NASCAR
Is Hendrick Motorsports Still the King of the Hill?
After winning almost half of all races a year ago, the domination from Hendrick Motorsports may have started to wane. Although their four drivers all won in the opening 11 races of 2022, the superteam has lost some ground in weeks since. Let’s take a look at when and where the Chevrolet juggernaut lost ground, detailing each of their drivers in recent weeks.
Kyle Larson
Since winning race two of 2022 at Auto Club, Kyle Larson has been close to numerous more victories. Driver 5 has had seven top-tens in the last 13 weeks, perhaps being closest to another win at the Coca-Cola 600. Despite being seventh in points, Larson has arguably been the most consistent Hendrick driver. While his 10-win season from a year ago may not be replicated, Larson will likely contend for more wins throughout the regular season as the Playoffs near.
Chase Elliott
The points leader since race five, Chase Elliott has seen a huge advantage dwindle down. At one point, the 9 was 65 points ahead of second, but now he’s just nine markers up. Elliott’s season has not been bad by any measure, but it has lacked a constant presence up front. With nine top-10s through 15 weeks, only three of those races are top-fives. In addition, nearly half of Elliott’s laps led came at Martinsville. With some upcoming strong venues for Elliott, the 9 should be on a better track heading into the Playoffs. Despite this average-level season, Elliott is still in a dogfight for the regular season championship.
William Byron
Even with his two wins, William Byron’s recent struggles have seen him plummet from second to ninth in points. Since winning Martinsville, the 24 team’s best result has been 13th in Darlington. That was the race where Joey Logano moved Byron for the win in the closing laps. Aside from that moment, the past several weeks have seen the 24 searching for any semblance of speed or performance. Byron’s one drawback from 2021 was just one win, which he’s already rectified in 2022. However, the 24 needs to find some more execution if they are to contend for this year’s championship.
Alex Bowman
Since his win at Las Vegas, Alex Bowman has very much flown under many people’s radar. The Ally 48 has eight top-10s in the last 12 weeks, putting him at eighth in points. The lone reason Bowman is buried in points though is due to a crash at Darlington, he was a top-five driver prior to this. While Bowman may not be up front or leading laps, he is in fact stringing together very consistent finishes when it counts. The 48 is debatably the second-best Hendrick car, trailing Larson. However, if Bowman wants to make a deep Playoff run, he needs to start racking up Stage wins and race victories to build up bonus points.
By no means is Hendrick Motorsports in dire straights, but their armor has more chinks in it than last year. A lot of racing remains between now and the Playoffs, meaning that HMS can and likely will find their form again. It is intriguing though to see just how far they have fallen after starting off the year so strong. Only time will tell where any 2022 Hendrick turnaround happens, as this team chases their third-straight NASCAR Cup Series title.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Meg Oliphant/Getty Images for NASCAR
