CONCORD, N.C. - No matter how much NASCAR Cup Series teams work, grind and pour effort into their race cars each and every week, by season's end, there can be only one champion.
The level of difficulty is part of what makes Hendrick Motorsports' run of 14 titles in the last 30 seasons so special. But for a driver, that kind of pressure can be crippling, especially if a title-or-bust mentality is taken into each new year.
Just like any venture in life, being a race driver is all about balance and perspective. That's no different for the Hendrick Motorsports table of Cup Series wheelmen - Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson and William Byron.
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Between the four there is a laundry list of racing achievements, poles, victories and for Elliott and Larson, even a Cup Series title apiece. All four enter this season with championship aspirations as well and each has reason to believe the ultimate goal is attainable.
But again, only one driver can prevail.
So, how do the four define success at this point in their careers? HendrickMotorsports.com asked each of them in a recent interview. Here are their responses:
Alex Bowman
"I think it's different for everybody. Just continuing to get better, I think at this point, and building our race team. I think we definitely had a successful playoff run (to end the 2024 season). Just need to continue to improve on that."
Chase Elliott
"Just being competitive. I love the wins, love getting in the (Championship Four) and racing for a championship and doing all those things, don't get me wrong. But I think for me it's just about being competitive and I'm a believer that if you're competitive and you're putting yourself in those positions, you're going to get your turn and you've just got to keep yourself there. For our whole team, I think that last month or so (in 2024) was a good example of that. You know, it didn't necessarily make the pill any easier to swallow when you miss (the Championship Four) by a spot, but I do think it does give you something to be proud of as you progress through the offseason and get ready for next year."
Kyle Larson
"Obviously, running up front and winning. But you know, just being a good leader, a good leader for the sport, a leader for the team, all of that. So yeah, I feel like we are a top-level team potentially, the best overall team in the sport, so, look to carry all that on."
WIlliam Byron
"I think for me success is just trying to improve every year and really every time we're on the race track, if we can get better, learn from our past mistakes and things that we've done, I feel like we're going to get better as a team."