On HMS’s 40th anniversary at Martinsville, the man himself, Rick Hendrick, could not attend the festivities due to a knee replacement surgery. The 14x championship-winning team’s owner missed out on an iconic 1-2-3 podium sweep that happened for the first time in Martinsville’s history.

However, Mr. H is glad that Chase Elliott’s aggressive advances in overtime did not repeat a heartbreak like 2012, as he revealed the fears that plagued him right before the historic 29th victory.

Rick Hendrick Revealed Fear of Repeat Heartbreak

After the race’s final restart, due to a JH Nemechek-induced caution in the closing laps, all three podium finishers for HMS, Elliott (P3), Kyle Larson (P2), and race-winner William Byron lined up next to each other right in front of the pack. And the 6x Most Popular Driver could later be seen nudging Byron’s car to outrun the cars behind him.

With this in the background, Hendrick revealed his disappointment at being unable to attend the race, “I think I was yelling a little bit like, ‘Oh don’t, don’t! No!’”. He continued, “But man all I could see was them wrecking maybe taking you know Larson, William… I couldn’t go over that day… So I am glad they played nice and raced each other clean.”

Mr. H then elaborated on his fear, “Definitely, the two things that got my attention was that caution with just what three laps to go and I lost that race with Jimmy (Johnson) and Jeff (Gordon) leading it and didn’t pit. Everybody pitted behind them, and Bowyer won the race with a green-white-checkered I believe. So it always notches tummy up when you’re with two or three laps to go and then something happens.”

However, as Bubba Wallace plotted from behind the #9 Chevrolet’s bumper in P4, maybe Mr. H’s fears make sense.

From Bubba Wallace to Elliott, many wanted the P1 spot

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Although Kyle Larson swept Stage 1,  the following stages saw some Ford and Toyotas battle it out at the front of the pack, with Denny Hamlin securing Stage 2 from Team Penske’s Joey Logano. Essentially, even Byron did not emerge until late in Stage 3. One of the only consistent contenders alongside the Hendrick drivers was 23XI Racing’s #23 driver Bubba Wallace securing his season-best finish at Martinsville.

In post-race interviews, Wallace admitted to FOX journalists about sarcastically wanting to ruin HMS’ “damn 40-year anniversary.” Finishing second in both stages, Bubba certainly looked like a strong contender to do so. Nevertheless, as Byron won his third victory of the 2024 season, 23XI Racing was the only Toyota team to finish inside the top 10, challenging HMS’ dreams for a sweep of the first four spots at the Cook Out 400.

Chase Elliott, on the other hand, made some revelations after the race. He said, “So glad one of us could get it done. Wish we got it done, selfishly, like anybody would. But nice to have a couple of solid weeks and to be in contention there for a win… It was fun to kind of get to that last restart, had it actually mattered, so enjoyed that aspect…”

After overturning his podium fortunes after almost ten months, the former champion may have more to enjoy in the coming weeks of the NASCAR season. For now, he must make do with the festivities within Hendrick Motorsports on their 40th anniversary.

Chase Elliott Diplomatically Dissects Missed Victory Lane Opportunity Despite Martinsville Flaunting His NASCAR Rebound