Hendrick Motorsports leads an increasingly competitive NASCAR field entering Martinsville
The cars in the NASCAR Cup Series keep running closer together, but the increased competitiveness hasn’t slowed down the drivers of Hendrick Motorsports.
It’s put additional emphasis on pit road, Chase Elliott explained ahead of Sunday’s race at Martinsville. The packed racing often seen with the Next Gen cars makes it all the more important to gain advantages and avoid falling behind during pit stops.
They’re still driving roughly 60 mph on pit road at some tracks — how fast cars travel down a highway, Elliott noted — and feels it’s faster than the cars may appear to be running from afar. Pit selection resulting from performance in qualifying and strategy calls can make or break a driver’s race.
One constant through the rugged Cup Series field? Hendrick drivers hold the first three of the top six spots in its standings. In addition to William Byron’s second straight Daytona 500 triumph and Kyle Larson earning his recent victory at Homestead-Miami, NASCAR’s winningest and largest team finds itself out in front of the series once again.
“It’s just the behind-the-scenes efforts that go on, and us making sure that we’re just open and transparent on car balances, and car builds, and things like that,” Elliott said. “And then you take all that information, tweak and adjust for what fits the individual driver. But it’s a balance, just like everything else. It’s all a balance that we try to navigate each week, and I think our group does a pretty good job of it.”
Is a victory in Alex Bowman’s future?
The driver of the No. 48 car has recorded five Top Five finishes through the season’s first six races.
Hendrick Motorsports drivers focus on consistency; All four of its teams work together to make one another faster. Last weekend’s race at Homestead was an example — Larson and Bowman finished in first and second place, respectively — and showed how Hendrick dominated the race.
“Regular-season points come down to some really close stuff, and playoff cuts come down to close stuff,” Bowman said. “Just gotta get points whenever you can. … We’re in a good spot. Certainly want more — hate giving one away last week — but just got to keep at it.”
It’s important to accumulate points throughout the year, especially early in the season. While Byron and Larson have locked themselves into the sport’s playoffs with their wins, Bowman’s prowess currently has him second in the Cup Series standings entering Sunday.
Bowman appeared to be on his way to victory last Sunday before his teammate, who drives the No. 5 Chevy, got around him to take the lead for good. Hendrick drivers figure to find the front of the field at Martinsville — at which its drivers posted a 1-2-3 finish a year ago — and hold four starting spots in the Top 10 for Sunday’s race.
“(Martinsville) is still a really hard track for me to figure out,” Larson said. “Hendrick Motorsports has such good cars, and that helps me out. I don’t feel like I’m close to being the best here, but we can run up front.”
This story was originally published March 29, 2025 at 3:18 PM.
