After winning back to back championships in 2020 and 2021, Hendrick Motorsports failed to achieve the three peat. While their drivers had solid 2022 seasons, only one made the Championship Four. Heading into 2023, the goal was simple: hoist the championship trophy again. With their driver lineup signed to multi-year contracts, Hendrick Motorsports looked to continue their dominate ways in 2023. Since they are Hendrick, the expectations were high. With these higher expectations, how will Hendrick Motorsports fare in their Season in Review?
Kyle Larson – #5
2023 Stat Line: 36 Starts – 4 Wins, 15 Top-5s, 18 Top-10s, 2 Poles, Avg Fin 14.6
Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels
Driver Points Ranking: 2; Owner Points Ranking: 2
Notable Results: 4 wins on the season, including two in the playoffs. All-Star Race winner
To call Kyle Larson’s 2022 a disappointment may be unfair. Although his 2021 was historically good, it was going to be tough to follow that up with the introduction of the NextGen car. Plus, NASCAR added two more superspeedways to the schedule, which usually leads to worse results for Larson. Still, Larson was a far cry from his 10-win form from 2021. While his car made the owner’s Championship Four, it seemed that the NextGen car slowed the 5 team a bit. Would that continue for the 2023 season?
As it turns out, no it did not. Although Larson only had one more win than the year prior, his level of speed increased significantly. In 2022, Larson led 635 laps. Larson nearly doubled that amount in 2023 to the tune of 1,127 laps led. That amount was over 100 more laps than the next closest driver. Not only did Larson lead more laps, he increased his Top-5s by 2 as well. Larson made the Championship Four for the second time in his career.
In addition to his strong season, Kyle Larson dominated the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro. After winning the Craftsman Truck Series race there, Larson led 145 laps to sweep the weekend. Larson sure did spoil the fun of returning to North Wilkesboro (or maybe the NextGen car did).
The DNFs
Kyle Larson’s overall statistics would be a complete improvement if not for his tendency to DNF. Larson has been known to overdrive his car at times, leading to costly mistakes or accidents that take him out of contention. 2023 was no different. His 8 DNFs were his most since 2017. Although half of them were at superspeedways, 8 DNFs is too many for a driver of Larson’s caliber. Especially the two DNFs late in the season, where Larson potentially threw away two wins by being overaggressive.
At Texas, Larson attempted to go into Turn 1 side-by-side with Bubba Wallace. Despite there being plenty of laps left (if Wallace was to pass him), Larson stayed aggressive to avoid losing the top spot. Aerodynamics failed Larson, as his car snapped around under Wallace and slammed into the wall. Fast forward to Homestead, Larson dominated the early portions of that race. Lining up for the final green flag pit stop, Larson attempted to close the distance on leader Ryan Blaney. Overcooking the entry, Larson veered to avoid Blaney and drove into the barrels of sand. While the DNFs did not end up costing Larson his chance at a championship, it did make the path getting there more difficult.
2023 Grade: A-
If not for the DNFs and other on track mistakes, imagine how dominate this season could have been for Kyle Larson. There are at least 3 wins that were left on the table due to mishaps, equipment failures, accidents, or Denny Hamlin. Larson led at least a lap in 21 races this season. In 14 of those races, Larson led double digit laps. The 5 car was consistently out front this season. It was an improvement from a (somewhat) down 2022. If Larson can limit the DNFs and mistakes, then 2024 could resemble 2021 for Larson and the 5 team.
2024 Outlook
Championship or bust. As long as Kyle Larson is in top equipment, his goal each year is a championship. Well, at least a Championship Four appearance with the current playoff format. After what the 5 team showed this past season, 2024 could line up closely to what Larson did in 2021. Four wins seems shallow for how well this team ran. While William Byron racked up more wins, Larson still was the clear number one car at Hendrick Motorsports.
What could stop Kyle Larson from a dominant season? Larson’s tendency to overdrive his car. Larson is one of the best drivers racing right now. He is in top tier equipment. Sometimes, less is more. While changing his driving style would be unwise, toning it down a bit might be a good decision. Especially considering how good his team is, giving a little with numerous laps to go might see more benefit than boldly attempting to hold onto/make up track position (i.e. Texas & Homestead).
