The Toyotas have been resilient in the playoffs. Three Joe Gibbs Racing drivers swept the Round of 16 races, presenting serious concerns to their rivals. Although Team Penske broke that jinx in New Hampshire, JGR drivers again seemed formidable at Kansas Speedway. However, their powerful start fizzled out by the final lap due to internal friction and other problems. And Hendrick Motorsports regained its pace – to the delight of Jeff Gordon.

The current vice chairman of HMS has devoted many years to the Cup Series team. So Jeff Gordon bides his time during low moments of the organization, patiently waiting for a turnaround. He waited through HMS’ struggles in the earlier races – and now, Gordon expects the best outcome.

Jeff Gordon loved the grind

When NASCAR kicked off the playoffs, HMS was in a tough spot. The first race in the Round of 16 at Darlington was disastrous, ranging from a 40-second pit stop to persistent pit stop issues. It put the team on a war footing as it entered a grinding journey back to the top. Glimmers of improvement appeared in New Hampshire, where three HMS drivers finished in the top ten, with William Byron leading the way in 3rd. Kyle Larson led 52 laps before ending up in 12th place. So Jeff Gordon beamed at this improvement: “I think we saw in the first round that we didn’t execute very well, and it looked sloppy. And I just loved seeing what we did last week at New Hampshire. Fast race cars, solid execution all day on pit road, and choices on and off the racetrack.”

So what resulted at Kansas Speedway left Jeff Gordon ecstatic. Chase Elliott grabbed the victory in an overtime finish, beating Denny Hamlin by 0.069 seconds. “Obviously, this is a huge spark for the nine team,” Gordon said. The four-time Cup Series champion is also convinced that this momentum is a sign of incoming glory at Phoenix Raceway. Gordon declared, “This late in the season, this stage and round in the playoffs, it’s so important to get some things to go your way to give you that extra incentive, just extra motivation to go win a championship and believe that you can do it.”

Indeed, Jeff Gordon‘s optimism is well-founded. Hendrick drivers have been perfecting their skills at flatter tracks since last year. Despite winning 39 races over the last three years, HMS had fallen short of the championship, held at the 1-mile desert oval of Phoenix Raceway. And the team’s stellar finishes at Gateway, a similar track, are sure-fire signs of improvement. Gordon reflected on the flat-track program recently: “In order to extract speed, our guys need to have comfort, stability, and something to lean on. It seemed like that’s what we were lacking when we were listening to the drivers and their comments. This year, it’s definitely been a step up with how the cars are reacting at those types of tracks.”

Now, HMS has more confidence approaching the second half of the playoffs. Chase Elliott fetched the first win. Jeff Gordon is optimistic about his teammate as well, despite his issues.

Battling through the chaos

Just before the playoffs began, William Byron ruled the championship conversation. The No. 24 Chevrolet driver clinched the regular season title before the finale in Daytona. However, a streak of lackluster finishes began in the playoffs. Byron washed up in 21st place at Darlington, hardly ideal for a championship-contending driver. Then two more finishes in the top 15 followed at Gateway and Bristol. In New Hampshire, however, Byron jumped to a spectacular 3rd-place finish. “This is definitely a shot in the arm for us. It shows what we’re capable of and that we can put our mind to,” he ecstatically said last week.

At Kansas Speedway, William Byron faced an ill-handling car for a major portion of the race. However, the 15-time Cup race winner was able to overcome that by the end and salvaged a respectable 9th-place finish. Jeff Gordon, who once drove the No. 24, highlighted Byron’s grit. He said, “The 24, you know, they were down way down the list…And came into it with a lot of points. And to see them fight through that. I feel like they’ve kind of been in championship form several times this season, winning the regular-season points. Today was uncharacteristic of them. But to see them fight back, that keeps the momentum on their side as well.”

Evidently, the drivers in the HMS fold are fully focused on breaking their three-year dry streak of not winning a title. As the playoffs get more tense, let’s see what unfolds.