Hendrick Motorsports had a productive 2024 season with all four of its drivers making the playoffs. Although they fell short of fulfilling Linda Hendrick’s wish of seeing all four drivers in the Championship 4, it was still a memorable campaign. As their drivers now prepare to spend the festive season with their families, Rick Hendrick has taken the holiday spirit up a notch and transformed into a merry version of Santa Claus for its dedicated team members.

Hendrick Motorsports team members got a sweet Christmas surprise as fans found out via a reel shared by the team a few hours ago. Chase Elliott, William Byron, Alex Bowman, and Kyle Larson were all seen unboxing cozy blue sweaters, which carried the words, “Hendrick Cars.com” in front. All of the drivers seemed to be delighted with the thoughtful gift.

Byron said, “What a gift, guys; thank you so much. I am gonna wear it to my Christmas parties this year.” On the other hand, Chase Elliott exclaimed, “Check this out!” The video ended with the team wishing Merry Christmas to fans from Hendrickcars.com.

Meanwhile, Hendrick Motorsports also took the chance to wish its followers on the festival. “Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Hendrick Motorsports!,” they wrote on Instagram.

It might be worth pointing out here that this is actually a season for Hendrick Motorsports to be merry, with the most wins of any organization in 2024. They had 11 this year. This marks the 19th occasion in which the team has either achieved the highest number of wins or shared that top position in a single year. Additionally, this was the 39th consecutive year that the team has had at least one win a NASCAR Cup Series season.

As far as the drivers are concerned, all four on the team made the playoffs, which raised hopes of a Championship 4 consisting solely of HMS drivers. This led Linda Hendrick to wish that one of them would deliver the championship in the team’s 40th year and even hoped that all four of them would make it to the championship finale in Phoenix.

“Well, I will tell you this. Rick and I really, really want this championship on our 40th anniversary year,” she said. When asked if she wanted all four drivers to be in Phoenix, she answered, “1 2 3 4 you pick out which.”  While this dream wasn’t realized, the four drivers did perform really well in the season.

How did the team members perform in 2024?

Talking about Hendrick Motorsports means talking about Chase Elliott. The racer recently ended a lengthy 42-race winless span with an impressive victory at Texas. The win placed him into the Round of 8. It’s important to note here that the win marked a significant milestone, as he had started the year strong with 19 consecutive finishes within the top 20.

But, all things said about Chase Elliott, this was Kyle Larson‘s year. He has been a standout this year, leading in multiple statistical areas. He racked up 11 wins, collected 12 stage wins, and led an impressive 1,700 laps. Plus, he has maintained an average running position of 10.07 and spent 4,740 laps in the top five, making him a dominant force on the track.

On the other hand, William Byron has shown remarkable consistency, too, achieving 60 straight races without incurring a speeding penalty on pit road – the longest active streak in the Cup Series. Following his victory at COTA, Byron became the first driver in three years to win multiple races in consecutive seasons.

Lastly, Alex Bowman reached new personal bests this season, recording 17 top-10 finishes and matching his highest single-season total of eight top-five finishes. His recent win at the Chicago Street Course also marked his first victory on a road course, putting an end to an 80-race drought without a win.

What are your thoughts on Hendrick Motorsports as far as the strengths of its team members go?