Three Hendrick Motorsports drivers are vying for the final two spots in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4, and this weekend’s showdown at Martinsville Speedway will be the limit for their championship dreams. A place in the Championship 4 is possible on points for William Byron, who is seven points over the limit, and Kyle Larson, who is seven points under the limit, but for Chase Elliott, who is 43 points under, it’s probably a win and you’re in the situation.

“I’m trying not to think about the situation too much.” Elliott said. “Honestly, we’ve been at this point before, and this isn’t the first time I’ve gone through this or had to go through this. Having done this before and been at this point gives me some sense of peace, knowing how to deal with this and knowing how your team can handle it.” You know you can do it.”

Of course, Elliott is talking about his experiences after winning at Martinsville in 2020 to advance to Championship 4 and then taking the title at Phoenix Raceway that season. The 2020 Cup Series champion is the only driver to finish in the Top 10 in all six short track races this season and has a career win at Martinsville with six Top 5 and 11 Top 10 finishes in 18 starts. He also has the fifth-best average (12.67) among active Cup Drivers with at least two starts at Martinsville Speedway. Long story short, Elliott knows how to race at Paperclip.

Kyle Larson’s position is much more advantageous than his teammate Elliott; Larson sits seven points below the cutoff line. Championship 4 at Phoenix Speedway.

“I think since I joined Hendrick Motorsports we got a win at Martinsville and finished second a couple of times,” Larson said. “It hasn’t always been a great track for me, but I think Hendrick Motorsports has a great package for the track and that definitely helped me. Hopefully we can fight for stage wins and victory on Sunday.”

Larson has one race victory in 19 career races at Martinsville, with five Top-5 and seven Top-10 finishes and a career GPA of 16.7. With just seven points to qualify for Championship 4, Larson can do it on points but will need help from Christopher Bell or teammate William Byron to get to the final round.

William Byron sits in the catbird seat among Hendrick Motorsports drivers, sitting with a seven-point lead over the cut line. Byron has two career Cup Series wins at Martinsville; one of them this season, five in the Top 5 and seven overall Top finishes.

“I know everyone here at Hendrick Motorsports puts a lot of emphasis on being competitive,” Byron said. “I know last fall wasn’t what we wanted and I’m hoping that when we come back this time in the fall we’ll be really competitive. We know what the task is for the weekend and it’s our job to execute it and make it happen.”

There are a lot of changes to what could happen to Hendrick Motorsports after Martinsville; There is also the possibility of a pair of Hendrick cars from scratch to take the Championship to 4th at Phoenix Raceway on November 10th. And that’s the beauty of racing; You never know what’s going to happen until the flag drops.