Talladega, Ala. – It was a historic day for Hendrick Motorsports at the Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway as all four cars secured top seven finishes. The pressure was high as the checkered flag marked Team Penske‘s first victory of the 2025 season.
Kyle Larson and William Byron, Hendrick Motorsport’s flagship drivers, were in contest for the lead after their final pit stop on Lap 171. As the race unfolded, Austin Cindric of Team Penske seized the lead. Byron navigated expertly on the top lane until Ryan Preece overtook and led followed by Larson and Alex Bowman.
Coming down to the final run, Byron remained loyal to Preece, unfortunately missing the top spot by .022 seconds. Following a post-match inspection, Preece faced disqualification for violation of rule 14.5.8.F in the NASCAR Rule Book. The consequences bumped Larson to second and Byron to third-place respectively.
Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott, the other pair from Hendrick Motorsports, didn’t fall behind either. Bowman suffered a temporary setback falling to ninth on the final lap. However, following post-race inspections, both Preece and Joey Logano faced penalties, moving the No. 48 car to seventh in the official tallies. Chase Elliott rounded up Hendrick Motorsport’s cause with a commendable fifth-place finish.
Reflecting on the race, Byron candidly explained that he hoped for a repeat of the Daytona 500. “I just didn’t feel like I was going to win from where I was at. I felt like I needed to push [Preece] clear and I never got him clear enough to make a move […] At that point, I don’t think I ever thought win,” Byron shared.
Byron’s Hendrick teammate, Bowman, voiced his frustration with a move that allowed Preece to get ahead: “There at the end [Byron] zigged left down the backstretch as I got to him and that broke up apart and let [Preece] get up and control the race from there.”
Still, it wasn’t all disappointment for the Hendrick team. Larson celebrated a stage victory at Talladega, his first, and has seen consecutive third-place finishes at superspeedways since the Atlanta Motor Speedway race in February. He also has two consecutive top-five finishes at Talladega, a testament to his consistency and skill.
Larson, like Byron, ended up cramped amongst competitors with little room to make a move. Despite his efforts to generate momentum and take the lead, he had to settle for second place following Preece’s disqualification.
“I think we were both doing a really good job of pushing the guys in front of us. Their cars were stable, so it made it easy to push them. I was trying for the final 10 laps to shove [Cindric] out clear to where I could get clear,” recounted Larson.
Beyond the race, the overall tally was cause for celebration at Hendrick Motorsports. Scoring a race-high 54 points, Larson jumped two positions in the regular season championship standings to second place, closing in on teammate Byron’s lead by a formidable 11 points.
