MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Being a powerhouse NASCAR workforce has its benefits, however as Hendrick Motorsports has found in its 42 years of enterprise, that perch comes with lofty and generally unrealistic expectations. A number of different groups had gone by way of the primary six races winless with out a lot as a ripple, however when Rick Hendrick’s four-car group has any sluggishness to its begin, it’s extra of a wave, full with alarm bells sounding.
What’s fallacious? Have they misplaced a step? Has the remainder of the sector caught up? The thrill had grown incrementally louder because the handful of losses started to mount.
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As uncommon because the mini-slump might need been, the place the place the group’s modest current skid ended was no shock. Martinsville Speedway has been there when Hendrick has wanted it most, and the workforce’s senior-most driver and his trusted crew chief delivered within the clutch.
Chase Elliott supplied an encouraging enhance in Sunday’s Cook dinner Out 400, denying a dominant Denny Hamlin and driving a gutsy Alan Gustafson technique name to victory at one among NASCAR’s authentic tracks. The primary win of the season for Elliott and Hendrick was additionally the primary for Chevrolet after a six-race blanking, however removed from the workforce’s first on the 0.526-mile monitor. Because the Sunday solar started to set, a Martinsville deckhand wheeled yet one more grandfather clock trophy as much as the frontstretch stage, marking the group’s report thirty first Cup Sequence triumph right here.
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Tyler Reddick has rightfully claimed his share of the headlines this 12 months with 4 early wins, which stoked a stretch of 5 victories for Toyota simply six races into the 2026 marketing campaign. However Hendrick’s reliability at tried-and-true Martinsville supplied Elliott & Co. with one thing to savor for an additional week, with the Cup Sequence idle in the course of the Easter vacation.
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“It’s the little issues, man. You form of positively be taught to take pleasure in that stuff,” Elliott stated after his twenty second profession Cup win, his second at Martinsville. “Yeah, simply good to form of get to finish this primary stretch of the season going into the off week with the win is absolutely cool. I imply, I do know we nonetheless have numerous room for enchancment, don’t get me fallacious, however nice solution to form of cap off this primary stretch. Quite a lot of good momentum for the entire group, actually, I feel.”
Crucially, the No. 9 workforce snatched the day’s momentum away from Hamlin, who led 292 of the 400 laps and seemingly had his second win of the season in hand. With Elliott operating ninth simply behind the fray of front-runners, Gustafson known as Elliott to the pits on Lap 261, opting to roughly break up the ultimate and longest stage of the race into thirds with a two-stop technique whereas different groups deliberate to make only one cease if the race went inexperienced.
The short-pit gamble finally gave Elliott the lead with brisker tires because the pit cycle performed out, and when a warning interval for particles slowed the motion on Lap 312, Elliott stopped once more with the remainder of the sector — this time in second place behind Hamlin — to offset his tire deficit.
“It’s a dangerous name as a result of you’re going two laps down, and if the warning comes out and also you’re the primary man to do it, you possibly can smash your entire day,” Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon instructed NASCAR.com. “However on the similar time, when it really works out, if you happen to have a look at the maths, it appears to be like like a greater technique usually to do two stops. It’s simply if you do it right here, you lose two laps below that pit street. So, they did the same factor to this in ’24 and it labored out of their favor on that day, too. So I feel if you happen to ask Alan, he’s gonna say it’s in all probability not as dangerous perhaps because it appears to be like, however clearly paid off big-time right now, and I couldn’t be happier for it to repay for them and make that decision.
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“You’ve obtained to take danger in life. You’ve obtained to take danger in racing. They did it right now, after which Chase obtained it accomplished when he obtained up entrance.”
Chase Elliott
Certainly, Gustafson was requested, and his impressions mirrored Gordon’s. Mathematically, he stated, the general edge on tires favored making two stops, however the counterpoint was that such a method left the workforce weak to the opportunity of an ill-timed yellow flag.
“On the similar time, you possibly can’t sit in your fingers and run tenth,” Gustafson stated. “You’ve obtained to do one thing, proper? I feel that was the most effective shot.”
Elliott did the remaining, and his post-race reward of Gustafson’s management spoke volumes. The pair kind the longest-running driver/crew chief pairing within the Cup Sequence storage, and Gustafson has drawn the bigger share of social-media flak when dry spells have arisen. Elliott stated he thought little of it when the workforce’s technique veered from the norm — “I’ve instructed him this all through the course of the season, ‘Hey, look, no matter you need to do, rip it.”” His unwavering help of Gustafson’s efforts was rewarded.
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“It’s an awesome name. Glad he picked up on that, noticed that. I don’t suppose anyone else did,” Elliott stated. “Goes to indicate that he’s fairly good at what he does, which I attempt to inform y’all that on a regular basis. However he does a reasonably good job. I’m joyful to work with him. Admire his effort, hanging in there, to our entire workforce for doing that, too. I admire that out of all of ’em.”
Gordon has observed that dedication, too, from two views. As a driver, he teamed with Gustafson for 11 Cup Sequence wins throughout Gordon’s final 5 full-time seasons (2011-15). As a workforce govt, he’s witnessed Gustafson’s confidence atop the pit field, a trait that’s helped override a few of the noise from his detractors.
“You’ve all the time seen this, proper? Whether or not it was Dale Earnhardt Jr. or Chase Elliott, whoever is the favored driver within the sequence, there’s numerous critics that need to sit on the sidelines and consider it,” Gordon stated. “You can’t let that tear you aside. You bought to maintain sturdy on the within and consider in your self and consider in your workforce, all of the belongings you’re doing. That’s what Alan and Chase fall again on.”
On the eve of Sunday’s race, Elliott had described the workforce’s season thus far as although he entered Martinsville a decent fifth within the Cup Sequence standings — tops among the many Hendrick brigade. That mark, nonetheless, got here in opposition to the backdrop of Reddick’s early runaway, each in factors and wins.
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Hendrick Motorsports president Jeff Andrews admitted that a part of the battle thus far was in adapting to a brand new Chevrolet physique, with tweaks to the sturdy Camaro’s aerodynamics that made their debut this season. Andrews stated that the adjustment interval continues with “nonetheless numerous work left to do,” however that Sunday’s exhibiting delivered on a few of the workforce’s promise.
“We’ve been locking arms,” Andrews stated from Victory Lane. “Couldn’t be extra pleased with the dedication, the battle and the grit in Hendrick Motorsports. It’s what we do. That is the place we belong, and this received’t be the final one this 12 months.”
It additionally might not be the final for Elliott, who has scratched the win column in eight of the final 9 years, however prevailed Sunday on the earliest level of the season in his Cup Sequence profession. These alarm bells now sound just like the chimes of yet one more grandfather clock.
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“I imply, we really feel like we’ve been shut right here for a very long time, and I really feel like if you happen to preserve kicking on the door lengthy sufficient, it’s going to return down,” No. 9 jackman T.J. Semke instructed NASCAR.com, proper after dousing himself with a water bottle to clear the champagne from his eyes. “Clearly, Alan made an superior name. I felt like we executed on pit street, Chase laid all of it on the market, put it collectively, and if you do have days like that the place every little thing’s clicking, generally you find yourself in Victory Lane.”
