AVONDALE, Ariz. - The 40th season of Hendrick Motorsports had long been unforgettable prior to the start of Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 race at Phoenix Raceway.
And one race could never overshadow an outstanding year.
William Byron entered the event representing the organization with a chance to claim his first title but settled for third in his second-straight appearance in the Championship 4.
By race's end, all four Hendrick Motorsports wheelmen had secured top-10 spots in the final NASCAR Cup Series points standings and three turned in top-10 efforts in Sunday's race.
Halfway through the third and final stage, a caution flag waved after Zane Smith crashed. Having just pitted, Byron and the No. 24 team stayed out and inherited the lead, seemingly in the perfect spot.
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However, Joey Logano got a quick jump on the restart and Byron couldn't quite hang on. Ryan Blaney finished second.
"I just think that they were fast on the short run all weekend, and that was kind of our struggle," Byron said. "Like, we were decent throughout the run but couldn't really take off with a ton of speed. It wasn't a huge surprise, but they were on me a little bit quicker than I thought they would be."
Byron registered his seventh-straight, top-six finish, a streak that should provide plenty of momentum heading into the offseason.
And he wasn't alone among company drivers.
Kyle Larson concluded his 2024 season, one in which he racked up a Cup Series-leading six wins, with a fourth-place showing, tops among all drivers not in the Championship 4. That included a tough, final-stage battle with Blaney.
"Fighting for everything I had, I'm racing for my team," Larson said. "We're running third and if a caution comes out, we have the most clutch pit crew on this pit road and I'm just trying to give myself the best opportunity to win the race."
Chase Elliott gave Hendrick Motorsports a trio of top 10s, coming home eighth. Alex Bowman capped a career season with a 14th-place showing.
All four Hendrick Motorsports drivers came home in the top 10 in points. Larson finished the season sixth, Elliott was just behind in seventh and Bowman ninth.