Rick Hendrick and Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) had plenty of hopes going into Sunday's race at Texas Motor Speedway. Kyle Larson and William Byron were both looking to reach the next round of the playoffs.
That wasn't the only thing at stake for HMS on Sunday, as the team sat with a 300th win for the organization on their mind.
Larson had the race lead with less than 20 laps remaining and looked like he was going to be the lucky HMS driver to win number 300. That was until a late-race restart that saw him lose control and crash. That then opened the door for Byron, to not only win his sixth race of the season, but also book his ticket to the round of eight and reach an historic milestone for HMS.
Winning tradition. pic.twitter.com/I9bv3utFVI
— Hendrick Motorsports (@TeamHendrick) September 25, 2023
Byron noted it was an honor to get win number 300 for Hendrick Motorsports, but he told NBC's Marty Snider, that Larson really deserved the win.
"I finally got a good restart at the end and number 300 for Hendrick Motorsports, but (teammate) Kyle (Larson) really deserved this one, I've got to say, those guys really deserved this one, I've got to say, those guys were really fast all day, and I hate it for them in the end," Byron said.
Winning the 300th win for HMS will stick with Byron for a long time especially because of how he grew up a fan of the team and its drivers, he told Snider.
"I don't know if I can even put it into words. I was such a Hendrick Motorsports fan growing up as a kid, watching Jimmie Johnson, and became really fond of Jeff Gordon as I got to know him. Just thankful for all the men and women back at Hendrick Motorsports. ... just appreciate all Rick Hendrick has done for me. This is awesome. We're really going to enjoy this one," Byron said.
To think after 40 years, HMS has reached 300 wins, when they were going to close up show before getting their first race win in 1984 at Martinsville. What they've accomplished in the nearly 40 years since has made them NASCAR's greatest team. And it's only fitting that the team's most successful car, the No. 24, got win number 300. Three hundred wins in 39 years, what's to stop HMS from winning another 300 in the next 40 years?
More: Jeff Gordon: 2015 Martinsville Win Was "Greatest Moment of my Racing Career"
