Hendrick Motorsports’ 2026 season has been inconsistent. Aside from Chase Elliott’s two wins, the team’s four-car roster hasn’t delivered the weekly dominance fans have come to expect in recent years. Even defending champ Kyle Larson has rarely threatened the front of the pack. With the NASCAR Chase now approaching, it’s understandable that tensions would be rising behind the scenes, and how owner Rick Hendrick may be driving things isn’t public knowledge. But Dale Earnhardt Jr., who drove for Rick’s team in the past, believes he has an idea, and shared his thoughts on the boss’ leadership style.

“When they’re not doing what they want to be doing, those meetings get really f—— serious,” Dale Jr. said on The Dale Jr. Download podcast. “And Rick would basically say to everybody in the room, ‘Y’all better figure it out.” It’s a whole another level. Rick rarely ever gets stern. But when he does, it gets your attention because you don’t see it often, and you know that he means fix it or else, you know there’s going to be some consequences.”

Dale Jr. feels that when Hendrick walks into a room and speaks first, everyone immediately understands that last week’s race is no longer the most important thing. The focus shifts entirely to finding solutions. Fixing the problem becomes the only thing on everyone’s mind.

The engine shop starts looking for more horsepower, the engineers dig deeper into the setup data, and the aero department searches for gains wherever it can find them. Everyone wants to be the person who can go to Rick Hendrick with the solution that makes the car go faster.

In the past, this approach of constantly searching for solutions instead of dwelling on past results has proven effective. Take 2025, for example. Hendrick Motorsports went through one of its toughest mid-season slumps in recent memory. The organization then reshuffled personnel, reorganized its pit crews, and leaned on its organizational depth to identify weaknesses and address them.

Performance steadily improved as the season progressed, and Larson and the No. 5 team went on to capture the Cup Series championship

That same process could be unfolding again. The company has admitted that it has trouble adjusting to Chevrolet’s upgraded 2026 package. This, in turn, has made it more challenging to keep the cars balanced throughout lengthy races.

History indicates that it would be a mistake to write Hendrick Motorsports off. Junior clarified that having top-notch drivers isn’t the team’s biggest asset. Instead, it is an organization designed to react to challenges like this. Hendrick, Gordon, and the competition group are looking for answers before the Chase starts. And HMS is once again placing a wager that organizational depth, creativity, and responsibility can convert another challenging season into a campaign worthy of a title.