“I don’t ever get into the sim. Why? because it’s gonna screw me up.” This is how Larson went about his racing philosophy ever since NASCAR brought in the Next-Gen car. And why would he need sim time, especially when he can have 15 race wins and a Bill France trophy to his name? But even for a winningest organization like HMS, complacency can come back to bite them. And that’s exactly what Kevin Harvick highlighted after witnessing concerning trends for the 2026 season.

“Guys that don’t spend any time in the simulator. How you gonna fix it, fellas? Tell me how you gonna fix your car if you don’t go to the simulator?

“It is not gonna happen and that’s the problem when people get out of the routine of going to the simulator because everything is going good and they start skipping steps in the process,” Harvick highlighted on his Happy Hour podcast.

Justin Allgaier serves as the simulation and reserve driver for the No. 5 team. What’s more is that Carson Hocevar became the best finishing Chevy driver at Darlington last weekend. Heck, even Daniel Súarez finished higher (7th) above William Byron in eighth place. Let’s talk data. 

Larson’s average finish stands at 16, William Byron’s stands at 15.56, and Chase Elliott’s numbers are a little better with 9.5. A reminder: these are the stats of a tier 1 Chevy team. HMS doesn’t plan to go out on the track on Sunday with the hopes of finishing inside the top 10. And right now, it feels as if the team that is feeding off scraps is doing better.

The picture is grim when we look at their Toyota rivals. Tyler Reddick has won 4 races already this season, and he prioritized working on the simulator rather than being part of the Happy Hour podcast. So, drivers who are actively working on setting the trends in the modern era are developing an edge, and this is something HMS should be concerned about.

Now, this isn’t the end of the road for Hendrick Motorsports. In fact, they can turn this grim picture into a victory lane celebration very soon.

An emotional salvation awaits from HMS in Martinsville

If there’s one place Hendrick Motorsports can silence the noise, it’s Martinsville Speedway. The numbers alone make that clear. Last fall, William Byron dominated the paperclip, cruising to victory and locking himself into the Championship 4, while also delivering HMS its record-extending 30th win at the track, the most by any team at a single venue in NASCAR history.

And it’s not just Byron. Chase Elliott has been remarkably consistent here, entering the weekend with four straight top-four finishes. Byron himself has two wins in that same stretch, while Kyle Larson has quietly built one of the most reliable records at Martinsville, finishing inside the top six in seven consecutive races dating back to 2022.

There’s also a wildcard in the mix. Justin Allgaier will once again step into the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet, filling in for Alex Bowman as he continues recovering from vertigo. Allgaier brings experience of his own, including a Martinsville win in the NASCAR O’Reilly Series in 2023.

It is also going to be an emotional race for the entire organization. Martinsville has been a place that witnessed the 2004 plane crash that led to the deaths of the Hendrick family members and crew. Yet, it is also the track where they’ve won 29 Cup races, most by a single organization. Now it is up to the drivers to live up to the team’s legacy and overturn their misfortunes from the 2026 season.