Fans Lose Hopes on Kyle Larson After Rick Hendrick’s Men Awfully Fumble Playoffs

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs kicked off at Darlington Raceway with the Cook Out Southern 500, where Hendrick Motorsports drivers rolled in carrying big expectations from their strong regular season. Yet the night told a different tale, as all four cars landed outside the top 15 — Chase Elliott grabbed the team’s best spot in 17th, Kyle Larson crossed in 19th, William Byron settled for 21st, and Alex Bowman ended up 31st. This is by far the worst finish for HMS under their four-car format.

Elliott later shared his take, saying, “It was a really long night. Yeah, we had clawed our way up to the top 10 and tried to run really long on that one run.” But with those finishes, questions started bubbling about what went wrong at a track that’s often kind to Hendrick crews. Kyle Larson, who’s notched three wins and 16 top 10s this year, had fans buzzing with hope heading into Darlington, especially after starting fifth on the grid. That setup seemed primed for a solid run, but the race unfolded differently, leaving the No. 5 team scratching its head over missed opportunities. So, with this opener shaking things up, what’s really eating at the Hendrick camp?

NASCAR fans are starting to lose faith in Kyle Larson after Hendrick Motorsports’ rough showing at Darlington, viewing it as a major fumble that exposed cracks in their playoff armor. The main angle here ties to Larson’s 19th-place finish despite his season’s bright spots, like those three victories at Homestead, Bristol, and Kansas, which had positioned him third in the standings with a +38 cushion above the cutline.

But at “The Lady in Black,” where he’s won before in 2023, the No. 5 Chevy lacked the edge, dropping him spots amid handling issues that fans see as a team-wide setup failure. Larson admitted the pressure, stating, “Obviously, we want more on this No. 5 Chevrolet team. It’s typically a good track for us, so I’m not sure, but we’ll regroup and hopefully rebound in the next two races,” a statement that underscores his worry over tracks like the upcoming Gateway, where he’s only managed one top-five in three starts.

This stumble feels like a turning point because team Hendrick entered the playoffs with momentum, with Larson leading the series in top 10s, but the Darlington result left them scrambling, with Elliott’s 17th the highlight in a field dominated by Toyotas sweeping six out of the top seven. Fans point to it as an execution mishap, especially since qualifying had Larson in fifth, yet race-day adjustments didn’t deliver, echoing his 2023 rebound from a mid-season dip.

Larson’s words, “Yeah, I think still the shorter, flatter tracks are potential weaknesses, so seeing Gateway and New Hampshire in the playoffs is not something that I was thrilled about,” reveal his mindset, substantiating why gearheads question if the team can flip the script without that aggressive setup suiting his style, built from his 2021 championship run with 10 wins.

Over on Reddit, a post titled “When will the 5 team bounce back??” captured the growing frustration, asking when Larson and crew might find speed again after weeks of underwhelming runs. This sparked a wave of responses, diving deeper into what fans think is going wrong and how Hendrick might recover.

Fan voices echo Hendrick’s hurdles

One fan pointed out, “It’s all of Hendrick, not the 5 car specifically. Larson has had some good runs, He has 16 top 10’s, the most this season. Elliott was 17th, Larson 19th, Byron 21st, and Bowman 31st.” This hits home because Hendrick’s four-car lineup, a powerhouse since Rick Hendrick founded it in 1984, showed unusual weakness at Darlington, a track where they’ve claimed 16 wins historically. Larson’s 16 top 10s do lead the field, but the collective flop, Byron starting 11th yet fading, and Bowman battling pit woes suggest deeper issues in Chevy’s package against Toyota’s dominance, as seen in Briscoe’s win leading 309 laps.

Another commenter said, “If they don’t have a good car at Bristol, then I begin to think they are in trouble.” Bristol’s high banks have been kind to Larson, with his 2021 Night Race victory there showcasing his skill on short tracks, but recent Hendrick struggles, like Bowman‘s -19 points below the cutline, amplify the stakes. The track’s concrete surface demands precise setups, and with the same aero package expected, a poor showing could echo their 2023 playoff miss for some drivers, putting pressure on crew chiefs like Cliff Daniels to adjust.

In reply, the same user added, “I think it will be the same package they always have at Bristol, but I’m not 100% sure.” This uncertainty stems from NASCAR’s consistent rules for Bristol since the Next Gen car debuted in 2022, where Larson has two top-fives in four starts. Yet Hendrick’s mid-season dips, as in 2024 when Larson went winless for stretches, make fans wary, especially with Elliott sitting +9 above the line and needing consistency to advance.

“Larson’s success comes when his car is set up in a way he can drive the shit out of it, and that becomes his advantage. In my opinion, he hasn’t had the car that suits his driving style. He’s an aggressive, sometimes too aggressive driver, and he needs a car that will allow him to drive that way.” Larson’s style shines on tracks like Darlington, where his 2023 Southern 500 win came from bold moves, but this year’s 19th highlighted setup mismatches. With just one pole this season, the No. 5 team’s tweaks haven’t matched his needs, raising echoes of his 2021 dominance under Hendrick.

“It’s typical Hendrick fashion with the Gen 7 / Next Gen car. Be fast early in the season, fumble in the middle, scrap something together in the playoffs, get into the Final Four, and lose to Penske.” This pattern tracks since the Next Gen’s 2022 debut—Hendrick starts fast, like Larson’s early 2025 Atlanta win, fades mid-year like in 2024, then scraps late to reach the Final Four, only to lose to Penske’s steadier form, like Logano’s titles.