For the first time since the 2020 season, Hendrick Motorsports has failed to place a single car in the Top-10 for three straight races. NASCAR’s premier team, Hendrick Motorsports, the defending champion, failed to place cars in the Top-10 for three straight races six years back. Indy, Kentucky and Texas in the summer of 2020 marked the last time the powerhouse failed to do so. Until today.

Overall, only one of the four Hendrick Motorsports teams would score Stage Points, that being William Byron. Larson would lose a tire early before the end of Stage 1, where he was poised to score a few. Despite not running well at all, Elliott would make contact later on, causing him to make heavy contact with the wall and costing him an opportunity at some points.

You have to head past the mid-field to 19th position and Alex Bowman to find the best-finishing Hendrick car. Both Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott, the team’s two champions, finished dead last and third from last, respectively. William Byron would finish just two places behind Bowman in 21st.

North Wilkesboro

Last weekend at North Wilkesboro saw a little less pain for the team, a Stage Point for Byron, and a 12th-place finish. Elliott would score four Stage Points but finish 17th as the 3d best team finisher.

EchoPark Speedway

Chase and Larson would both score Stage Points in Atlanta, while Chase would score the team’s best result in 13th. Issues would bite Larson (they don’t call him “Hung Money” for no reason), but the rest of the team would just suffer poor finishes.

2026 and the Chase

Larson and Elliott both remain firmly in the Top-10 in points; however, both would suffer single-point days at Indianapolis. Defending Champion Kyle Larson would drop 2 places now to 7th in the standings. Chase would fall from 6th to fifth.

With Elliott’s fall comes Hocevar’s gain. Hocevar now sits fifth in the points, by far a much higher ranking than anyone may have expected this season. At this point last season, Hendrick drivers made up the first three places in the points standings.

I don’t believe it is a lack on Hendrick’s own or the drivers; Chevrolet just cannot seem to get the new ZL1 locked in. These drivers have combined for 3 Cup Championships and 79 Cup victories; it’s not a lack of talent or support. Tire failures and other issues have cost these guys this season as well.

Don’t expect them to be down for too long; Elliott is consistently one of the most consistent drivers in Cup. I have no doubt he will get past Hocevar once again and maybe even snag another victory before the Chase. Larson is on the longest winless streak of his HMS career. Another streak I don’t see lasting very long either.

Alex Bowman announced his retirement earlier this week. Bowman’s career has been plagued with injuries over the last few seasons, 3 of the last 5 to be exact. Bowman is a proven winner when the chips fall in his favor, but a win is the most we can expect out of the driver of the 48 this season, as he is WELL under even the Chase bubble.

William Byron, on the other hand, is the mystery here. Currently 12th in the points and winless. He only has four Top-5s on the season. Last season to date, it was seven and a Daytona 500 win. But in 2026, he has had one hell of an up-and-down season. Six finishes worse than 20th. Byron has just had no luck to speak of. if they can get the monkey off their backs, expect to see the 24 team push deep into the Top-10 in the Chase.

Image Credit: Logan Riely/Getty Images