5 Points to Ponder: The Rest of the 2021 NASCAR Season ONE: Which Hendrick Motorsports is for real? Hendrick Motorsports caught fire this summer, its best performance in the NASCAR Cup Series since Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson were on the roster in 2014. From Dover International Speedway in May to the first Pocono Raceway event the end of June, HMS won six straight races and produced the first 1-2-3-4 finish in team history. Kyle Larson led the way, posting three wins and seven top-two performances in an eight-race stretch. But he wasn’t the only success story. William Byron became the youngest driver ever to post 11 straight top-10 finishes at age 23. Alex Bowman muscled his way to a contract extension with three wins. And Chase Elliott, despite some bumps in the road, remains poised to defend his championship on the strength of multiple road course victories.