Judging from Kyle Larson’s performance this season, it’s easy to get your hopes high for the team. That’s exactly what Linda Hendrick, the team owner’s wife, did before heading into the playoffs. For her 40th anniversary, Linda requested all the drivers in her team to make it to the top 4, a sight that is incredibly rare to see in the sport. In fact, it’s so rare that it only happened once before, and that too, with the current lineup of Hendrick Motorsport.

With Linda Hendrick wanting the team to repeat history, this year’s playoff start has not been that smooth for Larson. The No. 5 driver had a malfunction with his car, which caused him to spin out and ram into the outer wall. The crash affected not only Larson but Chase Briscoe too, but in the end, it was only the No. 5 driver who suffered the losses. With such a start to the playoffs, Hendrick Motorsports’ Vice Chairman took the mic to talk about the state of the team.

Jeff Gordon speaks about the challenges during the 2024 playoffs for Hendrick Motorsports

While speaking to SiriusXM NASCAR, Jeff Gordon spoke about what the officials are pulling off this year, saying, “If I step back right from the team aspect and look at what’s good for the sport and what I think is going to be the best product for the fans and put on a good show—then I certainly like what NASCAR has done here.”

Jeff Gordon, being a former driver himself, understands how each track feels, and using that data, he explained, “We look at Hendrick Motorsports; we look at that third round, right? That third round, I think, really plays well for us to help us get to that final race in Phoenix and go for a championship.”

Although he mentioned where the team’s strengths lie, he mentioned the obvious by saying, “But you got to get to that third round. And to do that, you got to get through Atlanta, and you got to get through Talladega.”

These are the tracks where the team as a whole has suffered, and it’s not only up to Kyle Larson to win for the team. If it means pleasing Linda, then Chase Elliott, William Byron, and Alex Bowman all have to round until they reach the top 4.

While the upcoming rounds have Speedways where HMS has suffered this year, Gordon spoke about their strong points “Like the other races that are in these rounds, like Watkins Glen, you know, like Bristol—those are excellent tracks for us and for our drivers and our team.”

Signing off from the interview, the former NASCAR driver said that he cannot wait to get over this weekend and see where the team stands in the new 2 rounds. Confident that the team will do well, he leaves fans with the hope that despite the performance at Atlanta, there is a chance that Linda’s request will be fulfilled this season too.

Hendrick Motorsports pulls off a decent race at Atlanta

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Except for the fact that Kyle Larson got wrecked during the race, the rest of the 3 drivers from the team had a smoother time. Each of them managed to finish within the top 10, and the one leading the pack was Alex Bowman, who finished P5.

Following him came Chase Elliott, who finished 8th, and directly behind him was his teammate William Byron, who finished 9th. These results are not the best for drivers to make it into the top 4, but there are still 9 races left and anything can happen.

The playoffs have just fired up, and there is much more racing left in the season. So considering that, do you think that Hendrick Motorsports will be able to give Linda the anniversary gift she has been longing for? Share your thoughts in the comments below.