Chase Elliott – #9
2023 Stat Line: 29 Starts – 7 Top-5s, 15 Top-10s, 195 Laps Led, Avg Fin 13.1
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Driver Points Ranking: 17;Â Owner Points Ranking: 10
Notable Results: Missed the playoffs for the first time in career; Snowboarding injury before Las Vegas; Wrecked Denny Hamlin at the Coke 600
Simply put, this was Chase Elliott’s worst season of his Cup Series Career. It is a bit of an odd season to evaluate since Elliott did miss 7 races on the year. After a snowboarding accident, Elliott missed 6 races from Las Vegas through Bristol dirt. Then Elliott was suspended after wrecking Denny Hamlin during the Coke 600. Despite missing 7 races, Elliott had a realistic chance of pointing his way into the playoffs until he ran out of gas (literally) at Watkins Glen. Not sure if a driver missing a quarter of the regular season having a chance to point his way in is more impressive for the driver or sad for the field.
Obviously, missing 7 races is going to be a detriment on some counting statistics for Chase Elliott. However, the big issue is that the 9 team never looked competitive. While Kyle Larson and William Byron were battling weekly for wins, Elliott never felt like a threat for the win. The closest Elliott came to victory lane was at the Indy GP. Late in the race, Elliott was tracking Michael McDowell down. If that race had an extra two laps, Elliott might have been able to make the pass for the win.
Outside of that, Elliott usually ran between fourth and tenth most weeks. While that is hardly a bad showing, it is concerning for a Hendrick car. While the lack of wins is one thing, the number of laps led demonstrates how off this team was. Elliott only led 195 laps, which is the lowest in his career by 130 laps. When digging into those 195 laps more, 103 of those laps were due to pit strategies at the ROVAL and playoff Martinsville. Outside of those two races, Elliott only led double digit laps at spring Talladega and fall Kansas.
The Replacements
Josh Berry: 5 Starts – 1 Top-5, 2 Top-10s, 10 Laps Led, Avg Fin 17.2
Jordan Taylor: 1 Start – Finished 24th (qualified 4th)
Corey LaJoie: 1 Start – Finished 21st (qualified 30th)
In the 7 starts that Elliott was gone, the main replacement duty fell on Josh Berry. While it was bookended by two poor results, Berry did a great job filling in for Elliott. At Las Vegas, Berry was a last second replacement. With no prep time, Berry’s main job was to keep the tires on it. It was the two starts at Phoenix and Richmond that likely helped boost Berry to signing with Stewart-Haas Racing. Berry had a respectable Top-10 at Phoenix before flexing his short track muscle at Richmond. His second place finish brought significant attention to the driver.
Meanwhile, Jordan Taylor was tasked to handle COTA. After a strong qualifying effort, Taylor mostly ran Top-10 for the bulk of the race. Like most of the field, Taylor’s quietly solid run was upended by the chaotic final restarts.
Clearly, the most disappointing fill-in driver was Corey LaJoie. While LaJoie had a great season in his 7 car with Spire, he whiffed to impress in his opportunity with Hendrick Motorsports. Since the Xfinity Series was in Portland, LaJoie was requested to drive the 9 car since Berry was unavailable. A poor qualifying effort preluded a mediocre race where the 9 car ran outside the Top-20. Prior to his brake rotors failing, Carson Hocevar put together a better run in LaJoie’s car than LaJoie in a Hendrick car.
2023 Grade: D+
Grading is always on a curve. There is no steeper curve than driving for Rick Hendrick. Despite Elliott’s average finish ranking fifth in the Cup Series, it is hard to grade him favorably when the 9 car was a nonfactor all season long. Even on the road courses, Elliott only looked competitive in one (out of the four he raced). His Top-5 at Chicago was due to NASCAR shortening the race after Elliott pitted, which gave him track position since the leaders had to pit still. A caution spoiled his ROVAL run but Elliott never looked to be in a position to win.
Simply put, Chase Elliott has better expectations than only running Top-10. Leading less than 200 laps for the first time in his career is bad. The 9 car was not a force in the Cup Series. While two of his teammates combined for 10 wins and over 2,000 laps led, Elliott was relegated to an afterthought, especially after the playoffs started.
