2023 had its highs for Hendrick Motorsports — from reaching win No. 300 to having two drivers in the Championship Four. It also had some lows, as the team's other two drivers didn't make the playoffs. There was plenty to take away from the 2023 season for NASCAR's most prominent team.
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The highlights were definity the rise of William Byron, with a series-high six wins pushing him to his first Championship Four appearance. He was joined by 2021 Cup champion Kyle Larson in the Championship Four. Both flexed their muscles throughout the season.
That pair of Hendrick Motorsports drivers were on fire, but the other pair of Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman had all kinds of problems in 2023. They missed a combined 11 races due to injury, and both failed to win a race, which ultimately kept them out of the playoffs for the first time in their respective careers at Hendrick Motorsports.
Jeff Gordon, the Vice Chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, recently talked about how disappointing 2023 ended up being for the organization despite the success of Larson and Byron in an interview for Hendrickmotorsports.com. Gordon was happy for the 24 and 5 teams despite his displeasure that the team had only half its cars consistently competitive throughout the year.
"It's hard not to be excited to have two (teams) that went to the Championship Four and had a shot at winning the championship," Gordon said. "Those two teams performed at a high level all year long. The 24-car started strong and had a little bit of a lull during the summer, but overall they just continued to gain momentum. The 5-car — they won it all before. They've had big seasons like they had in '21. To see them grind it out this year and find their way to Phoenix (Raceway) to compete for a championship was exciting and great for the whole company to see.
Gordon then reflected on the most disappointing part of the season.
"At the same time, we came up short. That's also a bit disappointing. I feel like Hendrick Motorsports thrives in those opportunities. I feel like we executed flawlessly in that Phoenix race, but we just didn't have the speed. We got beat quite simply. We will be highly motivated through that experience for 2024."
Not bringing home the championship might sting, but they have proven they can contend for the title with more than one driver yearly.
Yes, it was a disastrous season for Elliott and Bowman, but it's behind them and now the entire Hendrick Motorsports organization can focus on 2024.
