Analysis: Why a big day for Hendrick Motorsports was no fluke

Although each race track has provided its share of variables throughout the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, Hendrick Motorsports' day at Chicagoland Speedway was a sign of things to come. For the second time this season, all four drivers finished in the top 11 positions -- the first coming in the Coca-Cola 600, where all drivers finished in the top 10 at 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway. Following Alex Bowman's first career victory on Sunday night, No. 88 crew chief Greg Ives feels the organization's recent growth in performance is a credit to improved synergy within the walls of the Concord, North Carolina, shop. RELATED: Full race results "I think we were all behind trying to think that we were smarter than all of us put together," Ives said. "I appreciate the 48 team, the 9 team, the 24 from my camp to help bounce ideas off of and build confidence off of some of the best in the garage." Scoring six top 10s in the past eight races, Bowman is on a hot streak, but NASCAR's newest winner noted that Hendrick's uptick in speed was tough because the working balance among teammates wasn't initially present. "I think the hardest part was the beginning of the year we were typically finishing the best or one of the best in our team, and then the rest of our team found a lot of speed, and we struggled to find that same speed they did," Bowman said. "That was the hardest part for me was just mentally staying patient, Greg and I staying on the same page through some of that and the struggles that come with the three other cars in the organization finding speed and us continuing to struggle. "But Greg and I kind of sat down, got back on the same page," Bowman said. "As soon as we did that, it was like a light switch for us over that off week to just regroup and be really good ever since then." RELATED: All-time winners for Hendrick Motorsports Jimmie Johnson's season-high fourth-place finish at Chicagoland also serves as indication that Hendrick Motorsports has come to play for good -- the result backing up finishes of sixth and eighth at Kansas and Charlotte, respectively. As he and crew chief Kevin Meendering continue to find a rhythm in their first season as a pair, information sharing with the 88 team has worked in everyone's favor. "The 88 and 48 have been really close in setups the last few weeks," Johnson said. "So to have us running up front, the 88 was going to be there before long. I'm happy for our company. ... "Very happy for Alex. His story of climbing up through the ranks ... and taking his shot is like a working man's story. He's done an amazing job of whether some tough years, even at Hendrick they haven't been easy years. I'm happy for him today, but hopefully next week is my week." [ndmsvideo vid="6054122613001" iframe="true" play="false"] For William Byron, the last seven races have included four top-10 finishes with two Busch Pole Awards, a sign that he and crew chief Chad Knaus are really starting to find their groove. "We're kind of the newest team put together here, besides Jimmie and his team," Byron said. "I think we're kind of neck-and-neck. It's all part of us gaining and learning together and I think that's really what's coming together. This (Chicagoland) is the best mile-and-a-half performance we've had for this kind of race track, so I'm really excited." As the series heads to Daytona International Speedway for Saturday night's Coke Zero Sugar 400 (7:30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the playoff picture for Hendrick Motorsports drivers is looking up. While Chase Elliott and Bowman are locked into the postseason with wins, Johnson's Chicagoland result moved him from one point below the cutoff to 14th in the standings, five points in front of Clint Bowyer on the bubble. Byron owns a little more cushion, sitting 12th in the rankings, 23 points ahead of 16th. MORE: Full Playoffs picture Byron feels the Hendrick momentum can continue in Daytona Beach, Florida, if the team can execute a similar game plan that saw Elliott and Bowman finish 1-2 at Talladega earlier this year. "I've been able to run pretty good there (Daytona)," Byron said. "Hopefully our car is good there. I know it's going to be fast. If we can just keep it up front and work together like we did at Talladega with all the Chevrolets, I think that's going to be a great plan."