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Hendrick Motorsports Achieves Milestone at Talladega Superspeedway
In a noteworthy performance at Talladega Superspeedway, Hendrick Motorsports successfully placed all four of its cars in the top ten—a feat not accomplished since 2011. Jimmie Johnson won that race for HMS, but this time, the highest finish was second place.
As the race approached its climax, William Byron and Alex Bowman formed the outside lane while Kyle Larson positioned himself inside, directly behind the ultimate race winner, Austin Cindric. While Larson had opportunities to advance by moving in front of his teammates, he chose to stay low, limiting his own chances. Ryan Preece, who was following Larson closely, made a decisive move that nearly secured him the victory.
Larson Reflects on Race Strategy
“There wasn’t much I could have done on the final lap,” Larson stated while reflecting on the outcome. “I had a moment where I could have moved to the front when we pushed past William. But the gap felt too considerable. The 60 [Preece] got clear and managed to gain momentum.” Larson described his strategy as a balance of pushing effectively while waiting for an opportunity to advance. He added, “We were all pushing so equally that it kept the lanes jammed. I just needed a moment where something else could happen, like them blocking each other.”
Despite not winning, Larson achieved his highest finish at Talladega, taking third place while also winning the opening stage of the race.
Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
However, the race ended in disappointment for Byron and Bowman on the top lane. Byron focused on assisting Preece, particularly after Bowman fell out of contention on the final lap. The two Hendrick drivers could only support the Ford racers ahead, resulting in Byron finishing third and Bowman dropping to seventh, while Chase Elliott quietly captured fifth place.
Note: The final positions have been updated due to the disqualification of both Ryan Preece (originally second) and Joey Logano (fifth) following post-race checks.
“It wasn’t a great day,” Bowman commented, lamenting the loss of a potential top-five finish. “It felt like the moves I made throughout the day didn’t go our way. In the end, the 24 [Byron] moved left on the backstretch as I was closing in, which separated us and allowed the 60 [Preece] to take charge. It’s disappointing for everyone at HMS—we thought we were in a good position, but it just didn’t play out that way.”
On a positive note, Hendrick Motorsports maintains a strong lead in the regular season standings, with Byron sitting at a comfortable 32-point advantage over Larson.
Photos from Talladega – Race
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