And HMS vice chairman Jeff Gordan certainly understands the dynamics of racing with the Gen-7 car. If you take a look at the championship wins since 2006, Team Penske is the name that pops out. Roger Penske’s team have completely dominated the sport and is eyeing to bag a fourth consecutive Bill France Trophy to their cabinets. But, having tasted defeat for the past few years, Hendrick’s camp is geared up to lock horns with their rivals.
Hendrick Motorsports isn’t keen on celebrating early momentum
“It’s a finicky sport because you want to get off to a good start, get into a good position and points so that you’re not on your heels and playing catchup so that part’s really nice.” Jeff Gordan acknowledging their win at Miami, in the press conference post-race. “But we’re getting beat you know. The nice thing is, when you get a start like this and you’re up there in the points, it’s the fine-tuning that matters. And what you’re chasing is victories. Just Perfection is what you’re really looking at” Gordon added.
Not sure if Jeff Gordon was taking jabs at NASCAR’s infamous playoff format, but he certainly wasn’t getting carried away with a couple of wins. But the good thing about early wins is that you bag enough points and you don’t have to rely on do-or-die races late in the season. Speaking of the regular season, Kyle Larson missed out on the regular season championship last year by a mere single point. Had he gotten those extra playoff points who knows he could’ve made it to the final four.
Gordon while sharing his take on the good start to the season knew his team’s real competition the No. 12 car was literally a rocket ship. Had the motor on Ryan Blaney’s car didn’t blow, fans would’ve been treated to an exciting finish. After all, he led a race-high 124 laps before being sidelined and allowed the Hendrick cars to spread their wings. So HMS understands Penske is still the class of the field, and it’s only a matter of time before lady luck starts favoring them.
“Just like the #12 car today, I think that was the car. It was ridiculous how fast they were. So I still think we’re chasing right now. Whether it’s that #12 car or at times a #20 car so we still got have work to do but we’re going to take the win and be happy about it and be happy about where we’re at in points.” Gordan said.
AUSTIN, TX – MARCH 25: Jeff Gordon talks to a crew member during qualifying for the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix on March 25, 2023 at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire AUTO: MAR 25 NASCAR Cup Series EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix Icon1692303251342
The good news for Hendrick Motorsports is that all their race cars are competitive every week. Something that their rival camps like JGR and Penske haven’t been able to sort out. But despite the positives, Gordon couldn’t hide his true feelings about Chase Elliott and concerns surrounding his on-track performances.
Chase Elliott needs to buckle up
The top 10 and top 15 results aren’t something drivers at Hendrick Motorsports contend for. There’s a reason why they are NASCAR’s winningest team, and every time drivers step on the track they are expected to contend for a race win. Unfortunately, things haven’t turned out well for Chase Elliott and the No. 9 team since the start of the 2025 season. Take out the P4 finish at COTA and you’ll see an average driver competing in perhaps the best equipment at the Cup level.
Last year looked to be a game-changer for the 2020 Cup Series champ as he snapped a winless streak at Texas Motor Speedway, and raked in 10 top 5 finishes. While he couldn’t make it to the playoffs, there was progress and it was enough to build momentum for the next year. But with just two top 10s and a good outing at COTA, he is not exactly matching strides with his teammates. And before things could get worse, Gordon was given to alert the entire No. 9 team to get back on track.
“Again, it’s a high standard at Hendrick and what everybody brings, like the five teams did today. A lot of times, you’re really measuring yourself against the best out there, and a lot of times, that’s right in your own stable. If you’re not achieving what you want to achieve, you know you’ve got to go to work, and you know you’re not meeting expectations.” Gordon explained.
Keep a close eye on the No. 9 Chevy, it looks like out of all the HMS drivers Elliott could be on the hot seat this year.
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