Kyle Larson’s Brickyard win extends HMS’ dominance in Next Gen era

Hendrick Motorsports has reached a significant milestone by securing its 30th victory in the NASCAR Cup Series using the NextGen car. Kyle Larson’s triumph at Indianapolis Motor Speedway catapulted Hendrick Motorsports to the top spot among teams with the most wins in the NextGen era.Founded in 1984 by Rick Hendrick, initially under the name “All-Star Racing,” the team made its Cup Series debut four decades ago with Geoff Bodine driving the No. 5 Chevrolet, a car currently piloted by Kyle Larson. Recently, NASCAR statistician Trey Ryan highlighted on X (formerly Twitter) that Hendrick Motorsports leads in wins with the NextGen stock car.According to NASCAR, the Chevy team has secured a total of 310 Cup Series victories. This year, they celebrated their 300th win when William Byron drove the No. 24 Camaro to victory at Texas Motor Speedway. For Kyle Larson, winning at Indianapolis was a moment of redemption after a setback earlier in the season.Earlier in the year, Larson attempted “The Double,” participating in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Unfortunately, rain delays at Indy prevented him from making it to Charlotte in time for the Cup Series race. According to NASCAR rules, drivers must start in all regular-season points races to qualify for the playoffs, putting Larson’s eligibility in jeopardy. However, NASCAR later granted him a playoff waiver.Rick Hendrick, the head of HMS, remarked on how Larson’s disappointment from the failed “Double Duty” attempt fueled his determination to win at Indianapolis. Hendrick expressed regret over the weather-related delays that affected Larson’s schedule but praised Larson’s resilience and motivation to succeed.Larson’s car at Indianapolis featured the same orange-blue paint scheme as the one he intended to use for the Coca-Cola 600. Jeff Gordon, the Vice Chairman of Hendrick Motorsports and a five-time winner of the Brickyard 400, reflected on the significance of Larson’s victory, noting the nostalgic connection of the paint scheme to previous successes at the iconic racetrack.Gordon, who won Hendrick Motorsports’ inaugural Brickyard 400 thirty years ago, remains the only driver to achieve victory five times at this prestigious event.