Hendrick Motorsports off to great start to NASCAR season

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) — It's been a fast start to the NASCAR season for powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports.

The racing team has two wins in the first six Cup Series races of the season, including Kyle Larson's victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday. And its drivers hold the top three positions in points and four of the top six.

Still, Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon believes his team is just in the chase.

“The nice thing is, when you get a start like this and you’re up there in the points, it’s the fine-tuning (that comes after),” Gordon said. “What you’re chasing is victories. Perfection is what you’re really looking at.”

William Byron — who last month won his second straight Daytona 500 — Larson and Alex Bowman sit atop the standings. And the latter two Hendrick Motorsports drivers were in a battle for the win at Homestead.

Bowman, who started first in the 37-car field on Sunday, had passed Bubba Wallace for the lead with about 30 laps to go while Larson surged from behind. By Lap 261, Bowman's No. 48 Chevrolet scraped the outside wall, allowing Larson's No. 5 Chevrolet to get by him and dash off to a 1.205-second win that gave him his first Cup Series trophy of the year.

Larson said afterward he could sense both Bowman and Wallace, who finished third for 23XI Racing, might start making mistakes as he gained on them. He added he got around Bowman easier than expected on his teammate's errant move.

“Guess I choked that one away, for sure,” Bowman said. “Just kind of burnt myself up. I saw the 5 (Larson) coming and moved around a little bit. ... Just a couple mistakes there. Felt like we were OK all day.”

It capped a busy weekend for Larson, who fell one race short of sweeping the triple-header weekend. He won the Craftsman Truck race on Friday and finished fourth in the Xfinity Series on Saturday despite leading 132 of 201 laps. He came back motivated on Sunday, winning his second career Cup Series race at one of his best tracks despite leading only 19 of 267 laps.

“I didn’t think anybody was going to catch (Bowman).” Gordon said. “You just can’t ever count out Kyle Larson, especially at this place.”

Byron and Larson each have a Cup Series win, three top-five finishes apiece, and four top-10 finishes each this year. They've led a combined 203 laps. Bowman has one top-five finish, five top-10 finishes and has led 62 laps.

Chase Elliott, driving the No. 9 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, is sixth in the point standings with three top-10 finishes. Those four Hendrick cars are the only Chevrolets in the top 10 in points.

“We’ve had a couple races where all four of the cars are in the top eight or 10," Gordon said, “and, you know, it’s a finicky sport because you want to get off to a good start, get in a good position in points so that you’re not on your heels and playing catch up. That part’s really nice, but we’ve been getting beat.”

Added Larson: “Although we’re four of the top six, I don’t think that any of us are like the best car currently.”

On Sunday, that car, in Gordon's eye, was Ryan Blaney's No. 12 Team Penske Ford.

Blaney dominated — he led 124 laps and won Stage 1 after starting sixth. He was running third when his engine blew up on Lap 207, causing a thick cloud of smoke to cover the track and ending his afternoon.

“Honestly, I think that was the car,” Gordon said. “It’s ridiculous how fast they were. So I still think we’re chasing right now.”

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