NASCAR: Hendrick Motorsports really the team to beat?
By Randy Smith
Through the first 14 races of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, Hendrick Motorsports have seen a resurgence from years past.
It is no surprise that Rick Hendrick can field a team to compete at a high level each NASCAR season, but the current Hendrick Motorsports stable may be Mr. H’s finest group yet.
After Chase Elliott won a rain-shortened race at Circuit of the Americas (COTA), Hendrick has now seen all four of his drivers head to victory lane this season, a situation which Hendrick has not been able to witness since 2014 and a feat that no other four-car team has been able to pull off yet.
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With the current playoff system prioritizing wins, it is huge for the team to have all of their drivers with at least one victory through just 14 races.
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While Elliott was already able to bring Hendrick Motorsports their first championship since 2016 last year, the 2021 season has seen much more production from team as a whole. Hendrick himself has said that the team is the best it’s ever been.
After dominating at Dover International Speedway and getting their first 1-2-3-4 finish in team history, they are now poised to break NASCAR history atop the all-time wins list, having tied Petty Enterprises’ record of 268 with Elliott’s win at COTA.
It’s quite possible that Hendrick Motorsports will continue to increase their odds of winning another championship and having more than one driver reach the Championship 4 in November.
If not Hendrick Motorsports, then who?
The 2021 playoffs are quite a ways away from now, and in a season that has already seen 11 different winners, the 16-driver field is far from set. Several other teams will be looking to have one of their drivers named this year’s champion when the postseason rolls around.
Team Penske have seen all three of their full-time drivers grab a win already this season, and Joe Gibbs Racing have seen three of their four drivers grab a checkered flag as well, with Denny Hamlin being the lone exception.
But even Hamlin is currently the regular season points leader and would be locked into the playoffs without a win as long as he keeps that title throughout the rest of the regular season.
In the absence of a Hendrick Motorsports title from 2017 to 2019, these other two teams secured two of the three championships, and they currently house all the drivers who won during that span.
So while larger teams such as Stewart-Haas Racing have seen drop-offs in performance and there has been inconsistency in new teams such as Trackhouse Racing Team and 23XI Racing, it’s still far from certain that a Hendrick Motorsports driver is a lock for the championship.
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The next test for Hendrick Motorsports, and their first chance to break the all-time wins record, is slated to come this Sunday, May 30 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Coca-Cola 600, which is set to be broadcast live on Fox beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET.