Phoenix Raceway
Sunday, March 14, 2021
1-Mile Oval
3:30 PM EST
Location: Avondale, Arizona
TV: Fox logo
Event: NASCAR Cup Series (5 of 36)
Radio: SiriusXM logo PRN logo
5 KYLE LARSON
Age: 28 (July 31, 1992)
Hometown: Elk Grove, California
Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels
Standings: 3rd
No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
VEGAS VICTORY: Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, led 103 laps en route to victory in Sunday’s 400-mile race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It marked Larson’s seventh career NASCAR Cup Series win and first as a Hendrick Motorsports driver. Visiting victory lane in only his fourth race for the 13-time Cup Series championship organization, Larson won in fewer starts than any previous driver for car owner Rick Hendrick.
BRIDESMAID NO MORE: Prior to Sunday’s victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Larson had scored nine runner-up finishes – the most all-time without a Cup Series victory – in 71 career starts on 1.5-mile tracks. The win in his 72nd attempt moved him up to third in the NASCAR Cup Series point standings – 40 markers behind leader Denny Hamlin – and all but secured him a spot in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
RANKING UP: In four starts in 2021, Larson is tied for most wins (one), most top-10 finishes (three) and has run the most laps inside the top 10 (676) – 87 more than any other competitor. He is one of only three drivers to complete all 804 laps this season – Hamlin and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott being the other two to do so. Larson’s 109 laps led trail only Hamlin (150) and teammate William Byron (127).
DESERT HEAT: Although he has not won at Phoenix Raceway in 13 Cup Series starts, Larson has scored six top-six finishes there – all in his last eight starts at the 1-mile oval. His best finish of second occurred in this race in 2017.
NICE TRIBUTE: The No. 5 HendrickCars.com paint scheme Larson drove to victory last weekend and will drive again Sunday is based on the design Ricky Hendrick, the late son of owner Rick Hendrick, drove to a win in Kansas Speedway’s inaugural NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event in 2001. The following season, the paint scheme appeared on the No. 5 Chevrolet driven by the younger Hendrick in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
CLIFF’S NOTES: Sunday’s victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway marked Cliff Daniels’ first as a Cup Series crew chief. The Smithfield, Virginia, native was atop the pit box for seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson during 2020 and a portion of the 2019 season. In Johnson’s final Cup Series start, Daniels guided him to a fifth-place finish at Phoenix Raceway in November 2020.
YOUR CAR NEEDS: This weekend, Larson will again drive the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. From the convenience of home, customers can select 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. The website also makes it easy for customers to find one of Hendrick Automotive Group’s 93 dealership locations nationwide.
9 CHASE ELLIOTT
Age: 25 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: 4th
No. 9 UniFirst Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
FAMILIAR TERRITORY: During his most recent trip to Phoenix Raceway in November 2020, Chase Elliott led a race-high 153 laps and outdueled three of the best drivers in stock-car racing to become the third-youngest champion in NASCAR Cup Series history.
LEAD STREAK: Having led laps in the last six NASCAR Cup Series events, Elliott is tied with Joey Logano for the longest active streak. In the six-race span that dates to last season, the 25-year-old driver has led the most total laps (440) out of all Cup Series drivers.
PHOENIX 2020: Last season, Elliott was one of only four drivers to garner top-10 results in both Cup Series events at Phoenix Raceway. In March 2020, the driver of the No. 9 Chevy started from the pole position, led 93 total laps and ultimately finished seventh. Elliott applied what he learned from the spring for the November race, where he had a dominating performance to close out the 2020 season with a championship-securing victory.
PHX STATS: This Sunday, Elliott will make his 11th Phoenix start in the NASCAR Cup Series. In his previous 10 races at the 1-mile oval, the driver of the No. 9 UniFirst Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE has led a total of 402 laps – his second-most laps led at any track. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native has collected one victory, three top-five finishes, six top-10s and two stage wins at the Avondale, Arizona, venue.
GUSTAFSON’S FOUR AT PHOENIX: On Sunday, Alan Gustafson will call his 33rd Phoenix race as a Cup Series crew chief. In his previous 32 starts there, he has collected four wins, 10 top-five results, 21 top-10s and 833 laps led. Gustafson’s four wins are tied with Chad Knaus for the second-most by a crew chief at Phoenix and came via four different drivers: Kyle Busch in 2005, Mark Martin in 2009, Jeff Gordon in 2011 and Elliott in 2020. In an interesting twist, Gustafson worked with the oldest winner ever at Phoenix Raceway (Martin at 50 years, 3 months and 9 days) and the track’s youngest winner ever (Busch at 20 years, 6 months and 11 days).
