Darlington Raceway
Sunday, May 9, 2021
1.366-Mile Oval
3:30 PM ET
Location: Darlington, South Carolina
TV: Fox
Event: NASCAR Cup Series (12 of 36)
Radio: SiriusXM, PRN
5 KYLE LARSON
Age: 28 (July 31, 1992)
Hometown: Elk Grove, California
Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels
Standings: 9th
No. 5 HendrickCars.com Throwback Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
EGG-CELLENT STATS: In six NASCAR Cup Series starts at Darlington Raceway, Kyle Larson has three top-five finishes and five top-10s with his worst finish of 14th occurring in 2017. He has an average finish of 6.7, his best of all active tracks. The 2014 rookie of the year led in five of those six races for 500 laps – 23% of the laps he has competed in at the egg-shaped track.
A PERFECT 10: The 28-year-old driver also has four starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Darlington Raceway, finishing in the top 10 in each. He has a 5.8 average finish in those races with his best result of fourth occurring in 2016.
SECOND NATURE: Through 11 races in 2021, Larson has one win, four stage wins, secured nine playoff points and has led 511 laps – all second-most in NASCAR’s premier series. His four top-five finishes rank third in the Cup Series.
A FAMILY AFFAIR: The HendrickCars.com Throwback paint scheme that will adorn the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Darlington pays homage to the first go-kart Larson ever raced in 1999. According to Kyle’s father, Mike, the go-kart was purchased without the knowledge of Kyle’s mother, Janet. She learned of the purchase when it appeared in their garage.
IT’S MAJ1K: Also appearing on the car this weekend is the MAJ1K decal, a family team logo. Originally, it was MAJIK which stood for ‘Mike, Andrea (Kyle’s sister), Janet, including Kyle.’ Because Kyle raced the number 1K, the family changed the ‘I’ to ‘1’ to incorporate 1K into the logo.
YOUR CAR NEEDS: This weekend, Larson will drive the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Throwback 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: 7th
No. 9 Hooters Throwback Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
2021 RUNDOWN: The NASCAR Cup Series season has crossed the 11-race mark of the 2021 season and Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Hooters Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, has posted four top-five finishes – two of which are runner-up results, five top-10s and has led a total of 76 laps. He has one stage win and has spent 667 laps inside the top five and 1,620 laps running in the top 10.
LAST YEAR AT DARLINGTON: Elliott and the No. 9 team showed speed in all three events last year at Darlington. In those events, he led a total of 142 laps – the third-most of all drivers. During the first race on May 17, the 25-year-old driver overcame a speeding penalty to collect a fourth-place finish – a career best at the South Carolina venue. On May 20, Elliott finished in the top 10 in both stages and led 28 laps before being spun out by a competitor while running second on the final green-flag lap of the rain-shortened event, relegating him to a 38th-place finish. Finally, on Sept. 6, Elliott led 114 laps before finishing 20th after suffering damage from an accident with Martin Truex Jr. while battling for the lead in the closing laps.
‘TOO TOUGH TO TAME’ STATS: Elliott is set to make his ninth NASCAR Cup Series start at Darlington Raceway this weekend. In his previous races at the 1.366-mile track, he has two top-five finishes and three top-10s. Elliott also has three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the South Carolina venue, where he won in his 2014 track debut. He is one of only four drivers to win at Darlington in their first race there.
GUSTAFSON AT DARLINGTON: No. 9 team crew chief Alan Gustafson has called 19 Cup Series races at Darlington. Leading five different drivers, he’s collected one win, four top-five results and seven top-10s. Gustafson’s Darlington win came in 2009 with veteran Mark Martin, the second-oldest driver (50 years, 4 months) to win at the track.
WELCOME BACK, HOOTERS: On Sunday at Darlington, Hooters will make its 2021 season debut on the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE with the Hooters Throwback paint scheme. A casual dining establishment with a deep history in NASCAR, the Atlanta-based company will be a three-race primary sponsor of the No. 9 team this year. Elliott will also pilot the No. 9 Hooters Chevrolet later this season at the Indianapolis Road Course and in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs at Bristol Motor Speedway.
HONORING A CHAMPION: Earlier this year, Elliott revealed the No. 9 Hooters Throwback paint scheme he will drive this weekend at Darlington. The design honors Alan Kulwicki, who drove the Hooters look in 1992 when he won the NASCAR Cup Series title. Click here to check out the scheme.
