One team that enters the 2021 NASCAR season with a lot of freshness and major changes is Hendrick Motorsports. Kyle Larson makes his entry into the NASCAR Cup Series’ powerhouse outfit, replacing Jimmie Johnson in the squad, while champion Chase Elliott aims for a title defense.

With the change, Hendrick’s squad now comprises of four young drivers, with Alex Bowman – who takes over the no. 48 car from Johnson – and William Byron, along with Larson and Elliott.

The oldest of the four drivers is 28-year-old Larson, while Byron is the youngest of the lot at 23. It is a very interesting phase at the outfit, with reigning champion Elliott now the winningest driver on the team and the leader of the pack.

At the same time, Larson enters the most crucial season of his Cup career so far, as he will have a point to prove after missing almost the entire 2020 season.

Chase Elliott gives his thoughts on working with Kyle Larson and Co.

Elliott recently spoke about the new phase at Hendrick Motorsports and how it will be to share the stage with the likes of Larson, Bowman, and Byron. The champ believes all four of them are quite hungry to further prove themselves at the highest level.

“I think HMS (Hendrick Motorsports) is an exciting place to be right now,” Elliott said during a recent interview.

“Four young drivers, four hungry drivers, four guys that I think can compete at a very high level. Hopefully, we can push each other to be better and get HMS where it belongs,” he expressed.

Elliott and Larson, in particular, have spent a decent amount of time communicating with each other during the off-season. Elliott has been trying his hand at other racing disciplines since winning the NASCAR title, one of them being dirt racing, where Larson excels, to say the least.

Ahead of Elliott’s maiden Chili Bowl run, Larson helped him a lot with useful inputs on racing at such tracks and in different cars. Now, Larson might rely on Chase Elliott to return the favor in NASCAR.

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Byron and Bowman will be motivated to win as well

Byron will work with some new team members in the no. 24 team. Meanwhile, a big change is Bowman‘s entry into the iconic no. 48 car, left vacant by the legendary Jimmie Johnson. Both drivers will want to continue their momentum from the 2020 season.

Byron bagged his maiden NASCAR Cup win last year and made the playoffs. Bowman, on the other hand, was quite impressive in the playoffs as well.

For Larson, though, the Hendrick opportunity in the no. 5 team is a massive chance to redeem his NASCAR career.

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