Tomorrow’s Cook Out 400 race at Martinsville will be one with mixed feelings for the Hendrick Motorsports camp. While Kyle Larson bagged his second pole of the season to start the race at the front, it has now come to light that Rick Hendrick won’t be able to join his team celebrating their 40th anniversary at the iconic racetrack.

The race will see each of the four HMS cars sport a special red paint scheme in honor of the team’s ruby anniversary. Moreover, Kyle Larson, who sits in the pole position for the race, even had Linda Hendrick’s name on the passenger side of his #5 race car. Before we discuss the nitty-gritty of the race, here’s why the boss will miss out on one of the major events.

Update on Rick Hendrick’s Martinsville presence

According to a post on X by Kelly Crandal, Mr. H underwent knee replacement surgery and therefore will not be available to drive the pace car. Meanwhile, Jeff Gordon and Geoff Bodine are expected to serve as the co-grand marshals for the race. Bodine earned the first-ever Rick Hendrick and Co. victory 40 years ago, when the organization was known as All-Star Racing.

The winningest team had 28 of those wins on the short track oval of Martinsville, which in itself is a record. Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson both have nine victories each at the venue, and interestingly, all four current drivers, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, William Byron, and Alex Bowman, have all won a race at the venue.

Another good news for Rick Hendrick and Co. is that three of its four drivers are starting in the top 10 starting positions for the main event. Thus allowing the organization to script a special winning story along with their 40th-year celebrations.

Kyle Larson is looking to convert consecutive spring race wins at Martinsville

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For the time being, Larson has proved to be the best bet of all the four drivers in the Rick Hendrick camp to bag a historic 29th Cup Series win at Martinsville Speedway. The driver of the #5 car emerged victorious last season after a torrid outing during the Bristol dirt race. Moreover, he is currently sitting in the pole position to kickstart the event, thus increasing his chances further for a potential win.

Since the start of the Next Gen era, the California native driver has earned the fifth-most points (142) at the Virginia racing track. He also has an average finish of 6.83 on the short-track venues. As far as his record on the short track for this season is concerned, he has bagged two top-five finishes that came at Bristol Motor Speedway and Richmond Raceway.

Given his track record and recent run of form, it is fair to say that Kyle Larson is indeed the top contender from Rick Hendrick and Co. to win the Cook Out 400 event.

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