UNIFIRST RETURNS: This weekend, UniFirst Corporation (NYSE: UNF), a North American leader in providing customized work uniform programs, corporate attire and facility service products, will serve as the primary sponsor on the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. It will be the first of three races (Phoenix, Kansas and Daytona) that UniFirst will be the primary partner and have its newly revamped green corporate logo adorning the No. 9 Chevrolet. In 2016, Unifirst and Hendrick Motorsports announced an eight-year partnership. UniFirst will continue to serve as the Official Workwear Provider of Hendrick Motorsports, supplying work clothing and uniforms to the team and sister company Hendrick Automotive Group, the largest privately held retail automotive organization in the United States.
COMING HOME: No. 9 team fueler John Gianninoto, who grew up in Tucson, Arizona, will compete in front of his home-track crowd at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday. Gianninoto graduated with honors from Catalina Foothills High School and went on to play as an offensive lineman for UNLV in 2006 – earning his first letter in 2007 and becoming a team captain in 2010. In 2012, he participated in the NFL’s Carolina Panthers training camp before signing with Hendrick Motorsports that September. Gianninoto set a Guinness World Record in 2018, teaming with Sunoco for the most vehicles refueled by an individual in one hour (148).
24 WILLIAM BYRON
Age: 23 (Nov. 29, 1997)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Standings: 11th
No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
FRONT RUNNER: Four races into his fourth NASCAR Cup Series season, William Byron is off to his best start of his career. So far, the 23-year-old driver has spent 514 laps running inside the top 10 – the fourth-highest amount in the Cup field. Of those 514 laps, 317 were inside the top-five running order, which is the fifth-most by a driver at NASCAR’s highest level this season. Currently, Byron has led laps in two consecutive races and ranks second for most laps led by a driver this year with 127. Only Denny Hamlin has led more laps (150).
PERFECT TENS: Byron currently holds three career top-10 finishes at Phoenix Raceway. A fourth top-10 this weekend would tie Phoenix with Pocono Raceway as tracks where he has the most top-10s. Byron was one of four drivers to finish inside the top 10 in both races at the Avondale, Arizona, venue in 2020.
VENTURING TO THE VALLEY OF THE SUN: Heading to a track where he has found success at every level of NASCAR competition, Byron will return to Phoenix Raceway for the seventh time in his Cup career. Across his six Cup Series starts at the 1-mile oval, Byron earned a personal-best finish of ninth twice (fall of 2018 and 2020). The driver of the No. 24 also has two NASCAR Xfinity Series appearances at Phoenix on his résumé, both coming in 2017. He started on the front row and finished in the top four in both races, including a win that November. With the victory, he became the youngest Xfinity Series winner ever at Phoenix at 19 years, 11 months and 13 days.
DYNAMIC DUO OUT WEST: In 2016, Byron was behind the wheel for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Phoenix with crew chief Rudy Fugle atop the pit box. The duo won the pole and went on to lead 112 laps at the 1-mile track. Unfortunately, an engine failure while Byron was leading with 10 laps to go ended his race early and dashed his chances to advance into the Championship Four at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where they rebounded with a win.
RUDY’S PHOENIX PERFORMANCE: Although he’s heading there for the first time in his Cup Series career, Fugle has eight NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts under his belt at Phoenix. In those eight races, the No. 24 crew chief has four pole awards and his drivers have led a total of 471 laps. While Fugle has only one win at Phoenix (Erik Jones in 2013), he’s earned two runner-up results, three top-five finishes and six top-10s. In fact, his drivers have only finished worse than ninth two times, including 2017 when Byron dominated before an engine failure.
LAS VEGAS LOOKBACK: Rolling off second at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, Byron took the lead early on and maintained that position until Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott took over just before the competition caution. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native continued to run up front during the duration of the 267-lap event. Dealing with a tire vibration in the final 20 laps, Byron held on to secure an eighth-place finish – his second consecutive top-10 result.
ALL ABOUT AXALTA: For the final stop of the West Coast swing, Byron will pilot the newly redesigned No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for Sunday’s Cup Series race at Phoenix. Now in its 29th year of partnership with Hendrick Motorsports, Axalta will return as primary partner on Byron’s No. 24 for 14 races in 2021. For a better look at Byron’s new No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, click here.
HOMETOWN HYPE: Phoenix Raceway holds a special meaning for one member of the No. 24 team. Michael “Too Tall” Madill, the rear suspension mechanic for the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet, hails from Glendale, Arizona, approximately 30 minutes from the track. At the age of 16, he made the move to North Carolina to pursue his career in NASCAR. Now 31, Madill is embarking on his 12th season in the sport and his third with the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team.
