Only a few teams are at the top of the NASCAR 2025 Cup Series title conversation. One of them is inevitably Hendrick Motorsports, the mammoth that has foraged bountiful wins with its bright tusks. Kyle Larson and William Byron are at those tips, having won five victories in total. Chase Elliott is right behind, shining with his Atlanta victory and flawless consistency. Despite his winless regular season, Alex Bowman also entered the playoffs. But the challenges ahead are no less tough.

NASCAR enters the postseason with the Southern 500, a race where all HMS drivers have a good history. Both Kyle Larson and William Byron have a win at Darlington, with Larson having led 1,048 laps in 15 starts there. Chase Elliott finished 12th or better in his last five starts, and Alex Bowman finished 8th in 2024. But what worries Larson are some other racetracks in the playoffs.

Kyle Larson talks about the thorns on the HMS path

Since 2022, Hendrick Motorsports has won 38 Cup Series race trophies. During this three-year span, however, the team also slipped its Cup Series championship chances to Team Penske. That is because of the misfortune during the playoffs. Of William Byron’s 15 career Cup Series wins, only one was during the playoffs. For Chase Elliott, the loss of his top-20 consistency at Watkins Glen International and then his first DNF of the year at Richmond Raceway are forebodings for his playoff fate. Alex Bowman will have only two playoff points to start the postseason, fewer than any other contender. Finally, Kyle Larson has not won a race or led for more than 40 laps since Kansas. So, how will the team thrive?

Of course, by analyzing its weaknesses in the playoffs. As Chase Elliott‘s crew chief, Alan Gustafson said earlier this month, the team “tried hard to get our flat track program better.” This admission came after the No. 9 Chevrolet could only muster a 14th-place finish in the Iowa Corn 350 race, an event that produced 12 cautions. In a recent media availability ahead of the Cup Series playoffs, Kyle Larson agreed with Gustafson, implying that it is a problem that affects the entire team. “I think still the shorter, flatter tracks, so seeing Gateway and New Hampshire in the playoffs is not something that I was thrilled about.”

Nevertheless, there is still major scope for all four HMS drivers to succeed. Kyle Larson backed up his optimism with evidence of stats from the 2025 regular season. He said, “But I do think we’ve made our package better on that style of track. You know, I look at Iowa – we were fast and William won. Chase was fast. Alex was fast. When we went to Richmond, we were all really good again. Alex finished second, and I think I was in sixth. Chase was probably one of the best cars that night. William was good, as well. I do think we’ve gotten our cars better in those places, but we still need to probably be better.”

While Hendrick Motorsports drivers put their heads together for a deep playoff run, they are focusing on their individual goals as well. Kyle Larson is focused on a small redemption.

Becoming numb to the string of misfortunes

We all know how dominant Kyle Larson was at the start of 2025. The No. 5 Chevrolet team was lights out early in the season, when Larson scored nine top 10s in 12 races. Three of those top 10s were wins, including a victory at Kansas Speedway. However, then came his disastrous Memorial Day Double. Larson crashed out of both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600, leaving a bitter aftertaste and crippling his motivation. Since then, the 2021 Cup Series champion has been in a deep slumber except for back-to-back top fives in Dover and Indianapolis. From recording multiple DNFs to jostling with his teammate Chase Elliott, Larson’s miserable instances have been plenty.

At the same time, however, these incidents made him sturdier to face the tougher playoffs. That is what Kyle Larson stressed while listing his expectations for the postseason. He said, “It’s hard to pinpoint one strength; I feel like we have a lot of strengths. Speed is always one, for sure. Just that we’ve been through a lot throughout the Summer. I think we’ve seen a lot of different things, and we’re prepared for almost anything. I think we’re looking forward to the challenge of these next 10 and hopefully we can execute on a high level.”

Kyle Larson and his teammates are rolling up their sleeves for a showdown. They may succeed in getting over their weaknesses, so let’s wait for a spectacular playoff stretch.