Editor’s Note: Today’s Hendrick Motorsports preview continues NASCAR.com’s countdown of team previews for the 2025 Cup Series season.
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS
Manufacturer: Chevrolet
Engine: Hendrick Motorsports
Driver-crew chief pairings: Kyle Larson-Cliff Daniels (No. 5), Chase Elliott-Alan Gustafson (No. 9), William Byron-Rudy Fugle (No. 24), Alex Bowman-Blake Harris (No. 48)
Team outlook: It would be difficult to improve upon 2024, when all of Hendrick Motorsports’ drivers visited Victory Lane and reached the Cup Series Playoffs, and the four-team organization returns with its core personnel intact. The only thing missing was a Cup Series championship, which remained in Team Penske’s possession for the third straight year. The 2025 campaign will mark the third consecutive season for the current driver-crew chief lineup, so continuity will remain a strength, and the Rick Hendrick-owned group has bolstered its farm system by signing development driver Corey Day in the offseason. The organization is already off to a quick start with a convincing victory by Chase Elliott in the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. “As a team, this is a culmination of an offseason,” said Jeff Andrews, Hendrick Motorsports president and general manager. “Mr. Hendrick started us off this past Wednesday at our season kickoff luncheon with ‘Thrive in ’25.’ That is our motto.”
KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 CHEVROLET
Experience: 10 full-time seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series; 366 total starts
2024 stats: Sixth in final Cup Series standings; 6 wins, 15 top fives, 18 top 10s, 5 poles
2025 championship odds (DraftKings): 11-2
Outlook: Larson has rounded into one of the Cup Series’ most consistent winners, and he led laps in 26 of 36 races last season. He has scored 23 of his 29 career victories in his four-year term with Hendrick Motorsports, and his connection with crew chief Cliff Daniels has made the No. 5 Chevy team one of the most potent in the garage. Expectations will remain high for Larson & Co., and anything less than a multiple-win season and a deep playoff run would be considered regression.
RELATED: Kyle Larson 2024 season in review | Larson through the years
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 CHEVROLET
Experience: Nine full-time seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series; 322 total starts
2024 stats: Seventh in final Cup Series standings; 1 win, 11 top fives, 19 top 10s, 0 poles
2025 championship odds (DraftKings): 11-1
Outlook: Elliott snapped out of a 42-race dry spell last year, prevailing at Texas Motor Speedway to put the No. 9 team back in the playoffs after a one-year miss. The bounceback season came after an incomplete grade to 2023, when a pair of absences (injury, suspension) derailed Elliott’s progress. This season, the No. 9 Chevy group will aim to reset the competitive bar for Elliott, who was a multiple-race winner each year from 2018-2022.
RELATED: Chase Elliott 2024 season in review | Elliott through the years
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 CHEVROLET
Experience: Seven full-time seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series; 252 total starts
2024 stats: Third in final Cup Series standings; 3 wins, 13 top fives, 21 top 10s, 1 pole
2025 championship odds (DraftKings): 6-1
Outlook: Byron will roll through the gates for the season opener as the defending Daytona 500 champion, aiming to improve upon a 2024 campaign that ended in a return trip to the Championship 4 field. Byron won on a superspeedway, a road course and a short track last year, and he closed the season with a sizzling streak of seven top-six finishes in a row. There are very few weak spots in Byron’s game, and he continues to be one of the organization’s most studious drivers. Breaking Team Penske’s hold on Phoenix Raceway in the finale is the only roadblock between the 27-year-old and a first Cup crown.
RELATED: William Byron 2024 season in review | Byron through the years
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 CHEVROLET
Experience: Nine full-time seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series; 325 total starts
2024 stats: Ninth in final Cup Series standings; 1 win, 8 top fives, 17 top 10s, 1 pole
2025 championship odds (DraftKings): 35-1
Outlook: Bowman jolted free from an 80-race skid with a jubilant victory in the Chicago Street Race last season, and though he showed improvement in terms of average finish (14.8, his best since 2020), his laps-led total (67) was his lowest in nine years. Whatever the reason, questions about his job security persist, even though Bowman is signed through the end of the 2026 season. Winning early — and often — this season would help to quell some of the chatter.
RELATED: Alex Bowman 2024 season in review | Bowman through the years
BOLD PREDICTION: Hendrick Motorsports puts two drivers in the Championship 4, most likely Larson and then a toss-up for the other finalist. Side prediction: Hot prospect Corey Day gets a one-off Cup Series start after his national series immersion takes off in Xfinity and Trucks.