NEXT GEN REVEAL: On Wednesday, Elliott participated in the Next Gen car unveil in Charlotte, North Carolina. Click here to learn more about the unveil for next year’s fleet of race cars.
24 WILLIAM BYRON
Age: 23 (Nov. 29, 1997)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Standings: 3rd
No. 24 Valvoline Throwback Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
ON A ROLL: Dating back to his win at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Feb. 28, William Byron has been on a hot streak of top-10 finishes. The 23-year-old driver has now extended his consecutive top-10 finishes to nine races – the longest active streak in the NASCAR Cup Series. Byron’s nine total top-10s also are the most by any Cup driver this year. It took Byron 26 races in each of the last two seasons to secure nine top-10 finishes but he accomplished the same feat in only 11 events in 2021. In fact, Byron has the longest top-10 streak by a Hendrick Motorsports driver since Jimmie Johnson in 2010. He is also the youngest driver of all time to reach a nine-race top-10 streak in his Cup career.
ENCOURAGING ELEVEN: So far in the 2021 Cup Series season, Byron and the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE team have been a model of consistency. After 11 races, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native has spent 2,330 laps running inside the top 10 – the second-most in the field behind only points leader Denny Hamlin (2,612). Of those top-10 laps, 962 have been inside the top five, which is the seventh-most of all drivers. He also has the third-best average running position of 9.09 so far in 2021.
PRO INVITATIONAL SERIES: ROUND 3: After its inception last year during the coronavirus pandemic, the iRacing NASCAR Pro Invitational Series resumes this Wednesday night for the third race of 10 in 2021 at the virtual Darlington Raceway. Picking up where he left off last season, Byron raced to the win in the first Pro Invitational Series event this year on March 24 at the virtual Bristol dirt track. In his eight total Pro Invitational Series starts, Byron leads the field with four victories and is the only driver to win consecutive races. The driver of the No. 24 has paced the field in seven of his eight starts, leading a total of 445 laps out of 1,058.
DARLINGTON DEETS: With five previous Cup Series starts at Darlington, Byron is looking to capitalize on his previously strong showings at Darlington Raceway this Sunday and find a little luck along the way. Despite running well early on in past races, Byron currently has a track-best finish of fifth, which came last September. Byron also has one NASCAR Xfinity Series start at the southern short track where he qualified sixth and raced to a fifth-place result, as well.
THE FUGLE FILES: Despite an extensive résumé at NASCAR’s national level, this Sunday’s race at Darlington Raceway will bring some unknowns for crew chief Rudy Fugle. Making his first Cup Series start at the 1.366-mile track, Fugle has only three previous starts at Darlington – two in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and one in the Xfinity Series. Fugle’s most recent race at the South Carolina-based venue came last year in the Truck Series where his driver started 17th and finished fifth.
WELCOME, VALVOLINE: Last week, Valvoline expanded it’s partnership with Hendrick Motorsports by adding primary sponsorships to the No. 5 and No. 24 teams for a combined five races. The Valvoline colors will be on board Byron’s Chevy for this Sunday’s race at Darlington Raceway and will return in the playoffs for his hometown race at the Charlotte Roval on Oct. 10. In conjunction with the announcement, Valvoline also unveiled its Darlington throwback scheme that Byron will pilot, which pays tribute to driver Neil Bonnett.
SOUTH CAROLINA STATE OF MIND: While Landon Walker, the fueler on the No. 24 team, hails from North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, he also has significant ties to the southernmost Carolina state, having played football at Clemson University. The former college offensive tackle earned a scholarship to Clemson in 2007 after being named an All-American offensive lineman in his hometown at East Wilkes High School. While playing at Clemson, Walker recorded 3,131 snaps with 49 starts at tackle through four seasons. In 2011, Walker was named team captain, the same season Clemson went on to win the Atlantic Coast Conference championship. The college football standout was then recruited by Hendrick Motorsports in 2012 and earned a position as the starting fueler for the former No. 5 (now No. 24) team in 2015.
48 Alex Bowman
Age: 28 (April 25, 1993)
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Resides: Concord, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Greg Ives
Standings: 14th
No. 48 Ally Throwback Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
Greg Ives, crew chief of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, will be available to members of the media via video conference on Thursday, May 6. Visit NASCARmedia.com for details.