2024 Outlook
If Chase Elliott runs the full season, he is easily a playoff driver. As long as Elliott does not go snowboarding, he should be healthy for the full season. After a serious leg injury, one must ponder whether that injury nagged Elliott throughout the season. Also, Elliott apparently had a bum shoulder that has now been surgically repaired. If both injuries heal up during the offseason, Elliott should return to his his pre-2023 ways.
More than likely, Chase Elliott should be able to rebound in 2024 by rattling off a couple of wins. Although he has yet to win a NextGen race on a road course, he will surely be a threat to do it next season. It would be shocking to see Elliott not wind up in victory lane. The expectations will not be lowered for Elliott after this season though. The question is whether Elliott can overtake Larson as driver one at Hendrick Motorsports.
William Byron – #24
2023 Stat Line: 36 Starts – 6 Wins, 15 Top-5s, 21 Top-10s, 4 Poles, Avg Fin 11.0
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Driver Points Ranking: 3;Â Owner Points Ranking: 3
Notable Results: Season best 6 wins; Championship Four appearance; Made Rick Hendrick wear a funny hat
In last year’s Season in Review, William Byron drew criticism for having multiple lackluster seasons in the 24 car. Despite this, it never seemed that Byron ever received his fair share of criticism that Alex Bowman consistently receives. Although he made it to the Round of 8 and won twice, Byron’s 2022 was a step back from a less than stellar 2021. 2023 would need to be an improvement.
Career Season for William Byron
Well, William Byron certainly improved from his 2022 numbers. William Byron not only had a career season, but he was the best driver in the Cup Series in 2023. Byron led the Cup Series in wins, Top-5s, Top-10s, and average finish. In fact, Byron’s average finish of 11.0 is the best in the NextGen era.
While his numbers are great, Byron still experienced a summer slump. From June through August, Byron finished outside the Top-10 (7 times) more often than not. This slump was at its worst between his wins at Atlanta and Watkins Glen. In those 5 races, Byron averaged a 21.6 finish. His best finish was fourteenth at Pocono and the Indy GP. While it does not compare to his 2022 summer slump, it is alarming that the dominate season of Byron’s has this gap in it where his performance dipped dramatically.
On top of the dip, William Byron’s dominant season never felt as dominant as it looks on paper. This topic was discussed at length in a different article, but it is worth repeating here. Outside of Watkins Glen, most of Byron’s wins felt a tad lucky. While the average finish supports Byron’s case for a dominant season, it felt that Kyle Larson was still the faster driver this season.
2023 Grade: A
Clearly, William Byron deserves an A for this season. When you lead the Cup Series in most statistics, it is hard not receive an A. Obviously, capping the season off with a championship would have been the perfect ending. However, that was not meant to be. How the championship race went down is similar to how most of Byron’s season went. The team unloaded a fast car and looked strong early. However, other teams would make adjustments and catch up while Byron would fade into the Top-10. That was the story for most races for William Byron.
2024 Outlook
How do you follow up a career season? Especially considering that one of your teammates left wins on the table and another will look to avenge a bad season. Plus, Alex Bowman still drives for the team. For the first time, William Byron will be considered a favorite to make it to the Championship Four. There is no real reason to consider this season a fluke, even if some wins felt like it. Rudy Fugle and the 24 demonstrated a knack for bringing great setups to the track. Where this team needs to improve is adjusting to the track as the race wears on.
Out of the four Hendrick drivers, the newly constructed first two rounds of the playoffs might benefit William Byron the most. He has won twice on the reconfigured Atlanta. At Talladega in the fall, Byron was leading the inside line before Ryan Blaney pulled the crossover. While his road course ability is not on the same level as Larson or Elliott, he did dominate at Watkins Glen this year. It seems highly likely that Byron will survive the first two rounds to find himself in the Round of 8.
