Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will be available to members of the media in the Circuit of The Americas media center on Friday, March 22, at 3:15 p.m. local time. 

SITTING ON TOP: Kyle Larson recovered from a pit road penalty to finish fifth on Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway and moved atop the NASCAR Cup Series points standings. The Elk Grove, California, native has one win (Las Vegas Motor Speedway) and two top-five finishes in five 2024 starts. Larson is second in laps led (224), third in average running position (9.95) and laps run in the top five (626), fourth in laps run in the top 10 (893) and sixth in average finish (12.60).

COMING BACK TO COTA: This Sunday, the No. 5 HendrickCars.com team will compete at the first road course of the season, Circuit of The Americas (COTA). The race will mark Larson’s fourth Cup Series start on the 20-turn Austin, Texas, track where he has completed all 198 of the laps attempted on the 3.41-mile road course. In 2021, Larson led four laps on the serpentine track and finished in the runner-up position behind Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott in the rain-shortened event.

FOUR IN THREE: Of Hendrick Motorsports’ 27 road course wins, Larson has contributed the third-most victories to that total. With four road course triumphs, the 31-year-old driver sits behind Elliott (seven wins) and team vice chairman Jeff Gordon (nine wins). He is tied for second on the all-time list of drivers that have won at the most different number of road courses. Larson’s four road course wins have all come with crew chief Cliff Daniels and occurred at three different tracks: Watkins Glen International (two), Sonoma Raceway (one) and the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL (one). His four wins on tracks that turn left and right are tied for the third-most among active drivers. 

RECORD SETTING: Larson recorded three road course victories during his 10-win 2021 championship year. Those three wins are the most road course triumphs by one driver in a single Cup Series season. 

BOTH ROADS TAKEN: Before coming to Hendrick Motorsports for the start of the 2021 season, Larson had three poles, one top-five finish, four top-10s and 69 laps led in 14 road course starts. In 19 road course races since 2021, he has four wins, one pole, eight top-five finishes, 10 top-10s and 155 laps led. During the six races on road courses in 2023, Larson was tied for the sixth-most points (191) and had the sixth-best average finish (12.17).

DOUBLE DUTY: Larson will make the first of two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts in the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro on Saturday at COTA. Greg Ives, the 2014 Xfinity Series championship-winning crew chief at Hendrick Motorsports affiliate JR Motorsports, will be Larson’s crew chief for the race. He has 14 Xfinity Series wins, with one victory in each of the last two seasons. 

FAST WORK IN THE PITS: The No. 5 HendrickCars.com pit crew has the season’s fourth-best average four-tire pit stop time (11.046 seconds). The five-person crew is comprised of Blaine Anderson (front-tire changer), R.J. Barnette (tire carrier), Brandon Harder (fueler), Brandon Johnson (jackman) and Calvin Teague (rear-tire changer).  

HENDRICKCARS.COM IN AUSTIN: The Austin, Texas, automotive market is home to two HendrickCars.comdealerships. Not located in Austin? Shop at any of Hendrick Automotive Group’s 93 dealerships nationwide. From the convenience of HendrickCars.com, customers can shop from their home by selecting the category, make, model and vehicle packages that are important to them from the nearly 30,000 new, high-quality pre-owned and certified cars, trucks and SUVs available at HendrickCars.com.

  

  

  
BRISTOL BULLETS: Chase Elliott and No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team qualified fifth for last Sunday’s 500-lap NASCAR Cup Series event at Bristol Motor Speedway. In a race where tire management was essential, the 28-year-old driver persevered to earn the No. 9 team’s first top-10 result of the season and his third straight top-10 on the concrete at Bristol. The 2020 Cup Series champion led twice for a total of five laps – including the 80,000th lap led for Hendrick Motorsports in the sport’s premier series – en route to an eighth-place finish. Following Bristol, Elliott is sixth in the Cup Series points standings, just 33 markers behind the leader.

COTA CONQUEROR: Elliott heads to Circuit of The Americas (COTA) as a previous winner on the Texas road course in the Cup Series this weekend. The driver of No. 9 won the inaugural premier series event in 2021, his first of two wins that season – both coming on serpentine tracks. Rain steadily poured on the track throughout the race. Elliott was in the lead with 14 laps to go when officials halted the race due to standing water. The event was ultimately called and Elliott was declared the victor, securing the record-tying 268th Cup Series triumph for Hendrick Motorsports and the 800th Cup Series win for Chevrolet.

2023 ROAD RACING RECAP: Last season, Elliott scored four top-10 finishes across five Cup Series starts on serpentine tracks, putting him tied for second-most in that category with one less start than his competitors. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native missed COTA last spring due to his injury, with road-racing ace Jordan Taylor filling in as the driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Elliott’s best finish of second came on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.

