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If there’s one team that has kept the NASCAR garage buzzing all season long, it’s Rick Hendrick’s Hendrick Motorsports. William Byron lit up the summer stretch and walked away with the regular season championship, flexing consistency and speed that made him look every bit like the title favorite. Add in the fact that all four Hendrick drivers (Byron, Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott, and Kyle Larson) punched their ticket to the playoffs, and suddenly the powerhouse squad looked unstoppable on paper.
Fans were already dreaming of a Hendrick-dominated postseason, maybe even a clean sweep to the Championship 4. But just as the champagne dried from Byron’s regular-season celebration, Darlington threw a gut punch. Instead of dominance, the opener brought chaos and a lot of nervous glances in the HMS camp. However, one NASCAR insider is urging fans not to panic just yet, hinting that what looked like a disaster at Darlington might actually be the setup for a bigger redemption arc in the weeks ahead.
NASCAR insider eyes redemption for Rick Hendrick at Gateway
Hendrick Motorsports entered the 2025 playoff season with high expectations. But Darlington turned into a nightmare. Chase Elliott led the Hendrick pack with a 17th-place finish. Kyle Larson stumbled to 19th, Byron only managed 21st, and Alex Bowman had a disastrous 40-second pit stop that saw him finish dead last among the Rick Hendrick drivers (31st).
With fans being naturally worried after such a disastrous start to the postseason, NASCAR insider Bob Pockrass called for calm amid the rising panic. “Hold on, don’t be too worried yet,” he urged. The poor showing, he emphasized, was less about talent and more about unforeseen execution issues: slow pit stops, green-flag cycles, and bad timing.
“For Hendrick fans, next week in St. Louis could mean even more than Darlington.”
Fast Thoughts with @bobpockrass: pic.twitter.com/r3bTVnfmkh
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) September 1, 2025
Chase Elliott had fresher tires but got caught out by a caution; Bowman’s qualifying misfire led to him getting swept up in the early wreck and then being sidelined by a pit-road fiasco. Larson and Byron, meanwhile, sustained damage and struggled with balance on a night when grip was at a premium. Thus, Pockrass argues that Darlington was a one-off event for the Rick Hendrick drivers, where everything that could go wrong went wrong.
While Darlington was a collapse, it doesn’t erase the team’s season-long achievements or emerging playoff form. If they can regroup and reclaim speed at Gateway, this rough opener may end up serving as a launching pad for the comeback narrative every Hendrick fan is hoping for. As Pockrass put it, “If they run good at Gateway, that won’t be just good for the first round. It could be good for the last.”
Playoff picture after Darlington for Hendrick Motorsports
The Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway shook up the NASCAR Cup Series playoff picture. However, Hendrick Motorsports fans can take a deep breath (for now). Three of the four Rick Hendrick drivers remain above the cutline. Kyle Larson came out of the opener in the strongest position, sitting third in the playoff standings and 38 points above the elimination zone. That kind of cushion gives him flexibility heading into the next two races, though, as the postseason has proven time and again, no lead is truly safe.
William Byron, who entered the playoffs as the regular-season champion, managed to stay comfortably above the line despite an uncharacteristically tough night at Darlington. He’s tied for fifth overall and 25 points to the good. But with a long postseason ahead, his team will want to quickly rebound to Championship-caliber form. Byron’s consistency over the season has been one of Hendrick’s biggest weapons.
Chase Elliott may have finished 17th on Sunday. But he still finds himself in 11th place in the standings, nine points clear of elimination. It’s a precarious margin, but considering the chaotic nature of Darlington, Elliott’s camp knows they’re still in position to move forward. A cleaner run at Gateway could solidify his footing in the Round of 12.
The lone Hendrick driver on the outside looking in is Alex Bowman. Sitting 19 points below the cutline, Bowman will need either a strong pair of points days or a breakthrough win in the next two weeks to keep his playoff hopes alive. With Gateway up next on Sunday, Bowman will be fighting not just for positions but for momentum. A strong rebound at World Wide Technology Raceway could flip the narrative from disaster at Darlington to redemption, proving Darlington was just a blip for Rick Hendrick’s boys.
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