48 Alex Bowman
Age: 27 (April 15, 1993)
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Resides: Concord, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Greg Ives
Standings: 18th
No. 48 Ally/Best Friends Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
WELCOME HOME:Alex Bowman heads to his home state to take on Phoenix Raceway forthe 12th time in his NASCAR Cup Series career. The Tucson, Arizona, native has one top-10 finish at the 1-mile facility, which came in 2016 after he started from the pole position, led a race-high 194 laps and spent 272 laps inside the top two for an average running position of 1.9. The Hendrick Motorsports driver has six NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the 1-mile oval with a best finish of eighth (2017) and one NASCAR K&N Pro Series West start in 2011 when he led 23 laps en route to a second-place result.
SAVE THEM ALL: For this weekend’s event at Phoenix Raceway, the No. 48 Chevrolet’s full-time primary sponsor, Ally, has teamed up with the Best Friends Animal Society to help #SaveThemAll and end kill shelters by the end of 2025. Ally will donate a total of $33,000 to shelters affiliated with Best Friends throughout the 2021 season. The donations will be made up of $1,000 gifts to shelters in each NASCAR Cup Series race market from now until the last event of the year. Bowman, a noted dog lover, will match Ally’s commitment by personally donating $1,000 to a shelter in each market. In addition, for each No. 48 team win this season, Ally will increase its donation to $10,000 to the local shelter designated for that race. Check out the Ally/Best Friends paint scheme here.
NEW LID: In addition to the special No. 48 Ally/Best Friends paint scheme, Bowman will be rocking a new helmet this weekend. The eggplant and orange design carries the Ally and Best Friends Animal Society logos along with a few tiny paw prints across the lid. At the conclusion of Sunday’s event, Bowman will sign the visor of the race-worn helmet, and it will be auctioned off to benefit Best Friends Animal Society later this year.
IVES IN PHOENIX: For the 13th time in his NASCAR Cup Series career, Greg Ives will call the shots at Phoenix Raceway this weekend. The Bark River, Michigan, native claimed the victory in the 2015 fall event at the track with Dale Earnhardt Jr. after leading 22 laps. In 2016, Ives guided Bowman to a pole win, 194 laps led and a sixth-place finish. Ives has four NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the venue as a crew chief with a best finish of fourth in 2013 with driver Regan Smith. From 2006-2012, he was part of four wins, one pole award and 11 top-five finishes at Phoenix Raceway as a race engineer for the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team.
DOG DAYS: Be on the lookout for a fun feature during Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series pre-race show on FOX with Bowman and analyst Jamie Little. The duo visited Weddington Bark Park in Concord, North Carolina, this week to talk about their love for animals and passion for rescuing pets across the country. In addition to talking about the Best Friends Animal Society’s mission for animals, Bowman and Little got to play with some local dogs from the Humane Society of Charlotte. Pre-race coverage begins at 2 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1.
VEGAS SILVER LINING: Although it wasn’t reflected in the finishing order, the No. 48 Ally team had a strong showing last Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Bowman spent the majority of the 267-lap event running inside the top 10 and secured valuable points in each stage of the event. He was poised to bring home a top-10 finish before a flat left-rear tire late in the race saddled the team with a 27th-place finish.
TWENTY IN ’21: On Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Kyle Larson became the 20th driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series points race for Hendrick Motorsports and the seventh to win in the organization’s flagship No. 5 Chevrolet. Larson’s victory came in just his fourth start for car owner Rick Hendrick, breaking the team record of seven set by Terry Labonte in 1994.
ON A TEAR: In the last six NASCAR Cup Series points races dating back to last season, Hendrick Motorsports has four wins (Martinsville, Phoenix, Homestead and Las Vegas) and one second-place finish (the DAYTONA 500). The team has led the most laps in five of the six events: Martinsville, Phoenix, the DAYTONA Road Course, Homestead and Las Vegas.
RACING ARIZONA: At Phoenix Raceway, Hendrick Motorsports holds the track records for NASCAR Cup Series wins (11), runner-up finishes (nine), top-fives (49), top-10s (89) and laps led (2,903). The team has won 10 of the last 32 Phoenix races, which is four more than anyone else.
PHOENIX SONS: Seven different Hendrick Motorsports drivers have posted at least one NASCAR Cup Series win at Phoenix: Jimmie Johnson (four), Jeff Gordon (two), Mark Martin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch, Labonte and Chase Elliott. An eighth driver to visit victory lane at Phoenix would tie the record for different winners by a team at a single racetrack, which is held by Hendrick Motorsports at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
YOUTH MOVEMENT: With an average age of 26, Hendrick Motorsports fields the youngest multi-car team in the NASCAR Cup Series and its youngest four-driver lineup since 2005. With victories this season at Homestead and Las Vegas, the organization’s drivers – Alex Bowman, William Byron, Elliott and Larson – have won 22 combined points races and secured 16 playoff berths, including two already in 2021.
