Hendrick Motorsports remains one of NASCAR’s benchmark organizations. But 2026 has fallen well short of its lofty standards. While Chase Elliott has delivered the team’s only victories with two wins this season, Kyle Larson, William Byron, and Alex Bowman are still searching for their first trips to Victory Lane. With the Chase fast approaching, questions continue to surround why NASCAR’s powerhouse has struggled to consistently dominate race weekends.

Kevin Harvick says Hendrick Motorsports’ problems begin with the car

“I think Jeff Andrews put it really well. I think when they designed this new race car, on paper, it looked like it had more downforce, less drag, and then the rules changed. And you know, I think that that balance that they’re looking for in the race car, they just haven’t figured it out. And this is from them, not us speculating.”

That was Kevin Harvick’s assessment while discussing Hendrick Motorsports’ surprising lack of dominance this season. Rather than speculating from the outside, Harvick stressed that the explanation has come directly from Hendrick personnel. Notably, President and General Manager, Jeff Andrews, who has openly acknowledged the team’s struggles adapting to the 2026 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

Chevrolet introduced an updated Camaro ZL1 body this season featuring a redesigned grille and more aggressive rocker panels to improve front-end downforce and aerodynamic efficiency. On paper, the package promised a faster race car. But once NASCAR finalized the aerodynamic rules, Hendrick Motorsports found itself chasing a balance it has yet to consistently achieve.

According to Harvick, the issue isn’t outright speed. It’s maintaining the right balance as races unfold. The Hendrick Chevrolets have repeatedly shown flashes of pace early in events. But is losing front-end grip as track conditions evolve. As the cars begin to push through the corners, drivers struggle to rotate the nose. This naturally makes it difficult to stay competitive over long green-flag runs.

Harvick pointed out that despite occasional bursts from last year’s champion Kyle Larson, he has yet to watch a race this year where a Hendrick driver has simply been untouchable from start to finish. North Wilkesboro offered perhaps the clearest illustration of those struggles.

For the first time this season, all four Hendrick Motorsports entries reached the checkered flag in the same race. Yet none of them finished on the lead lap. Every Chevrolet ended the night at least two laps behind winner Joey Logano. It was a striking statistic for an organization accustomed to controlling races rather than merely surviving them.

The frustrations have also become increasingly visible over the team radio. During the recent EchoPark Speedway race, William Byron, battling around 19th position, could no longer hide his disappointment with the handling of his No. 24 Chevrolet.

“This is junk. Absolutely f—– junk,” Byron vented over the radio as the race slipped away.

Still, the overall picture is not entirely bleak. Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson currently occupy fifth and sixth in the championship standings. Meanwhile, Byron remains 12th despite his frustrations. Alex Bowman sits 29th after missing races earlier this year because of his vertigo diagnosis, making his position somewhat misleading.

The consistency in points has kept Hendrick Motorsports firmly in the playoff conversation. But as Harvick emphasized, Hendrick Motorsports measures success differently from everyone else. The organization expects to dominate races, not simply qualify for the postseason.

With only five regular-season races remaining, solving the Camaro ZL1’s balance issues has become far more than a technical challenge. In the end, it may determine whether Hendrick enters the Chase as a genuine championship favorite or merely another contender.