With only six races remaining in the Cup Series regular season, the end is shaping up to be exciting. The 2024 season has seen some exciting confrontations, with Chevrolet and Toyota dominating the proceedings. Having said that, the Hendrick Motorsports camp appears to be the most competitive.
With Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott leading the standings, the battle couldn’t be more fierce.
Elliott struggled last season due to injuries and suspensions. As he has recovered strongly, he poses a significant challenge to Larson’s regular-season title ambitions. Nonetheless, the #5 driver stays upbeat as he speaks candidly about the excellent vibe at Hendrick Motorsports in an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports.
Kyle Larson denies the in-house dispute is a spoilsport in the Hendrick Motorsports camp.
Despite not starting the 2024 Coca-Cola 600, Kyle Larson now leads the standings with 671 points. Interestingly, Chase Elliott is just 11 points behind him in second place and remains a viable contender for the regular season championship. While Larson has three victories, Elliott has depended on consistency and a single race win this season to compete for the championship.
Amazingly, the #9 driver has yet to receive a DNF this season. While it does put his previous year’s suffering behind him, there is still a lot to compete for. Elliott gave a glimpse of how things have been at Hendrick Motorsports last month in New Hampshire, where both he and Larson remain regular season title hopefuls.
According to NASCAR.com, he previously stated, “Kyle and I raced for a championship a number of times. I am confident that our meetings have never changed. How people communicate, what topics are discussed, and what information is submitted to our internal systems. In terms of setups and such, everything is really basic. It’s all an open book, and what you do with it from there is all up to you.
Elliott denied any internal turmoil or mystery caused by the strong competition, and Kyle Larson sounded similarly. Larson addressed the media ahead of the race at Pocono Raceway. When NASCAR journalist Bharat Aggarwal inquired about the atmosphere in the HMS camp, the #5 driver denied the presence of any animosity. Larson responded: “Yeah to me, I mean it hasn’t affected anything, negatively.”
During an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, the 2021 Cup Champion specifically highlighted the positive aspects. He stated, “You know, I think if anything, it’s been all positive this year, because our teams always push forward for the greater good of the organization.” So having two clubs in the top two in the standings, I believe, puts even more pressure on everyone to perform. So, yes, it’s good.
Furthermore, Larson praised his teammates for their success. First, he acknowledged Elliott’s success in this campaign. He stated, “It’s fantastic to see Chase go so fast. He’s incredibly consistent. However, he acknowledged the #9 team’s continued threat in the title chase in six words: “You can never count them out.” Larson also took into account how well Alex Bowman and William Byron performed.
He stated, “Alex [Bowman], obviously with the win last week, but he’s been pretty strong. William [Byron] has been really fast, but he has had a lot of terrible luck lately. So yeah, they’ll be OK.” Larson not only praised his teammates, but he also assertively acknowledged the great atmosphere at the HMS camp. He stated, “Hendrick Motorsports is in an excellent position right now. And all of the teams always work extremely well together.”
It is encouraging to hear Larson talk positively about the peace at Hendrick Motorsports. Having saying that, it’s interesting to see how Larson and Elliott conduct themselves on the track. With only six races left, it remains to be known who will triumph, or if there will be a different winner altogether. That question can only be answered in time.
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