For years, Rick Hendrick has been the heartbeat of Hendrick Motorsports! Undoubtedly, he has been the steady hand behind one of NASCAR’s most dominant dynasties. When HMS cars were fast, it felt like everything was aligned under his watch. But lately, there’s been a subtle shift. Not a collapse, not even a crisis. Just questions. Plenty of it. And now, Kevin Harvick has added fuel to that conversation, pointing toward something deeper happening behind the scenes.
Kevin Harvick points to a hidden problem inside HMS
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“Guys that don’t spend any time in the simulator. How you gonna fix it fellas? Tell me how you gonna fix your car if you don’t go to the simulator? It is not gonna happen and that’s the problem when people get out of the routine of going to the simulator because everything is going good and they start skipping steps in the process.”
That was Kevin Harvick cutting straight to the core of what he believes could be quietly hurting Hendrick Motorsports. In today’s NASCAR, simulators aren’t optional anymore. In fact, they’re unquestionably essential. With limited on-track testing, teams rely heavily on simulation tools to fine-tune setups, understand aero changes, and prepare for race conditions. Skip that process, even slightly, and you’re essentially guessing on race day.
Kevin Harvick’s point isn’t just about effort but about the discipline behind it. When a team is winning, it’s easy to get comfortable, to trust what’s already working. But the moment that routine slips, performance can follow. The simulator becomes your only real testing ground during the week, and losing that edge can quickly leave teams chasing answers instead of setting the pace.
That’s what makes Hendrick’s recent dip so noticeable. In 2025, HMS was dominant. The drivers had eight wins, 43 top-five finishes, and over 3,000 laps led combined. The season peaked with Kyle Larson delivering a championship run at Phoenix. Everything just clicked.
Fast forward to 2026, and the picture looks very different. Six races in, there are zero wins and just four top-five finishes across the entire organization. It’s not a collapse, agreed, but it’s enough to raise eyebrows. And if Kevin Harvick is right, the issue might not be speed alone. It might be a process that quietly slipped out of rhythm.
Martinsville could be the reset Hendrick needs
If there’s one place Hendrick Motorsports can silence the noise, it’s Martinsville Speedway. The numbers alone make that clear. Last fall, William Byron dominated the paperclip, cruising to victory and locking himself into the Championship 4, while also delivering HMS its record-extending 30th win at the track, the most by any team at a single venue in NASCAR history.
And it’s not just Byron. Chase Elliott has been remarkably consistent here, entering the weekend with four straight top-four finishes. Byron himself has two wins in that same stretch, while Kyle Larson has quietly built one of the most reliable records at Martinsville, finishing inside the top six in seven consecutive races dating back to 2022.
There’s also a wildcard in the mix. Justin Allgaier will once again step into the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet, filling in for Alex Bowman as he continues recovering from vertigo. Allgaier brings experience of his own, including a Martinsville win in the NASCAR O’Reilly Series in 2023.
On paper, everything lines up for a Hendrick rebound. The track suits them, the drivers have the history, and the expectations are sky-high. Now the question is simple: Can they translate that past dominance into present results, or will the early-season concerns continue to linger?