QUOTABLE /
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on strategy now that he has a win: “We put an emphasis on winning and approach every race wanting to win, so I don’t think our strategy will change, but I haven’t talked to Cliff (Daniels) about it yet. We can definitely be more aggressive during the stages to possibly get more playoff points.”
Larson on early season success: “Part of me is surprised, but part of me is not. I thought it might take a little bit of time for us to gel as a team. But we had all the tools to run well and battle for wins, and we were able to win at Las Vegas. But that was last Sunday and our focus is now on Phoenix and what we can do to run well and hopefully win there.”
Larson on racing at Phoenix: “It’s a fun racetrack where each corner is different. I like tracks like that. We’ve had a lot of speed this year and (teammate) Chase (Elliott) won there last year, so I’m hoping we’ll be fast again this weekend.”
Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on using last week’s win as motivation: “What we’ve been through the last few years, I had the feeling that once we did get a win it would help reaffirm the focus of our team. We’ve done a nice job of maintaining focus to go compete at a high level every week. The win reaffirms what we have been doing all along works and we don’t plan changing much. We have good notes from Jimmie and we also have a lot of good notes from Chase and the 9 team – not only from their win in the fall but they have been really good there the past few races. Our company as a whole has been good there. We have been studying up on Kyle and his trends at Phoenix the best we can and are looking forward to this weekend’s race.”
Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on returning to Phoenix: “I am definitely looking forward to getting back to Phoenix this weekend. Our last trip there was something I will never forget. Obviously it’s a new season, eyes forward for now and just thinking about what we need to do to be fast and have our car where it needs to be. I also hope we can learn a lot while we are there because you want to be prepared if you are in the Championship 4 at the end of the season.”
Elliott on UniFirst’s 2021 debut: “I’m looking forward to having the green and white UniFirst colors back on the car this weekend at Phoenix and I hope we can have a good run for them. The new scheme looks great and I really like the colors. They are so different from any scheme I’ve had before. It was pretty cool to get them their first win last year at the All-Star Race and we’re going to work hard to get them back in victory lane soon.”
William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on the challenge that Phoenix brings: “The restarts are crazy at Phoenix. You really fan out and have to find different lanes to run going into turn one. You can run the apron and down on the flat, which isn’t really common for us at a lot of places. I enjoy it and the other challenges Phoenix brings. It is a difficult track to pass on because cars are so close to each other on speed. It’s about track position and having a car that you can drive up underneath guys to make a pass. Usually, there’s a lot of green-flag runs, too. It’s a tough short track overall.”
Byron on if any notes from this race translate to the fall Phoenix race: “I think you get good notes going to racetracks twice even if the conditions won’t be exactly the same when you come back. The biggest thing is we go back to Phoenix for the championship race, so it’s really that much more of an important race in that aspect. You know that whoever makes the final four will show up with a fast car, and I think that comes from the notes they have. You just need to go into this race and learn characteristics about the track. Hopefully, you have good speed and a good run to really capitalize on the situation.”
Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on the importance of this Phoenix race: “Phoenix is a track that has always just clicked for me. I enjoy the challenges the track brings but I also enjoy the stress that usually comes with it being the final race of the season and you’re hopefully in the hunt for a championship when you’re there. Now in the Cup Series, we go to Phoenix twice but it makes this first race even more crucial. Like last week’s race at Vegas, this is another track in the playoffs, so you really want to have a solid race the first time around to have a good notebook for when you come back in the fall with a championship on the line.”
Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on representing Best Friends Animal Society: “Running this special scheme with Ally and the Best Friends Animal Society this weekend is really special. What Best Friends is doing for shelter animals across the country is amazing, and I am pumped we are able to represent them on track. Ally has really tapped into things that are special to me, and it’s no surprise that my dogs are a huge part of my life. Hopefully, we can park this Ally Chevrolet in victory lane at the end of the day Sunday and donate $10,000 to the Halo Animal Rescue in Avondale, Arizona.”
Bowman on returning to his home track of Phoenix Raceway: “Going back to my home track is always special. We have a pretty strong notebook for Phoenix Raceway, and I think that we are always improving every program we have here at Hendrick Motorsports. This Ally team has worked hard all off-season on our programs, especially for Phoenix. This race from 2016 will always be the one that got away from us and we need some redemption from that. Short-track racing is always fun and I’m ready to see how we unload on Sunday for the race.”
Greg Ives, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on the importance of doing well at Phoenix: “You always get up for every race, but this being Alex’s home track is special. His first time there when we were together, he ran really strong. We haven’t necessarily been able to duplicate that performance for one reason or another, but he wants to win there like no other place and try to find some redemption for that one that got away.”
