Jeff Gordon explains tricky playoff situation for Hendrick Motorsports heading into Martinsville

As the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs quickly wind to a close, there will be some high stakes for Hendrick Motorsports in the penultimate race, at Martinsville.

Three Hendrick drivers remain in the mix, with one above the current cut line and two below. William Byron is +7 above the cut line, while Kyle Larson is -7 and Chase Elliott is -43.

There’s a very real scenario where Hendrick Motorsports drivers could be competing against each other at Martinsville for the final spot in the Championship 4.

“Obviously we ran good there in the spring,” said vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports Jeff Gordon, speaking on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast. “I think they’ve changed the tire a little bit. The weather’s going to be slightly different. So you just don’t know what it’s going to be like, but I feel more confident going into this Martinsville than we did last fall. But that does potentially play out to we’ve got to race one another.”

The scenarios are somewhat straightforward.

With Tyler Reddick and Joey Logano already locked into the Championship 4, there are two spots left and Christopher Bell is sitting +29 above the cut line currently.

“Basically you’ve got Chase in a must-win situation,” Gordon said. “That one’s pretty easy. Bell’s in a very comfortable position points wise. He would have to have something catastrophic (to miss the Championship 4).

“So now you look at Larson, you look at Byron and they both run — at Martinsville, Byron won there earlier this year. I think Kyle won last year or the year before. So they’re both going to be fighting hard, but you want to be in the scenario where they’re fighting to win, for the win, amongst themselves. You hope it’s not with a Denny Hamlin or with a Ryan Blaney or somebody that’s also on the outside.”

But that begs the question… how does Hendrick Motorsports handle preparation for this weekend’s race, knowing there might well be some head-to-head battles?

That could create tension if not handled appropriately.

“Honestly this is what I love about Hendrick, is I feel like in these scenarios these guys double down on the amount of time spent working not only individually as teams but working with one another and sharing information,” Gordon said. “They believe — it’s taken a long time, I’ve seen how it’s evolved over time — but they truly believe that I might be able to get something more than what I was thinking out of one of the other drivers or one of the other crew chiefs or one of the other engineers.

“And because they understand the value in it, then they give more as well. Because if I give more, I’m going to get more. Then they find the value of just getting in this room and sharing all this information and the database and the tech center and just everything. Utilize all the tools to the fullest.”

The rest, as they say, is up to chance. Hendrick Motorsports, though, certainly hopes to have as many drivers as possible in the Championship 4.