Alex Bowman – #48
2023 Stat Line: 33 Starts – 4 Top-5s, 10 Top-10s, 1 Pole, 89 Laps Led, Avg Fin 17.2
Crew Chief: Blake Harris
Driver Points Ranking: 20;Â Owner Points Ranking: 20
Notable Results: Pole for Daytona 500; Led points prior to back injury
It was a tale of two seasons for Alex Bowman. If you look at his pre-injury season, he was on pace to have a career year. In the first 10 races, Bowman had 3 Top-5s and 5 Top-10s. Before the points penalty after Richmond, Alex Bowman was the points leader. Before injuring his back in a sprint car accident, Bowman had an average finish of 10.3. If not for Bristol dirt, his worst finish would be fourteenth at Atlanta. Then Bowman fractures his vertebra.
Alex Bowman missed four weeks of Cup Series action due to his injury. He missed three points paying races and the All-Star weekend. Bowman returned for the Coca-Cola 600, which was an interesting choice for a driver coming off a back injury. In the 600, Bowman finished a respectable twelfth. Unfortunately for team and driver, that would be his best finish until the Indy GP.
After the injury, Alex Bowman was a ghost of his early season form. In the final 23 races, Bowman only nabbed one more Top-5. His average finish ballooned to 20.1. Whether the injury was still nagging Bowman or not, those are not Hendrick worthy results. Although Chase Elliott was not blowing the competition away, at least he was putting together Top-10 runs. Bowman only had 4 Top-10s after returning from injury.
2023 Grade: D
It was tempting to give Alex Bowman a lower grade. However, his first 10 races of the season were strong. If that Bowman runs all 36 races, then Bowman likely advances to the Round of 8. However, Bowman’s first 10 races were similar to Chase Elliott’s season. Bowman would finish well, but never felt like a threat to win. William Byron and Kyle Larson might have been a bit more sporadic, but they usually were contenders for the win.
Nagging injury or not, a Hendrick Motorsports car should not be averaging a finish outside the Top-20. The equipment is too good to be competing with Corey LaJoie and Justin Haley for on track position. Some of his runs after returning from injury were hard to watch, especially fall Martinsville. Surely, Rick Hendrick cannot be too pleased with this performance. Plus, this was Bowman’s worst statistically season since he joined Hendrick Motorsports.
2024 Outlook
Alex Bowman will likely enter the 2024 season on the hot seat. Much like Daniel Suarez, the fact that he signed a three-year extension prior to the season will not keep his job safe. What Bowman needs to do is demonstrate that the last 23 races were due to his injured back. Not only that, but Bowman needs to perform as he did in the first 10 races (if not better).
Alex Bowman is in a rough spot heading into 2024. While many expected great seasons from Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson, William Byron’s breakout year reinforces the narrative that Bowman is the black sheep of Hendrick. Even though Bowman has a 4-win season, he is clearly viewed as the weakest link. Is Bowman capable of proving that narrative wrong? Yes; Bowman is a talented driver. Will he be able to do it when the pressure is on? That is yet to be determined.
Hendrick Motorsports Grade: B
It is tough to grade Hendrick Motorsports overall. On the positive side, two of their drivers made the Championship Four, totaled 10 wins, and were the two best cars all season. Plus, the 9 team made the Round of 8 in the owner playoffs. At the same time, their other two drivers got injured, missed the playoffs (9 made owner playoffs), and trailed their teammates greatly. It was a mixed bag of success for Hendrick Motorsports. In the end, their year was more of a positive than negative. Considering the team hit 300 all time wins, it is difficult to call that a bad season.
While it was a good season overall, Hendrick will look to find more consistency from all four teams. Two cars in the Championship Four is great, but not as much when the other two are down speed significantly. Chase Elliott should return to form in 2024. The question is whether Alex Bowman can replicate the same success that his teammates have. If not, maybe there is a driver change heading into 2025. Still, Hendrick Motorsports arguably has the best four team lineup in the Cup Series. However, other teams are catching up.
For other 2023 Season in Review articles, click the link(s) below:
Griffin Fuller – Team Penske, Wood Brothers, Stewart-Haas Racing, Trackhouse Racing
Robert Cwick – JTG-DaughertyÂ
Daniel Smith (Statistical Breakdown) – Team Penske/Wood Brothers, Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, 23XI & Legacy Motor Club
