It was a clinical day for Hendrick Motorsports on the track at Darlington. After winning a significant number of races in the regular season, the team began the playoffs in high spirits. Thanks to the team’s speedster, Kyle Larson, who seized the first victory and secured his position for the Round of 12.

However, the story does not end there for Hendrick Motorsports. Kansas Speedway awaits NASCAR’s winningest team eye for another victory, especially for its prodigy, William Byron, a potent championship contender. However, before the green flag is waved, the team has stumbled upon a roadblock that has eventually enraged fans as they dissect the governing body.

Hendrick Motorsports faces a roadblock ahead of its monumental moment

The 2023 Cup Series will mark an important benchmark for Hendrick Motorsports. The team is just one race away from scoring its 300th victory. Larson’s victory at Darlington Raceway marked their 299th win. With one race win pending to create the monumental landmark in HMS’s history, the ball remained in the court of the rest of the three drivers, especially William Byron.

However, victory does not come easy, and it takes a lot of toil to reach the zenith. The same opinion can be reiterated for the No. 24 Chevrolet driver. William Byron was on the verge of starting the NASCAR race on Sunday from the rear of the field. This was after his Chevy failed an inspection test as a suspension part broke from the car that had the potential to jeopardize the Kansas Speedway.

Nonetheless, fate could not have intervened at the right time for the driver, as NASCAR deemed the issue a problem with the part rather than a problem with the car. As a result, Byron is starting P9 at the Kansas Speedway.

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The news of Byron being able to avert the penalty of starting from the rear of the field was informed by both NASCAR journalists Dustin Long and Bob Pockrass on Twitter. Pockrass wrote on Twitter,

“Update on Byron: He will NOT have to drop to the rear. After conferring with the team and evaluating the part, NASCAR determined it is not a team issue, it was an issue with the part.” 

The news came hours after NASCAR penalized 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace and his team for failing the pre-race inspection twice. This also led to the ejection of the crew chief for Sunday’s race.

Fans slam NASCAR for always siding with HMS

The news surely comes as a relief for the team, as they hope to score their 300th win on Sunday. However, the decision by NASCAR seemed to enrage fans, who cried foul and slammed the governing body for playing favorites and being skewed in favor of Hendrick Motorsports.

The livid fans wrote on Twitter, “Rick spends more bribing NASCAR than on his team.”
“Always make exceptions for Hendricks.”
“Ah, Hendrick Motorsports gets away with it again!”

Others also wrote, “NASCAR swimming in Rick’s leftover pocket change.”
“NASCAR PLAYING FAVORITES WITH HMS AGAIN. NOT SURPRISED.”

With the race just around the corner, it will be interesting to see whether the team is able to create history on Sunday, or will be too early to count the chickens for Hendrick Motorsports. 

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