Hendrick Motorsports is coming into the 2026 Chase for the NASCAR Cup Series championship with arguably some of the weakest statistics it has had in its recent existence.
CONCORD, N.C. -- Hendrick Motorsports is coming into the 2026 Chase for the NASCAR Cup Series championship with arguably some of the weakest statistics it has had in its recent existence.
Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott are waving the banner for the 15-time Cup champions in seventh and eighth with the organization's best speed all season. However, teammate William Byron is stuck back in 13th after a rough regular season and some tough luck.
The teams have lacked their usual pace. Yet, Kyle Larson still has had glimpses of his old self, even if he has had issues closing out races.
However, glimpses of success might not be enough to defeat the wide-eyed glory their competitors have boasted this year.
7. Kyle Larson: 2045 points (-55)
- Nine top-five finishes (6th), 13 top-10 finishes (T-5th), average finish of 17.2 (T-14th)
- 659 laps led (3rd)
- 195 stage points (4th)
Tyler Jones: The defending-series champion Kyle Larson has had a weird year. Larson has led the third-most laps of any driver with 659, however has yet to get to victory lane.
It has been 48 races since the last time Larson claimed a win. The new Chevy body really set him and Hendrick Motorsports back. Larson hasn’t forgotten how to drive and his crew chief Cliff Daniels is still one of the best in the biz.
However, if they can’t step-up their game and find the race-winning speed from Chevy, then Larson won’t have much of a chance to defend his title.
8. Chase Elliott: 2040 points (-60)
- Wins (2): Martinsville, Texas (T-4th)
- Six top-five finishes (T-7th), Nine top-10 finishes (T-11th), average finish of 14.8 (8th)
- 317 laps led (8th)
- 94 stage points (15th)
Jonathan Fjeld: Elliott is on track for the fewest top-fives and top-10s in a full season he has run in the NASCAR Cup Series.
In the 11 races since Michigan in June, where he led 67 laps before getting in a harrowing crash with Christopher Bell, Elliott has had just one top-10 finish (fifth at Richmond) and has led just 51 laps compared to two wins, five top-fives, eight top-10s and 266 laps led in the 15 prior races.
Hendrick is notorious for looking okay-to-awful in the summertime and then turning it up in the Chase. However, there hasn’t been any indication of them showing championship speed like there has been in previous seasons. They’re always a step behind Toyota and even Ryan Blaney.
Contrary to the name, Chase is a racer not a Chaser this postseason.
13. William Byron: 2015 points (-85)
- Four top-five finishes (T-12th), 11 top-10 finishes (T-8th), average finish of 16.1 (10th)
- 176 laps led (13th)
- 123 stage points (9th)
JF: A year removed from winning the regular season as NASCAR’s foremost-accomplished team, William Byron and his No. 24 team finished behind two Chevrolet teams that, just a couple of seasons ago, scraped to make the top-25 in points -- let alone make the Chase.
Byron started the season strong, running top-five in points through the first seven races until five finishes of 30th or worst and meager stage points in his top-10 finishes pushed him out of the top-10 in points the rest of the way.
Other than Chicagoland (94 laps led), Las Vegas (26), New Hampshire (26) and the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (14). Byron has led just 16 laps in the other 22 races. It’s going to take a lot for them to turn things around in the final 10 to win the Cup.
