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Chase Elliott and Hendrick Motorsports entered the Playoffs of the Nascar Cup series as one of the best positioned organizations in the field. But in the kitchen of Darlington Raceway, in the south of 500, the Chevrolet team of the power plant left more questions than answers, leaving Kevin Harvick worried.
The four HMS cars ended out of the first 15, while six of the first seven points went to Toyotas. The contrast between dominion on the front and Hendrick's struggles was impossible to ignore. Above Happy Hour podcastThe 2014 Cup series champion did not end his words about what he saw of the HMS.
“I don't know where to look at Darlington's Hendrick cars. Because we know the nine are classified and they continue to talk about the need to be described better and they did not qualify well. 48 was in the trunk. They finished 16, 19, 20th and 27th … We talked about the speed of these cars entering the playoffs and where they were. (
Hendrick Motorsports It may seem strong in sections of the regular season, but when playoffs arrive, they often fade away. Team Penske, in comparison, tends to achieve the post -season: a reason why they have won four of the last six championships, while the two unique Hendrick titles in this section arrived in 2020 (Chase Elliott) and in 2021 (Kyle Larson). This is what Harvick pointed out while talking about Gateway.
“I think that Penske cars have shown that they are the best cars here in the past. Not that means nothing. The Toyotas appeared this week and only they did. Gisbergen) SVG goes the wrong way this week due to the things that are happening,” he added (37:42 onwards)
Alex BowmanThe southern 500 was effective before it started. From 29th place, his night was undone by a pistol that did not work badly on stage 1. The moat stop was almost 40 seconds, costing two laps he could never recover. The 31st ended and now it is 19 points below the cutting line.
For Chase ElliottThe race was defined by mediocrity. The 21st began, never threatened the top 10 and collected points from the zero stage before the end of the 17th place. It is only nine points above the line.
William ByronThe regular season champion also fell. He spent most of the night out of the first 15, did not score points on stage and fell home. Although it remains 25 points above the cutin line, its sample increased alarm as to whether Hendrick may be up to date with Toyota's rhythm.
Kyle Larson At least the points of the stage recovered, scoring 12 in the first two segments. But contact a stack restart, as well as previous radio problems, left it at the end of 19th. He is third in the standings thanks to these points on the stage, but he was far from the representation scheduled for one of his best tracks.
As a whole, Hendrick's average position in Darlington was 22.0 through his four cars, nowhere near the form of the championship caliber.
Gateway has another challenge for Chase Elliott and Hendrick Motorsports
The path that goes forward is not easier for Hendrick Motorsports. The series now goes to World Wide Technology Raceway for the Enjoy Illinois 300. From the court's Cup debut in 2022, Team Penske has won two of the three races: Joey Logano in 2022 and Austin Cindric in 2024. Toyota's rise in Darlington makes Gateway another test of if Chevrolet, and specifically Hendrick, can close the vacuum.
Chase Elliott's own record on the track is not encouraging. It ended 21st in 2022 and the 13th last year after losing the 2023 edition. For a driver who was already in the bubble, another intermediate race could quickly turn his hopes into a crisis, he thinks Kevin Harvick.
“The problem is that it is not a track we say:” Oh, those Hendrick cars have been fast in St. Louis “. This has not been a track. Think of Thinking when we go to St. Louis … Hendrick cars generally have a potential to fight St. Louis. And if you have a bad turn to St. Louis, as you did in Darlington Hora. (26:50 forward)
Team Penske The same did not illuminate Darlington. Ryan Blaney finished 18 and Joey Logano 20th, but his career in Gateway offers optimism. With Enjoy Illinois 300 Scheduled for September 7 at 15:00 ET (240 laps / 300 miles), this could be the Penske Rebounds of the week. However, for Chase Elliott and CO., it is already a must -see time after one of the worst collective departures of its 2025 season.
Edited by TUSHAR BAHL
