Chase Elliott's Hendrick Team Seeks Heat Check at New Hampshire

Chase Elliott and his Hendrick Motorsports team finished fifth at Richmond Raceway, their best result since winning at Texas Motor Speedway in May, ending a career-long nine-race streak outside the top 10.

What happened?

The No. 9 Chevrolet driver's fifth-place finish was part of a strong showing by Hendrick's four cars, which all finished in the top 10 for the first time since Talladega Superspeedway in April 2025. Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson followed in sixth, snapping his own run of four consecutive races off the lead lap and scoring his first top 10 since Sonoma Raceway in June. A winless William Byron came home ninth for his second straight top 10, while Alex Bowman finished 10th for the first time since Chicagoland Speedway in July.

Why it matters for Chase Elliott

Hendrick's performance at Richmond marked a modest spark, but with only Sunday's Dollar Tree 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and next weekend's Daytona International Speedway cutoff remaining before The Chase, there is little time left to determine whether there is any actual heat behind the flame. New Hampshire Motor Speedway offers Hendrick one final conventional look at itself before The Chase begins - 301 laps around a flat, technical 1.058-mile oval where speed, balance, track position, and execution tend to have enough time to reveal themselves.

What comes next?

If Richmond was simply a pleasant one-night reprieve from an uneven summer, New Hampshire could expose it. If something is genuinely beginning to click again across the Hendrick campus, this is where the evidence can start stacking up. And there is plenty to prove. Even with two early-season victories from Elliott, Hendrick's 2026 numbers remain almost unrecognizable compared with the organization's production through the same 24 races last season. The championship team had six wins at this point in 2025, and its top-five total has fallen from 32 to 21, with top 10s dropping from 52 to 37. The most dramatic gap is up front: Hendrick led 2,328 laps through 24 races last year compared with 1,073 this season - a decline of 1,255 laps. Meanwhile, DNFs have climbed from eight to 13.

Key Takeaways:

• Hendrick's four cars finished in the top 10 for the first time since Talladega Superspeedway in April 2025.
• Chase Elliott's fifth-place finish was his best result since winning at Texas Motor Speedway in May.
• Hendrick's 2026 numbers remain almost unrecognizable compared with the organization's production through the same 24 races last season.

Hendrick's Season Stats:

Hendrick's performance at Richmond marked a modest spark, but with only Sunday's Dollar Tree 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and next weekend's Daytona International Speedway cutoff remaining before The Chase, there is little time left to determine whether there is any actual heat behind the flame.