Given the standard Hendrick Motorsports set in the 2021 season, the 2022 season would seem like a failure.
Hendrick Motorsports dominated the Cup Series in the 2021 season, winning 17 out of 36 races, along with the championship with Kyle Larson. A year earlier, the championship was won by Chase Elliott, another HMS driver.
The 2022 season didn’t turn out to be as successful as they failed to defend their title. Also, the total number of wins for the team dropped to 11.
Hailie Deegan hoping for Xfinity opportunities to come along in the 2023 season
Nonetheless, HMS President Jeff Andrews considers the 2022 season to be a great season for the team. He said:
“2022 for us was a great season. Anytime you accomplish being a part of that Championship 4 in Phoenix and have given yourself an opportunity through the season to get there, that is no small feat. That takes a ton of work and dedication by everyone here to even get there,”.
“Certainly, everybody here was working hard towards a championship. I don’t think we should hang our heads at all about what we accomplished in 2022 with the change that went on with the vehicle and the unprecedented number of things we had to adapt to and overcome during the year,”.
The 2022 season saw the Next Gen car make its debut. And in some ways, it leveled the field for all the teams as HMS couldn’t count on their better resources anymore. But still winning 11 races is also a very good achievement for any team in the sport.
“… To go out and win 11 races and have a car in the Championship 4 for both the owner’s and the driver’s championship, I think it’s a great year for Hendrick Motorsports”.
The team was also not helped by Alex Bowman suffering a concussion and missing a number of races. And Larson couldn’t exert his dominance in the 2021 season as he got eliminated from the Round of 12.
Nonetheless, with a year spent with the Next Gen car, the team will be raring to get back to their usual standards.