“We’ve Seen It Pay Off” – After Martin Truex Jr’s Engine Blew Up, Jeff Gordon Reveals HMS’ Success With High-Risk Play

The playoff round of 8 kicked off with the roaring triumph of the Hendrick camp. In a whirlwind race through Las Vegas, Kyle Larson tore through the competition, securing his place among the Championship 4 contenders. With just one race remaining before the season finale in Phoenix, the second Hendrick car, William Byron, finds himself perched comfortably 30 points above the cut line, poised for a shot at the championship.

However, in this high-stakes playoff format, Lady Luck becomes the unexpected co-pilot on this journey. Yes, the format has its critics, but one notable figure in the Hendrick Motorsports camp stands firmly in its favor.

Martin Truex Jr. slides down the standings, while HMS star William Byron stakes a stronger claim

Hendrick Motorsports’ vice chairman, Jeff Gordon, believes in the thrilling nature of the playoff elimination format. “This is far more entertaining. It’s more intense,” he asserts while acknowledging the challenges of explaining it to new fans. But he’s convinced that this format brings a new level of excitement to the sport, making the final race of the season a truly electrifying event.

Jeff Gordon argued, “You kind of wish it didn’t just come down to one race. But at the same time, you could say the same thing about other sports, right? The Super Bowl, it doesn’t matter what kind of season you had up to that point, you’ve got to go, you’ve got to win, you’ve got to execute. I think the winners, it’s meant to be. The best teams win.”

However, the NASCAR playoffs are a different beast altogether. In contrast to the Super Bowl, here, mechanical failures and unpredictable factors play a more prominent role. Gordon adds, “There’s a lot of things that can happen and everybody’s pushing the envelope and limit in that race to win the championship because it means so much.”

“And so that means drivers on track are taking more risks. You’re going to take more risks with your setups and your pit stops. We’ve been on both sides of it. We’ve seen it pay off and we’ve seen it not work out.” Indeed, the championship race often becomes a high-stakes gamble, while some pay off, others don’t. That’s the unique essence of NASCAR.

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However, throughout the 2023 postseason, the Hendrick playoff contenders, No. 5 and 24 have consistently found themselves on the winning side of the table as opposed to their Toyota competition, where things are bumpy, to say the least.

JGR’s Vegas vortex as the Star Drivers face a precarious playoff plunge

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Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr., both seasoned veterans, were sitting pretty above the cut line after their Las Vegas outing. However, the tables turned dramatically, and they now find themselves perilously below the elimination line by a staggering 17 points.

The Homestead Miami Speedway showdown felt like a relentless rollercoaster ride, and for Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr., it was more like a freight train barreling down on them. Hamlin’s race took a catastrophic turn when he collided with the retaining wall and reported a steering issue with just 32 laps to go. Truex Jr. was dealing with engine troubles, and just a lap after the No. 11’s retirement The No. 19 also pulled into the pits with smoke billowing from the car.

Joe Gibbs, the mastermind behind Joe Gibbs Racing, had a few words to say about their misfortunes, “I think it’s hard to get in the Final 4. I’ll tell you that. I don’t think anything’s a given. Certainly, the 19, with all they did in the regular season, as good as they are, we’ve had real disappointments with everything that’s happened.”

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The disappointment was palpable, and the hand of luck had been unkind to JGR. “We still got a chance. That’s the way we look at it. I think we’re going to Martinsville, it’s going to be a classic, I’m sure. But we do have a chance. We go there with both Denny and Martin…”. With the Championship 4 race just around the corner and both Hamlin and Truex facing a near-must-win situation, the question looms large: Who are you betting on?