CONCORD, N.C. – No matter what happens during Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 event at Phoenix Raceway, 2021 will be a season to remember for team owner Rick Hendrick.
With Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott competing for a title in the final round of the Cup Series playoffs, Hendrick is seeking his record-extending 14th championship. However, should the Hendrick Motorsports owner leave the 1-mile venue without a title in hand, he still will be proud of his four drivers, the incredible season the organization has had and how diligently all four teams worked together.
“I think we've been riding a tremendous wave of excitement all year,” Hendrick said. “If you just go back and look at what the organization has accomplished. When you say you have run 1-2-3-4 at a race (Dover), you have won four, five in a row – just so many milestones – we passed (Richard) Petty's win record this year and (I) never thought we would do that. But when I look at the talent we have, but more than the talent, the way they are working together – the chemistry that they have between each other – drivers and crew chiefs, it's going to be hard to stop the train.
“I'm excited about the future, regardless of what happens this weekend. We've had a heck of a year and that would be the cherry on top. When you've had the year like this, with the momentum we have going into next year, I'm super excited.”
Naturally, Hendrick does want to secure that thrilling 14th championship. Should he bring home that title, it would mark the first time any organization has earned back-to-back championships since Jimmie Johnson accomplished the feat for Hendrick Motorsports from 2005-10. While there is a 50% shot of Hendrick Motorsports securing the 2021 Cup Series title, it puts Hendrick in the best sort of conundrum.
“I love the No. 5 car because it was my first car, and the paint scheme is my son’s paint scheme; it has HendrickCars.com on it, so that's important. But I want to see Chase Elliott get back-to-back championships,” Hendrick explained. “It's hard to say you can have both; we just hope that one of them can pull it off. It means a lot in both situations because to see Chase as such a young champion and a chance to go back-to-back. You look at Kyle and you say he has won 10 races, counting the All-Star Race, and they've been so bulletproof; it would be a great way to cap it off after his first year with us.”
Aside from a 1-2-3-4 finish at Dover International Speedway, winning 16 races so far this year, having two drivers in the final playoff race and having all four drivers win at least one event this year, Hendrick said he’s most proud of how well the organization has worked together. He said he’s never seen his teams work so closely together before and called their chemistry “the best I’ve ever seen.”
As someone who puts people first, the success that has come with such a collaborative effort is the ultimate feather in Hendrick’s cap.
“When you look at the youth we have today and the success they've had this year and what they've accomplished and all the records, we've got a bright future ahead of us,” Hendrick said. “We just don't need to mess it up, and the only way that's going to happen is if we quit doing what has gotten us to this point, which is working together, sharing and being one unit with four cars.”
The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series ends in Phoenix this Sunday. Tune in at 3 p.m. ET on NBC to see if Larson or Elliott can secure another championship for the Hendrick Motorsports record books.