BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Kyle Larson's dominant performance at Bristol Motor Speedway gave Hendrick Motorsports its third win of the season, but that doesn't mean that the team is ready to rest on its laurels.
According to Jeff Gordon, considerable work remains for NASCAR's winningest organization if it hopes to snap Team Penske's Gen 7 championship streak.
"Being in the meetings, we have high standards," Gordon said after Larson led 411 laps at Bristol. "So it's been nice. And I think we've been happy. But no, we're definitely not satisfied.
"...I think we're still behind when it comes to looking at the 10 races and the championship."
Hendrick Motorsports has been very productive since NASCAR began using the Gen 7 car in 2022. The four full-time drivers have combined to win 35 races.
Larson has 15 wins since 2022, William Byron has 12 wins, Chase Elliott has six wins, and Alex Bowman has two wins. Three of these drivers have reached the Championship 4.
However, none of these drivers have accomplished the organization's goal of adding another title to Rick Hendrick's collection. Elliott and Larson won the final two titles of the Gen 6 era, but Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney have since combined to win the championships in the first three seasons of the Gen 7 era.
The Hendrick Motorsports cars just have not been as productive at the tracks making up the playoff schedule. And even when they have gotten to Phoenix, they have struggled more than other contenders at the 1-mile track.
Byron finished third in the standings in 2023 and '24. Larson finished second in the standings in 2023. Elliott finished fourth in the standings in 2022 after contact from Ross Chastain prematurely ended his championship bid.
The regular season is only nine races deep, but Gordon and Hendrick Motorsports are already thinking about the playoffs.
"There's some real good tracks in there for us, but there are some tracks that are concerning, and we want to get to Phoenix," Gordon added.
"I think Phoenix right now, we're not the team to beat, and we've got a long way to go, luckily, and I hope we can find it. We have the best people in the business to be able to do that.
"Race wins like today are rewarding in many ways and will motivate us, but this is not Phoenix, and I think we know that."
Hendrick Motorsports has to prepare for Gateway and Loudon as both tracks join the playoff schedule. HMS has not been particularly strong at either as Toyota and Ford drivers have visited victory lane.
They have to prepare for Talladega Superspeedway as the wild card track moves to the Round of 8. This superspeedway, known for its multi-car wrecks, is one of three opportunities to reach the Championship 4.
"We still do believe that there's more performance to go get at the Gateways and Loudons and Martinsvilles, and especially Phoenix," Cliff Daniels, Kyle Larson's crew chief, added.
"(We still believe) that we've been a little bit behind some of those other guys. There's work out there ahead of us that we need to go get and find the little bits of performance."