After a 13-year break from the Xfinity Series, Rick Hendrick\u2019s Hendrick Motorsports decided to breathe new life into its own program in 2022. Partnering with Dale Earnhardt Jr.\u2019s JR Motorsports, co-owned by Rick Hendrick, the organization is already fielding four cars, so HMS reintroduced the No. 17 Chevrolet to the Tier 2 Series.<\/p>\n
With lesser practice time available in recent seasons, especially since 2020, HMS\u2019s Cup drivers felt additional seat time could sharpen their edge and boost the team\u2019s overall performance. That\u2019s why, since early 2024, Chase Elliott<\/a><\/strong>, Kyle Larson, and William Byron have each taken the #17 Chevy to Victory Lane, with Byron\u2019s win at Charlotte Motor Speedway<\/a><\/strong> in May marking the latest success.<\/p>\n Growing talents<\/a><\/strong> like Corey Day and Jake Finch, along with Truck Series regular Rajah Caruth, have also had turns behind the wheel. The #17 team, making 21 starts in 2025, operates under the guidance of 10-time Cup Series\u2013winning crew chief Greg Ives.<\/p>\n In fact, ahead of the 2025 campaign, Adam Wall, formerly an engineer on Larson\u2019s #5 team, returned to the fold as crew chief. The program mirrors the processes of HMS\u2019s Cup operations, though most of its crew remains independent.<\/p>\n Jeff Gordon admitted that having an in-house Xfinity team gives HMS<\/a><\/strong> a proving ground for its next generation. It allows emerging talent within the system to witness Cup-level operations firsthand while taking on added pressure and responsibility to measure how they handle the heat and evolve in real time.<\/p>\n He noted that this hands-on approach lays the groundwork for the organization\u2019s long-term succession plan for the upcoming drivers. By gaining that experience within HMS walls at the Xfinity level, drivers, crew chiefs, engineers, and mechanics alike can naturally climb the ladder to Cup-level roles once the time is right.<\/p>\n