"Rick and I really want this" - Lynda Hendrick hints at high expectations while looking at Jeff Gordon in HMS' milestone year as playoffs loom

In a recent event, Lynda Hendrick set a lofty goal for Jeff Gordon and Hendrick Motorsports. As the team celebrates its 40th anniversary, Rick Hendrick's wife has expressed a strong desire for a championship win.

The team currently fields four full-time Cup Series entries, each driving a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1: No. 5 Kyle Larson, No. 9 Chase Elliott, No. 24 William Byron, and No. 48 Alex Bowman.

In a recent Hendrick Motorsports event, Lynda Hendrick stated that she and Rick Hendrick are eager to capture a championship this season to commemorate the team's 40th anniversary.

"Well, I will tell you this. Rick and I really really want this championship on our 40th anniversary year," she said.

Lynda expressed her hope that all Hendrick Motorsports drivers will advance to the final race of the season at Phoenix Raceway and compete for the championship.

HMS has won many championships over its 4 decades of operation in NASCAR with drivers like Terry Labonte, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Chase Elliott, and Kyle Larson. The team holds the record for Johnson's five consecutive championships and has a total of 301 Cup victories.

Hendrick Motorsports entered NASCAR in the 1984 Daytona 500 with Geoffrey Bodine, who finished eighth. The team faced closure early in the season, but Bodine's victory in a later race ensured its survival. Two years later, Bodine clinched the team's first Daytona 500 win.

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"You want all four of them to be in Phoenix" - Jeff Gordon responds to Lydia Hendrick's championship wish

Jeff Gordon, a former NASCAR driver, is the current vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports. Gordon is himself a four-time Cup Series champion (1995, 1997, 1998, and 2001). He raced full-time for the team from 1993 to 2015, winning the Daytona 500 three times and setting records for most wins in a season and most poles.

HMS has a total of 11 members in the NASCAR Hall of Fame, including Hendrick, crew chief Chad Knaus, and Gordon, who was inducted in 2019.

Gordon recently responded to Lynda Hendrick's request, saying,

"And you want all four of them to be in Phoenix, going for that championship."

William Byron, Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, and Alex Bowman, have all secured their spots in the playoffs this year. Byron has impressed with three wins, while Elliott snapped a long winless streak with a victory in Texas. Larson's consistency, even after missing a race, has earned him four wins and a playoff berth. Bowman's Chicago win has also solidified his place in the postseason.

It is unlikely, though, that all four drivers will qualify for the final round and fight for the championship.