Rick Hendrick’s Owner’s Championship in Jeopardy as Drivers’ Desperation to Win Rises

The stakes are high for NASCAR’s most winningest team – Hendrick Motorsports. 2023 has sort of been a shaky affair for the Chevy team. While 2 of its potent drivers missed the playoffs, including the 2020 Cup Series champion, Chase Elliott, Rick Hendrick‘s other 2 drivers have shined brightly, especially the youngest driver of the 4.

Now, as we head to the crucial playoff starter at the 1.3-mile “too tough to tame” track at Darlington, will William Byron be able to repeat the success he had earlier this season? Will the generational talent, Kyle Larson be able to “tame” ‘The Lady in Black?’ To answer this million-dollar question, let us dive a little deeper and look at how the odds stack up for Mr. H and his drivers with the owner championship on the line.

Hendrick Motorsports and their owner’s championship contention: A close speculation

2023 certainly hasn’t been what the HMS Bossman would have thought it would be. While one of his champions, Chase Elliott, succumbed to the pressure after 7 unexpected missed race starts, William Byron is having a dream run.

William Byron has shown the world what he can do, entering the post-season as the top dog with 2,036 points, boosted by a career-high and season-leading five wins. The 25-year-old even picked up a dominant victory at Watkins Glen – his very first road course win in Cup Series – capitalizing on his teammate Elliott’s poor strategy.

While the #9 driver lost his chance to make the playoff, his #9 team is still in the chase for the owner championship. As for Byron, who hasn’t been in the championship 4, looking at the driver’s 2023 resume, he has a sure shot to be in the title contention. The driver’s win at Darlington earlier this year also makes him a betting favorite, promising Mr. H an owner’s title.

Now, for Kyle Larson, the scene isn’t much different. Like his #24 teammate, Larson too has multiple wins under his belt. He leads the series in top-five finishes (10)  and has an average starting position of 9.62. He has led the third-most laps (624), run the fourth-highest laps in the top five (2,184), and starts the postseason sitting in sixth with 2,017 points.

While the numbers favor both drivers to excel at Darlington, the unpredictable nature of the track, coupled with its infamous reputation, makes it anybody’s game. The drivers certainly need to maintain a close watch, to ensure they don’t shoot themselves in the foot, pushing each other to the limit in such desperate times.

Larson definitely needs a win in the NASCAR’s playoff first-rounder if needs to make it to the next 12. More importantly, he needs to follow through to give his boss a shot at the owner’s championship. Now for Mr. H, three of his drivers promise an owner’s title, with both Byron and Larson having solid playoff berths.

But most importantly, the slightest of errors can prove detrimental. Or it can even beat their chances of advancing to further rounds in order to make their boss proud.

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“Cautious” William Byron opens up before his anticipated Darlington run

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The youngest driver of the HMS camp has had a breakout year so far as we head into the playoff rounds. A total of 5 wins and 2036 points to his name has the youngster tied up with the veteran of the sport, Martin Truex Jr for the #1 position.

One other fascinating aspect about the driver’s Ws is the venues where he racked them up. His win at Darlington earlier this year opens up his playoff chances big time. And his stellar win at Las Vegas also has him as a favorite for the round of 8. And adding to the momentum is his Phoenix win.

However, despite the brilliant feat, Byron doesn’t want to take any race lightly. Speaking to the media ahead of the racer, he said, “Definitely, the goal is to have a solid race, we don’t really want to push ourselves too hard and force any early mistake but certainly if we’re in a spot to compete for a win at the end we want to go for it because that’s any easy ticket to the next rounds. So I think we’ll be kind of cautiously aggressive at the beginning and just kind of see what happens towards the race.” 

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Now, with just 1 day to go, Byron is certainly a favorite to ace the track and so is his #5 teammate, but considering the track’s reputation and the other desperate drivers on the field, it’s anybody’s guess.

What do you think? Will HMS push on to clinch the owner’s title? Or will Joe Gibbs Racing and Martin Truex Jr hold that off? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.