“I never count those guys out,” Vice President Jeff Gordon said of the Hendrick Motorsports driver-team principal duo in the championship race at Phoenix.
The desert sun hung low over Phoenix Raceway, casting long shadows across the pit lane as the NASCAR Cup Series Championship reached its climax. In the eye of the storm stood Hendrick Motorsports’ dynamic duo: driver Chase Elliott and team principal Chad Knaus. With the checkered flag moments away, Vice President Jeff Gordon—himself a four-time champion and now a key executive at the organization—watched from the war room, his words carrying the weight of experience. “I never count those guys out,” he told reporters earlier that week, a statement that would prove prophetic.
The 2025 season had been a rollercoaster for Hendrick Motorsports. After dominating the regular season with eight victories split between its four drivers, the playoffs exposed cracks. Kyle Larson, the 2021 champion, faltered early in the Round of 8 with mechanical failures at Las Vegas and Homestead. William Byron, the points leader entering the postseason, struggled with strategy calls that left him on the wrong end of fuel-mileage gambles. That left Elliott and Knaus, paired since 2020, as the last line of defense for the team’s record-extending 15th title.
Elliott entered Phoenix as the underdog among the Championship 4. Denny Hamlin arrived with momentum, having won the previous race at Martinsville. Joey Logano, the two-time champion, carried the confidence of a Ford program on the rise. Tyler Reddick, driving for 23XI Racing, represented the new guard. Elliott’s path required not just a win, but perfection in execution. Knaus, the architect of Jimmie Johnson’s seven titles, knew the blueprint intimately.
From the drop of the green flag, the race unfolded like a chess match. Hamlin led the first 50 laps, his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota dialed in for the short-run speed that had defined his season. Elliott conserved tires, running mid-pack while Knaus monitored data streams from the pit box. “We’re not here to lead laps early,” Knaus radioed calmly. “We’re here to be there at the end.” The strategy paid dividends during the first caution on lap 78, when a debris flag bunched the field. Elliott pitted for fresh Goodyears while others stayed out, cycling to the front by lap 100.
The middle stage tested nerves. Logano’s Penske Ford developed a vibration that forced an unscheduled stop, dropping him a lap down. Reddick battled handling issues, his car loose in the turns despite crew chief Billy Scott’s adjustments. Elliott, meanwhile, maintained track position, his No. 9 Chevrolet a model of consistency. By the final stage break at lap 200, he led Hamlin by three seconds.
