The Talent Gap No One’s Talking About at NASCAR’s Top Team

Hendrick Motorsports has always been the team to beat. As NASCAR’s most successful team, they’ve traditionally set the standard when it comes to infrastructure, top-tier equipment, significant investment, and some of the best drivers on the grid. And even though Team Penske has dominated in the Next-Gen era, HMS hasn’t lagged too far behind.

They are being right up there in the mix. But a quick look at the numbers proves that while one driver is carrying a significant load in the team, others are struggling to catch up. And, that raises the question: Is HMS still evolving, or just living off past glories?

What is the Kyle Larson factor?

Kyle Larson has been the main man at Hendrick Motorsports ever since he joined in 2021. He won the championship in his very first season, securing a staggering 10 wins in the process.

And, as things stand, he has 16 wins in the Next-Gen era, far more than any of his teammates, and this year, he has already led 939 laps and finished in the top-five 11 times. Though he was unlucky to make it to the Championship 4 last year, he won six times (more than any other Cup driver). So, has his dominance highlighted Hendrick Motorsports’ glaring weaknesses?

Here’s the breakdown:

Kyle Larson isn’t competing for the win (either because of a bad day or a mechanical failure/ crash) The rest of Hendrick Motorsports’ drivers don’t step up to take his place.

We’ve seen some encouraging signs from William Byron this season, who won the Daytona 500 and the 2025 Iowa Corn 350 this year, but Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman have underperformed.

But that raises another important question: If Hendrick Motorsports is over-reliant on Kyle Larson to perform, while others aren’t being held to the same standard?

To us, it certainly seems like it. But in a sport defined by fine margins, small deficits matter; perhaps their lack of silverware in the Next-Gen era has been an overreliance on a single driver.

But then what’s with William Byron’s rise?

Byron, too, has shown consistent improvement since his debut in 2018. The North Carolina-native has thrived in the Next-Gen era, finishing sixth in 2022 and third in the last two years.

While he only got half as many wins last year, Byron won the prestigious Daytona 500 and became the only Hendrick Motorsports driver to reach the Championship 4. In May this year, he even got his contract renewed, securing his long-term future until 2029. And, apart from Kyle Larson, Byron is the only real championship contender Hendrick Motorsports has.

Raw speed. Consistency. Ability to drive cleanly under pressure to secure results. That’s what he brings to the table. But there’s room for improvement.

While he can rack up those top-10 finishes, sweep stages, and lead laps, that kind of ‘dominance’ should translate into race wins. He’s had promising moments in the playoffs as well, and a couple of Championship 4 appearances, but no silverware to his name yet. And, that’s also the case with NASCAR’s golden boy, Most Popular driver, Chase Elliott.

The Elliott slide

Chase Elliott’s decline has been one of the most glaring issues at Hendrick Motorsports over the last few years. He’s undoubtedly been the fan favorite for years now, but his performances have left a lot to be desired in the Next-Gen era.

In 2023, he was sidelined for six races because of a snowboarding incident, and ended the season with zero wins for the first time since 2017. He also underwent a shoulder procedure during the off-season before the 2024 campaign, which may have taken a toll. In 2024, he finally broke his 42-race winless streak at Texas Motor Speedway, but that one-off result wasn’t enough to indicate that he’s back to his dominant self.

And, as things stand, he has a single win to his name at EchoPark Speedway, which was enough to qualify for the playoffs, but for a racer who was once called a ‘Road Course King’ and was accustomed to winning multiple races a season, the drop in performance is pretty noticeable.

Something has changed.

Perhaps Elliott hasn’t adapted to the Next-Gen car like his teammates either, or the racer has lost his edge with age. Perhaps his injuries have finally taken a toll, affecting his on-track performances.

Alex Bowman’s Vanishing Act

Back in 2018, Bowman took over the reins from Dale Earnhardt Jr., filling some pretty big boots and living with the expectation of taking over the mantle from a crowd favorite. Since then, he has moved to the No. 48 team in 2021, and while he has shown moments of speed, his performances have been too inconsistent. His 80-race winless streak was finally broken at the Chicago Street Course in 2024, and while he’s often in the mix, he rarely dominates during the regular season or the playoffs.

And, Alex Bowman has also suffered setbacks off the track. In 2023, He suffered a back injury that sidelined him for three races, and that kind of setback affected his momentum. But still, he’s been pushing himself.

We saw him finish on pole at Homestead-Miami Speedway earlier this year. And considering he’s using the same equipment as Kyle Larson, William Byron, and Chase Elliott, his underperformance isn’t going unnoticed, with many believing he’s the weak link in the team.

So, while it looks like an above-average team, the championship hasn’t been easy. Apart from the top 4, maybe that’s why they’ve had no new ‘prospects’ joining the team in recent years. After William Byron was recruited from Kyle Busch Motorsports, it looks like there are no promising young drivers who are ready to challenge for one of the four seats on the team.

But it’s a stark comparison to what Toyota is doing, or even Trackhouse Racing’s aggressive push to promote youngsters such as Connor Zilisch.

What’s the pipeline?

Mr. H has the resources, but he’s known for a model that has traditionally favored continuity and long-tenured drivers. At what point does that stability turn into complacency, and a team that once was the gold standard in performance starts lagging?

Maybe they need pre-emptive measures. Considering Kyle Larson’s performances, it might be in Rick Hendrick’s best interest to devote more investment into the No. 5 Chevy and let others play a supporting role. Or perhaps poach Zilisch from Trackhouse Racing in the foreseeable future.

Conclusion – The Cost of Stability

Hendrick Motorsports needs a change. They’re winning races, competing in the front, and have one of the strongest teams in NASCAR. But it’s been four years since they won the championship. So are they fully equipped to challenge Roger Penske in the Gen-7 era? That’s what Chevy and HMS fans want to know.

Maybe they need a lineup of young and promising drivers like Dale Jr. is doing, who can step up and replace the existing roster if drivers continue to underperform.

The post The Talent Gap No One’s Talking About at NASCAR’s Top Team appeared first on EssentiallySports.