CONCORD, N.C. – As the third race of the NASCAR Cup Series season nears, Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick said he feels “really good about everybody” after the start to the 2017 campaign.
The Nos. 5 and 24 teams have shined bright early in the season, with Kasey Kahne and Chase Elliott combining for 46 laps led, three top-10s, two top-five finishes and one pole position.
Notably, Kahne and Elliott are two of just seven drivers to have completed all 525 possible laps this season.
It started with the Daytona 500, where Hendrick said the No. 5 team was “super strong.”
“To come out with a top-10, and they were even better than that, I was really happy for them,” Hendrick said.
As for Elliott’s Daytona 500, the No. 24 team hasn’t gotten deterred by the win that got away. Elliott’s average running position of 6.4 leads the NASCAR Cup Series this season.
“It’s hard not to be disappointed when you’re a half-gallon of gas away from winning the Daytona 500,” Hendrick said, noting that he was proud of the way the team battled the following week at Atlanta. “We could’ve very easily won both races with him. So, I’m just tickled to death with Chase’s start.”
Elliott took the checkered flag fifth at Atlanta – just behind Kahne, who finished fourth.
“The second half of the Atlanta race they just came on so strong,” Hendrick said of the No. 5 team. “It’s hard to come from the back in Atlanta, but he did it. Confidence is a great thing in racing, and that team’s got a lot of confidence.”
Kahne’s average finish of 5.5 through two races this season is second only to Daytona 500 winner Kurt Busch.
“Pit stops have been great, the communication’s been great and Kasey’s doing a good job,” Hendrick continued. “With two top-10s – a top-10 and a top-five – in the first two races, absolutely a great start.”
Elliott and the No. 24 team represented Hendrick Motorsports during a Goodyear tire test at Las Vegas Motor Speedway prior to the season, and the results have Hendrick all the more excited to see how the teams perform at the track this Sunday.
“I’m anxious to see what happens at Vegas, because we tested well,” he said.
“We’ve got speed.”