Hendrick Motorsports is used to setting the standard in NASCAR, but the 2026 regular season gave its fans very little to celebrate. Across 26 races, the four-car organization managed just two victories, both courtesy of Chase Elliott, while Kyle Larson, William Byron, and Alex Bowman struggled to find Victory Lane. Behind the scenes, the pressure was becoming difficult to ignore, particularly for the people responsible for meeting Rick Hendrick’s expectations.

“He had a key conversation with us that I think took a lot of pressure off of a lot of us, our crew chiefs and our leadership team, of just go out and do your very best, and leave the track every week knowing you’ve done your very best. And, you know, certainly those wise words from him. And every single day we come in here and drive onto this complex, we want to make him happy,” HMS President Jeff Andrews told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

For Andrews, those words captured something that had been weighing on the organization throughout the summer. Hendrick Motorsports had built its reputation on winning, and the people inside its race shop understood what was expected of them. They also knew that their results were falling short. Andrews admitted that internal discussions had even considered the possibility of finishing the year with only two victories.

The important part of Hendrick’s message was that he did not ask his leadership team to chase victories at any cost. He wanted them to focus on the process, execute their responsibilities, and leave each race knowing they had done everything possible.

That distinction mattered. Andrews acknowledged that the organization knew it was not making its owner happy, but Hendrick’s words helped remove some of the pressure that had begun affecting crew chiefs and other leaders.

Instead of allowing the criticism to divide them, the organization decided to pull together. Andrews said employees understood the expectations attached to the Hendrick name and believed in one another’s ability to turn things around. They also made a conscious decision to ignore the noise outside the company. His message was clear: people could count Hendrick Motorsports out if they wanted, but the team was not ready to give up on itself.

The change became more visible once the Chase began. Kyle Larson, in particular, found another level of performance after struggling through much of the regular season. The No. 5 team had gone 51 races without a victory, dating back to May 2025, before Larson broke that drought at Gateway.

He followed it with another win at Kansas, and his consistency across the opening six Chase races put him firmly in the championship conversation. He finished sixth or better in each of those six events, producing an average finish of 2.83.

His latest victory at Talladega only strengthened that position. Larson fought back from 11th on the final lap to win the YellaWood 500, beating Hendrick teammate William Byron by just 0.041 seconds. The result gave him a 73-point advantage over Denny Hamlin with two races remaining.

Larson can secure the championship at Martinsville by earning 59 points, irrespective of other drivers’ finishes. However, he will still need to finish the season finale at Homestead before officially being crowned champion.

There is also a striking parallel with what happened to the organization a year earlier. Larson’s 2025 championship campaign was hardly a smooth ride. He collected three victories in the opening 12 races, but the summer brought a noticeable drop in performance.

Over a nine-race stretch, he managed only two top-five finishes and three top-10s. Crew chief Cliff Daniels later described the team as being “down and sideways” before it regrouped and delivered when the championship was on the line.

Larson ultimately won the 2025 title at Phoenix, overcoming Denny Hamlin in the closing stages of the race. That comeback offered a reminder that a difficult stretch does not necessarily define an entire championship campaign.

The 2026 situation has followed a somewhat similar pattern, although the circumstances and timing are different. This time, Larson entered the Chase needing to rebuild momentum after a lengthy winless run. And he has done so with a series of strong results at precisely the right moment.

Andrews, however, was not interested in letting the team become comfortable with its recent progress. Even with Larson holding a substantial points advantage, the HMS president emphasized that there would be no protecting the lead or switching to a conservative approach. The organization still had races to execute, and every lap mattered. He wanted the drivers and crews to keep doing their jobs rather than becoming distracted by championship calculations.

That brings the story back to Hendrick’s original message. The owner had asked his people to give their best, not carry the burden of delivering an immediate result every weekend.

Now, with Larson closing in on another championship opportunity, Andrews and the rest of the organization have a chance to show what that belief can produce. The pressure has not disappeared, but the team is no longer letting it dictate its performance.