ROAD COURSE KING: Elliott has proven his road-racing ability, leading all active drivers with seven Cup Series wins on road courses. He’s also third on the overall list of drivers with road course victories, trailing only NASCAR Hall of Famers Tony Stewart (eight) and Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon (nine). Accompanying his triumphs, across his 30 Cup Series starts on road courses, Elliott has an average finish of 8.50 with 17 top-five finishes and 21 top-10s. His average finish is not only the best among active drivers but fourth all-time among drivers (five or more starts) behind NASCAR legends Fireball Roberts, Buck Baker and Marvin Panch. Elliott’s wins have come on five different road courses, the most all-time. His eight stage wins are also tops.

A MOMENT IN TIME: Elliott’s first career Cup Series win came on a road course – Watkins Glen International in 2018. The six-time National Motorsports Press Association Most Popular Driver Award winner started the race from the third position and led 52 of 90 laps en route to the victory. 

ACING THE COURSE: This Sunday, No. 9 crew chief Alan Gustafson will call his 52nd road course race atop the pit box. In those starts, he’s led his team to seven wins – all with Elliott – 20 top-five finishes and 28 top-10s. The Ormond Beach, Florida, native’s drivers have led a combined 543 laps. Gustafson’s seven wins lead active crew chiefs in the Cup Series on road courses and put him third on the all-time list on this track type (behind NASCAR Hall of Famers Dale Inman with 10 and Leonard Wood with eight). 

FOUR TIRES FAST: Through five Cup Series races in 2024, the No. 9 pit crew ranks third in average four-tire pit stop time (10.977 seconds). In last weekend’s event at Bristol, the five-person team knocked out the fourth-fastest four-tire stop of the season with a time of 9.479 seconds on lap 182. The No. 9 crew is comprised of Chad Avrit (rear-tire changer), Jared Erspamer (tire carrier), John Gianninoto (fueler), Nick O’Dell (front-tire changer) and T.J. Semke (jackman).

GET UP AND GO: This weekend at COTA, NAPA Auto Parts is trading in its traditional blue-based scheme for the pearlescent white livery Elliott drove at the Clash at the Coliseum exhibition event in February. Get a look at all the angles of the alternate look here.

THROWBACK FOR THE AGES: On Wednesday, it was announced that Elliott will run a special throwback scheme at Darlington Raceway in celebration of Hendrick Motorsports’ 40th anniversary and the 10th anniversary of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s 2014 DAYTONA 500 victory. Elliott’s No. 9 UniFirst Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will don a special livery inspired by Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet with the same red, white and blue scheme with gold accents. Check out the throwback look here.
 
 
No. 24 RAPTOR Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 COTA RESULTS: This Sunday’s race will mark William Byron’s fourth NASCAR Cup Series start at Circuit of The Americas (COTA). In his first three races at the 3.41-mile road course, Byron has one top-five finish and three top-15 finishes. In last year’s event at the 20-turn facility, Byron started from the pole position, led 28 laps, won stage one and finished fifth. The 26-year-old driver has the sixth-best average finish (9.33) at COTA among active drivers. 

ROAD COURSE RINGER?: In August of 2023, Byron picked up his first Cup Series road course win at Watkins Glen International. During the 2023 season, he scored the most points in the six road course races (213), led the most laps (94) and is one of three drivers with two consecutive top-five finishes on serpentine layouts. Byron has four pole awards, including one in last year’s race at COTA, in 27 Cup Series road course starts.

WHAT’S IN A NUMBER?: With his win at Watkins Glen last year, Byron continues to extend the road course history of the No. 24. Currently, the No. 24 has 10 wins on road courses – second-best to the No. 9 with 11 wins on road courses. Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon’s nine road course wins in the No. 24 are the most in Cup Series history. Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott is responsible for seven of those 11 wins in the No. 9. Overall, the No. 24 has 104 wins in the Cup Series, the third-most behind the No. 43 (200) and the No. 11 (232). 

NEXT GEN DUO: Since the Next Gen Cup Series car was introduced in 2022, Byron and crew chief Rudy Fugle have a series-leading nine wins. One of those wins came in the 2024 DAYTONA 500. The duo leads teammates driver Kyle Larson (eight wins) and crew chief Cliff Daniels (seven wins).

FUGLE FILES: This Sunday’s race at COTA will mark Fugle’s third start atop the pit box at the 3.41-mile road course. In his first two starts at the Austin, Texas, facility, Fugle has an 11th and 12th-place finish with Byron and the No. 24 team. Fugle has 28 national series starts on road courses (18 in the Cup Series, three in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and seven in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series). He earned a road course win in the Cup Series at Watkins Glen in 2023 and in the truck ranks in 2015 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. 

