“There Was Enough Communication” – Jeff Gordon Finds Glimmer of Hope Despite Hendrick Motorsports’ Tragic $400,000 Loss

Published 04/03/2023, 8:17 AM EDT

The 2023 season hasn’t been easy for Hendrick Motorsports. With a deduction of 10 playoff points, 100 team & driver points, four crew chief suspensions, and a hefty fine of $400,000, NASCAR handed down some significant L-2 penalties to the team last month. Explaining that HMS made unauthorized changes to the hood louvers of their cars, the governing body found that the team had violated sections 14.5.4.2.A of the Rule Book.

However, after last week’s victories, it seems like there is some hope on the horizon after all. Citing fitting issues as the reason for the unauthorized modifications to the single-sourced parts, the team appealed the penalties. Although the NASCAR Appeals panel upheld the monetary and suspension fines, the point penalty was upturned. As a result of which, all 10 playoff points and 100 driver points were restored.

Moreover, Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson clinched his first victory of the season in Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway. And amidst all the chaos that the team has been through over the past few weeks, everyone, including Jeff Gordon, Vice Chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, has finally managed to find a silver lining.

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Jeff Gordon explains how ‘communication’ helped Hendrick Motorsports

Although the appeals panel upheld the majority of the penalties, the restoration of the points definitely allowed the team to breathe a sigh of relief. Because of the points being added back, HMS driver Alex Bowman made it to the top of the Cup Series standing, whereas his teammate William Byron made his way to the fourth position.

In a post-race press conference, revealing how communication turned out to be their savior and helped the team get back the lost points, Jeff Gordon explained, “It’s not just a black-and-white situation because there was enough communication to justify why we showed up to the racetrack in Phoenix the way we did.”

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Jeff Gordon explains why Kyle Larson’s win is special

With the partial penalty victory topped with Kyle Larson’s on-track win and Bowman and Byron’s points domination, last week proved to be successful for Hendrick Motorsports. However, what was most special about Larson’s win was the fact that it coincided with Ricky Hendrick’s 43rd birthday.

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Team owner Rick Hendrick’s son, Ricky unfortunately, passed away in a plane crash back in October 2004. However, honoring him on his birthday, Larson drove his #5 with a special paint scheme dedicated to Ricky.

Reminiscing Ricky’s impact on the team, as reported by foxsports.com, Gordon said, “When you know what Ricky’s impact could have been on our company and the people and the 5 car and that paint scheme and what that means to the whole company, it’s very rewarding to know that we’re still kind of thinking of him and paying tribute to him as often as we can.”

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After Larson’s win and the restoration of the penalty points, three out of the four HMS drivers are among the top 10 on the points table. While Bowman and Byron are at the 1st and 4th positions, Kyle Larson is currently standing in the 6th position on the points table. Full-time Xfinity driver Jordan Taylor (substituting for an injured Chase Elliott) cannot accumulate driver points and hence is currently in the 37th position.

WATCH THIS STORY: Amid $400,000 Battle, Hendrick Motorsports Boss Jeff Gordon Exposes the Entire Grid While Questioning NASCAR’s 2022 Daytona 500 Hypocrisy

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Written by:

Devyani Sharma is a NASCAR Author at EssentiallySports. Having completed her postgrad in English Literature, she has worked as a content writer for a while now. With over three years of experience in the field and hundreds of articles published on the web, Devyani has now associated with EssentiallySports to start her journey in the world of sports journalism.

Edited by:

Ranvijay Singh

“There Was Enough Communication” – Jeff Gordon Finds Glimmer of Hope Despite Hendrick Motorsports’ Tragic $400,000 Loss

Jeff Gordon explains how ‘communication’ helped Hendrick Motorsports

Jeff Gordon explains why Kyle Larson’s win is special

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