Hendrick Motorsports 300th Victory: Kansas Speedway hosted the latest NASCAR Cup Series championship race. As the race began, anticipation was like static electricity. The goal of all? Giving Rick Hendrick his 300th series win was crucial to his racing legacy.
Rick Hendrick may secretly want to make young William Byron his best driver. Byron now carries Hendrick’s 300th win, a huge responsibility. The No. 24 vehicle leads the playoff points race and is set for a seamless transition into the next round.
“I feel like we’ve been struggling to put Saturdays together just in terms of results, but we’ve had speed,” Byron says calmly, guiding trials. We must return to work tomorrow, but Sundays have been lovely.”
Strangely, Byron may get a break this Saturday. A crucial suspension element broke during a critical practice session due to racing stress, reducing Sunday’s possibilities. It was a component failure, so NASCAR cleared the team and gave Byron the lucky ninth-grid start, which was good.
Byron won five beautiful games in 2023. The latest Watkins Glen crescendo set the stage for three straight top-10s. After a poor qualifying run that dropped him outside the top 20, he revealed his true colors at Darlington by fighting hard and finished fourth.
Byron discusses his race strategy: “I’d aim for 10th to 12th after the first stage. That makes sense. If we have a decent car, we can. Our automobile was amazing today.”
Still, Byron’s aims are tightly tied to Kyle Larson’s. Larson’s strong performance the week before helped Hendrick Motorsports win 299 times and relieve pressure on the No. 5 team.
Christopher Bell raises the pole position flag as Larson and Byron attempt for 300th wins. This honors his 180.276-mph lap, which gave him a significant lead over his competition. Bell leads Bubba Wallace, who is close to entering the playoffs, by one point.
Track specialist Bell says, “It’s so much fun to be able to drive as hard as you can, put it right up against the wall, and see what she’s got.”
None are ready to win on this large motorsports stage. Kyle Busch and Ty Gibbs start from the back because their tires keep flattening and hitting walls. Busch is tough as a phoenix, and he survived a similar storm at Darlington with an 11th-place finish to retain his title ambitions alive.
During the turmoil, Bubba Wallace’s campaign was destroyed by a failed inspection, which cost him his pit location and got his car chief disqualified. The former race winner is dangerously close to missing playoffs and has a Herculean challenge.
Chris Buescher is the crucial character amid this mayhem. Three wins in six races for RFK Racing bring him up to fourth in the playoffs, passing team co-owner Brad Keselowski. However, qualifying didn’t go as planned, and Keselowski started the race in 12th place with Buescher behind him.
FanDuel Sportsbook’s “oracle” predicts Kyle Larson as the 4-1 favorite, William Byron at 5-1, and Martin Truex Jr. at 6-1. Kevin Harvick’s 20th place is dangerous. Only two points separate him from the playoff cutoff. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Ryan Blaney also struggle. They’re not in the top 15 thus, they’re not involved.
As Kansas Speedway engines rev up, NASCAR’s never-ending quest for supremacy gets more challenging. Hendrick Motorsports wants to write another racing classic. The stage is prepared for history.
Our Reader’s Queries
How many wins does Hendrick Motorsports have in 2023?
Hendrick Motorsports achieved significant milestones during the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season. The engine shop secured 500 national series wins and the team celebrated their 300th Cup Series win. Hendrick Motorsports dominated the series with 10 wins, 42 top-five finishes, 67 top-10s, and 19 stage wins.
What is Hendrick Motorsports most wins in a season?
Back in 2007, Hendrick made history by winning 18 out of 36 races in a single season, setting a team record for the most wins. Fast forward to 2021, and Hendrick Motorsports has surpassed Petty Enterprises’ record of 268 Cup Series wins for a single organization. This is a remarkable achievement that solidifies Hendrick’s position as one of the most successful teams in NASCAR history.
Who got Hendrick Motorsports 200th win?
Jimmie Johnson emerged victorious at the challenging “too tough too tame” track, securing Hendrick Motorsports’ 200th win. This remarkable achievement cements Johnson’s status as a top-notch driver and highlights the team’s unwavering commitment to excellence.
How many races has Hendrick Motorsports won?
Hendrick Motorsports has amassed an impressive 301 NASCAR Cup Series wins as of October 15, 2023, thanks to the contributions of 20 talented drivers. Below is a list of each driver who has played a part in the team’s victory total, culminating in the most successful driver in Hendrick Motorsports’ history.