PIT ROAD PROWESS: Through five races in the 2023 season, the No. 24 pit crew continues to build on their success from last season. The five-person crew currently ranks fifth-best (11.065 seconds) in average four-tire pit stop time. The No. 24 pit crew consists of Spencer Bishop (jackman), Jeff Cordero (front-tire changer), Orane Ossowski (rear-tire changer), Ryan Patton (tire carrier) and Landon Walker (fueler).

RAPTOR® TOUGH: For the second time in 2024, Byron will sport his new RAPTOR® paint scheme that will run the majority of the season on the No. 24 Chevy. RAPTOR® is a durable protective coating designed to tolerate the toughest climatic conditions and can be applied to a wide range of items, including truck beds, lawnmowers, outdoor furniture and more. With 16 pre-mixed colors available, it’s easy to personalize anything you want to protect. RAPTOR® is available at local paint distributors, auto parts stores and online retailers. For a better look at Byron’s new No. 24 RAPTOR Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, click here.

HELP RELAY OUT: Today, Relay Payments, the fintech company modernizing payments for the trucking and logistics industries, announced an opportunity for fans to help select this year’s No. 24 Relay Payments Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 paint scheme. Running at the Chicago Street Course in July and then later at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the playoffs, it’s in the fans’ hands for what Byron’s race car will look like. The fan vote will be a bracket-style contest, ultimately narrowing down four different paint schemes to one with the final winner being unveiled on Friday, March 29th. To get a better look at the options and to place a vote, click here. 
 
 
No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 TOP FIVE AT BRISTOL: Last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, Alex Bowman led all four Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets with a fourth-place finish. The result was his best in 14 NASCAR Cup Series starts at the 0.533-mile track. Tire management was the name of the game in the 500-lap race and that aspect brought Bowman back to his initial stock car racing roots. Throughout the race, crew chief Blake Harris made successful strategic calls on pit road and Bowman showed patience while managing his tires, which yielded the driver’s third top-five finish at the venue upon the checkered flag.

SHOWING STRENGTH: Following the 30-year-old driver’s second top-five finish of 2024, the No. 48 Ally Racing team looks to carry that momentum into this weekend’s Cup Series race at Circuit of The Americas (COTA). Bowman is one of seven drivers with multiple top-five finishes. Through five races, he holds the eighth-best average finish (14.20), directly behind Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott (13.60) and Kyle Larson (12.60). 

CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS: Bowman has been the best-finishing Hendrick Motorsports driver at the 3.41-mile-long road course in the last two years. The Tucson, Arizona, native is one of three drivers to finish in the top 10 in all three Cup Series races at the Austin, Texas, track (eighth in 2021, second in 2022 and third in 2023). He is among four drivers, including teammate Elliott, to have multiple top-five finishes at the 20-turn facility. When ranking Bowman’s best tracks based on average finish, COTA sits at the top of the list (4.33) and that mark is the third-best among drivers entered in Sunday’s race.

RACING ON ROAD COURSES: The driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has the second-most runner-up finishes on a road course without a win (COTA in 2022 and the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL in 2019). Bowman has finished in the top 10 in three of the last six road course races.

PIT ROAD ALLIES: The No. 48 Ally Racing pit crew ranks seventh-best on pit road in average four-tire pit stop time (11.315 seconds). In February, the team delivered the fastest four-tire stop amongst all teams at Atlanta Motor Speedway (9.543 seconds on lap 238). The five-person crew is composed of Andrew Bridgeforth (rear-tire changer), Jacob Conley (fueler), Brandon Grier (tire carrier), Allen Holman (jackman) and Donnie Tasser (front-tire changer).

ENTER TO WIN A NEW CHEVY CAMARO: Ally and Hendrick Automotive Group have teamed together to celebrate Hendrick Motorsports’ 40th anniversary by giving away a 40th Anniversary Edition Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE through the Ally “Win Your Wheels fueled by HendrickCars.com” sweepstakes. NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports and No. 48 fans can enter to win at Ally.com/sweepstakes/nascar. The sweepstakes will end on Sept. 20, 2024.

ADOPT ANIMALS IN AUSTIN: Bowman and Ally are supporting Best Friends Animal Society and their vast network of partners for the fourth consecutive year. Since the beginning of the 2022 season, the pair has been committed to a combined weekly donation of $4,800 to a Best Friends network partner local to each weekend’s race. This weekend’s beneficiary is Austin Pets Alive! Located just 30 minutes from the track in Austin, Texas, you can visit their dogs and cats looking for homes at the shelter. Can’t visit in person? Learn more about adopting, fostering, volunteering or donating online at www.austinpetsalive.org. 

-Hendrick Motorsports-