention of NASCAR fans pointing out how Hendrick Motorsports has a second lineup of drivers who have surpassed the iconic lineage by sticking together since 2021. The post read, “In 2025, Elliott, Bowman, Byron & Larson are set to become Hendrick’s longest lasting full-time driver lineup (5 years), passing the JG/JJ/Jr/KK lineup from 2012-2015 (4 years)”. 

In the 2024 driver’s standings, William Byron made it to the third position, being the only HMS driver in the championship 4. Larson made it to sixth, and despite having six wins (the most) throughout the season he failed to make it to the final 4. Chase Elliott secured a seventh-place finish, with 11 top-5 finishes in 2024, meanwhile, Alex Bowman finished in 9th place. A disqualification at the ROVAL eliminated Alex Bowman from the playoffs in the Round of 16; Joey Logano, the eventual champion, then took his spot.

Who knows whether the tale would be different had Bowman gone through and Logano missed out? Would Rick Hendrick’s team have another championship? Well, all that is merely hypothetical, what isn’t hypothetical is fans’ reactions to this iconic quartet outlasting their legendary predecessors. 

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Fans are surprised that it has been so long 

The Johnson – Gordon – Dale Jr. and Kahne lineup was iconic for not only Hendrick Motorsports but for NASCAR fans too. Now that it is clear that the new generation of drivers has surpassed that lineup, fans cannot help but express their shock in the same. Given how the drivers are in their prime season, there is indeed no need for any kind of changes. Pointing out the same, a fan wrote, “I see no reason it will change anytime soon. Esp if bowman grabs a couple wins next season”. 

Speaking of how recent this lineage seems, a fan commented, “Man it doesn’t feel like it’s been that long”. The old lineup had accounted for so many victories that it seemed like it had been lasting for longer than they did. Commenting on the same, a fan said, “I honestly thought that the JG/JJ/Jr/ KK line up was longer than 4 years”. 

Given the kind of results that 2024 has shown for Rick Hendrick’s team, a fan wrote, “Last year was the first time all 4 HMS drivers finished in the top 10 in points. It’s a testament on how the organization is succeeding with all of their guys instead of two of them dominating and winning races and titles while the other two are non factors hanging in the middle of the pack like in past years. It will really be an impressive if HMS keeps these guys until they retire and make all of them HOFers and possibly champions. Things have been pretty promising so far.” While Elliott secured the Championship in 2020, it was Larson who accounted for victory in 2021. However, HMS has not seen the Bill France Cup since then, with Roger Penske and his Team Penske winning three in a row from 2022 to 2024.

The last five years have been eventful for the team and all four drivers as they continue to improve. Citing the same, a fan added, “Time flies”. With Hendrick Motorsports’ new generation delivering unparalleled success, the team is redefining its legacy, leaving fans nostalgic for the past and excited for an even brighter future.