Fielding four full-time cars in the Cup Series, Hendrick Motorsports is now witnessing a divide. While William Byron and Kyle Larson are enjoying top spots in NASCAR’s Cup Series standings, on the other hand, Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott are still fighting for a playoff chance. To further add to their troubles, time is running out for HMS’ #48 and #9 drivers, as only six races remain in the Cup Series regular season.

Appearing in an interview at the Pocono Raceway, Kyle Larson, who himself is seeking his maiden win in Pocono, backed up his teammates amid their playoff struggles.

Chase Elliott & Alex Bowman receive Yung Money’s support

Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman’s 2023 season has been nothing short of disappointing. Struggling to climb up the leaderboards, the Hendrick Motorsports duo’s bad luck even seeped into Pocono’s qualifying stage. As William Byron and Kyle Larson grabbed the respective 1st and 3rd spots during the Pocono 400’s qualifying stage, Alex Bowman claimed the 20th place. Being towed out of the race track after a spin-out, Elliott was awarded the 35th spot on the starting grid.

Watching his teammates struggle, Kyle Larson had some encouraging words to spare. Speaking to Frontstretch in a recent interview, Larson said, “They are trying to get the best finishes possible each week, and a win would be nice. I hadn’t really looked at it too much, to be honest with you, or thought about it a whole lot here until lately. But they both have some really good tracks coming up for them.”

Further adding how his teammates can still make the cut at Pocono, the #5 HMS driver said, “Chase’s spin today, it doesn’t help things, but you know I feel like Pocono was a great track for him, and a lot of times if you start really anywhere here at Pocono, you can find your way to the front easily with strategies. So that’s something that I feel like Alan (Gustafson) excels at in their team and I wouldn’t count them out for tomorrow. Same with Alex, you know Blake’s [Harris] got a lot of experience winning here with Truex.”

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Having high hopes for his teammates to bounce back in the Pocono 400 Cup Series race, Kyle Larson also believes Chase Elliott can make up for his subpar performance in the coming weeks.

Keeping their rivalry aside, Kyle Larson has high hopes for Chase Elliott

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Although Chase Elliott is in a slump, the upcoming race weeks can prove to be quite pivotal. During the course of the interview, Kyle Larson even speculated how Elliott will be a favorite during the race event at Watkins Glen. “I mean obviously it’s getting close to the end of the regular season, and it looks like they may have to win, but like I said, they both have some really good tracks coming up. Chase especially with Watkins Glen, he’ll be the favorite there. So yeah, we’ll see, it’s gonna be tough for sure, but I know they can pull through,” Yung Money said.

To Chase Elliott’s credit, the HMS #9 driver has run six races at Watkins Glen, of which he has won 2 races in 2018 and 2019. Returning to The Glen in 2021 Elliott placed 2nd whereas he ranked 4th during the 2022 season.

Read More: “Regular Season Championship Isn’t Out of the Question” – With Only 6 Races Remaining, HMS Driver Still Optimistic About the Championship

With Kyle Larson banking on his teammates to prove their mettle, can Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman live up to their teammate’s expectations?