Hendrick Motorsports wants to achieve the ultimate dream, and they will not yield. Looking to nab their 15th Cup Series championship, Rick Hendrick is banking on William Byron and Kyle Larson, who secured the last two spots of the Championship 4 last weekend. However, there is one roadblock in their way.

Battling against the Toyota duo, Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe, is no easy task. With their dominance showcased throughout the NASCAR playoffs, especially the Round of 16 sweep, their momentum to win is unstoppable. But with much grit and determination, Rick Hendrick is ready to go head-to-head with Joe Gibbs Racing’s owner and close friend, Joe Gibbs. But even Mr. H knows how difficult it is going to get.

Rick Hendrick sounds optimistic about HMS’s run at the championship finale

Speaking on the SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Rick Hendrick pretty much knows how the race will go down. He said, “So, it’s hard to believe and, just thankful that we got it done and now moving on to Phoenix and see what we can get done there. So we’ve been, I’m real happy with the two cars, Williams led the most laps this year, Kyle’s second. And they both have won Phoenix before, so it’s just going to be a dogfight.” 

Martinsville definitely proved to be a heartstopper for the 76-year-old team owner. Kyle Larson was just one point above the cutline, while Byron trailed right behind him, one place below the cutline. But thanks to William Byron’s sweet victory at Martinsville Speedway, one of the two HMS playoff drivers was definitely locked in. He led an impressive 304 of the 500 laps, including key stretches in Stages 1 and 2, and then passed Ryan Blaney with 44 laps remaining to seal the win by 0.717 seconds.

Meanwhile, his teammate Kyle Larson ran a solid race, too. He stayed near the front and avoided major trouble, and with the fifth-place finish, he edged out Christopher Bell by seven points to take the final Championship 4 berth.

Reflecting on the Martinsville race, Rick Hendrick said, “Boy, I tell you, my heart, I think for an hour after it was over, I still, my body was still shaking. I mean, you can’t be in this stuff and have so much on the line and say that you’re just, you know, the adrenaline and emotions are just getting to you. And because, you know, it’s just so much on the line.” 

However, with their eyes on Phoenix right now, the HMS duo has found significant success on the track.

Two years ago, William Byron captured the win at Phoenix Raceway, taking the lead in overtime after leading 59 of the first 60 laps and passing his teammate in the final stretch. That win represents his only triumph at Phoenix so far. And his stats don’t look too bad either. In 14 starts, the HMS Driver has managed to capture three top fives and eight top tens, all while leading 205 laps at the 1-mile desert. Kyle Larson, on the other hand, has been very strong at Phoenix Raceway.

‘Yung Money’ has been dominant at Phoenix ever since clinching the 2021 championship there. Except for an engine failure in the spring of 2022, he has been nearly flawless in the Next-Gen era, finishing no worse than 14th in his last six starts at the track. That stretch includes the 2023 spring race, where he started from pole, led 201 laps, and came home fourth.

In his 2023 Championship 4 run, Larson secured a third-place finish, marking four top-fives in his last five appearances at the desert. But despite facing a winless streak currently, the No. 5 driver is defying the championship pressure.  But as it all comes down to the last race and facing his close friend, Joe Gibbs, Hendrick has had time to reflect on his team’s ups and downs all year long.

Rick Hendrick reflects on the 2025 season of Hendrick Motorsports

It is no secret that Mr. H’s team had a horrifying start to the playoffs. With all four drivers struggling to make it even to the top 15 or top 20, Hendrick Motorsports has come a long way. Looking back at the season, team owner Rick Hendrick has no complaints about the performances of his four drivers.

Speaking to the media this week, Hendrick firmly defended his team’s results. He noted, “Two of the cars have led the most laps. William with the most and Kyle second. If you can lead laps and be competitive—Chase [Elliott] won the Shootout, the Clash, and he’s won two races. Alex [Bowman] was in the points battle right up there toward the middle to the end of the year. He just had horrible luck.”

Hendrick acknowledged that short tracks hadn’t been the team’s strength, but despite that, they have continued to make steady progress throughout the year. Their efforts are especially noteworthy, given that the Chevy Camaro they use is an older model compared to the newer models used by competitors like Team Penske and Joe Gibbs Racing, such as the Ford Mustang and Toyota Camry.

Hendrick added, “When we look back and we have a car that’s two or three years old, and Ford and Toyota had a shot at making their stuff better, and we had to work our butts off to be competitive and look at areas where we thought we needed to improve, and our guys did it. I think that’s all you can ask. It’s a very competitive series.”

No team can win every race in a season, not when the field is packed with skilled drivers and nearly identical cars. Hendrick understands as well and sets realistic expectations for his drivers. He also accepts that issues with tires, engines, or other mishaps are simply part of the sport.

He explained, “I look at it like if you can lead — and you’re not going to win races. You can be lucky sometimes, but you have to be able to run up front and lead and win stages. I think we won more stages than anybody.”

So far, HMS has claimed 21 stage wins this season, the second most in team history behind their 25 and 2021. And with the final still ahead, that number could climb even higher.