HONORING IVES: On April 20, Hendrick Motorsports and Ally announced the No. 48 Ally Throwback scheme that would honor crew chief Greg Ives. The seafoam and grapefruit colors honor Ives’ late model driving days with a scheme based on a car from his 1998 season that was purchased from the Coleman Racing family in Michigan. When Ives bought the car, the seller asked him to consider keeping the paint color the same and was later told of Jim Pagel, who ran the color and paint scheme in 1993. Pagel was a local stock car driver who lost his life on May 2, 1997, following a crash during qualifying at Wisconsin International Raceway. Check out the special scheme here.
BOWMAN IS ‘TOO TOUGH’: Alex Bowman has seven previous starts in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington Raceway. The 28-year-old’s best finish of second came in May last season, when the sport returned after a two-month break due to the coronavirus pandemic. Bowman led for 41 laps after rolling off second, earning the second-most points in the event. During the three races held at the 1.366-mile venue in 2020, Bowman captured the second-most stage points (39) and led the sixth-most laps (42) among active drivers. Bowman has one start at Darlington in the NASCAR Xfinity Series where he finished 17th in 2013 after 147 laps.
11 DOWN, 25 TO GO: After 11 races this season, Bowman has one win, two top-five finishes, four top-10s and one pole award (DAYTONA 500). The No. 48 Ally team has spent 1,313 laps running inside the top 10. Out of those laps, 649 have been inside the top five, which is 10th-most of current drivers. Bowman led the final 10 laps during the event at Richmond Raceway en route to his first short-track victory in the NASCAR Cup Series.
IVES IN DARLINGTON: For the ninth time in his Cup Series career, Ives will call the shots at Darlington for the No. 48 Ally team. The Bark River, Michigan, native’s best finish at the venue came in the first May event at the track last season when Bowman crossed the line second after leading 41 laps. Ives’ drivers have completed 99.8% of the total laps at Darlington and have one top-five finish and three top-10s at the facility. He was also the crew chief for Chase Elliott in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2014 when the team captured the victory after leading 52 laps. From 2006-2012, Ives was a race engineer for the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team. During that time, he was a part of one Cup Series win (2012) and four top-five finishes at Darlington.
PIT ROAD KNACK: After 11 races in the 2021 season, the No. 48 pit crew continues to be the fastest in the NASCAR Cup Series based on average four-tire stop times. The five-man over-the-wall crew has an average four-tire stop time of 13.66 seconds. The team includes fueler Jacob Conley, tire carrier Allen Stallings, jackman Dustin Lineback and tire changers Scott Brzozowski and Devin DelRicco.
30-FOR-30: At Darlington Raceway this Sunday, Hendrick Motorsports is looking to secure a 30th consecutive top-10 finish in the NASCAR Cup Series. Chase Elliott (fifth) and William Byron (ninth) both finished in the top 10 at Kansas Speedway last weekend, extending a streak of at least one Hendrick Motorsports driver posting a top-10 result to 29 straight races. Team Penske ranks second with eight consecutive top-10s.
DARLINGTON THROWBACK: On May 12, 2012, Jimmie Johnson won at Darlington Raceway to capture Hendrick Motorsports’ 200th NASCAR Cup Series victory. Overall, a record-tying six different drivers have combined for Hendrick Motorsports’ record number of 14 victories at the 1.366-mile track: Jeff Gordon (seven), Johnson (three), Terry Labonte (one), Mark Martin (one), Tim Richmond (one) and Ricky Rudd (one). The organization holds the record for most drivers to win for a team at a track with eight different Hendrick Motorsports drivers victorious at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
MOTHER’S DAY: The last NASCAR Cup Series race held on Mother’s Day was won by four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Gordon. Originally scheduled for Saturday, May 12, the Hendrick Motorsports driver led the final 22 laps in the event delayed one day due to weather.
ONE (MORE) FOR THE RECORD BOOKS: Three different Hendrick Motorsports drivers have gone to victory lane in the first 11 races of 2021, marking only the 10th time in NASCAR Cup Series history a team has done so. Hendrick Motorsports also accomplished it in 2007 and 2009, while Joe Gibbs Racing did so in 2016, 2019 and 2021. Other teams with three different winners in the first 11 events: Team Penske in 2021; Roush Fenway Racing in 2005, Peter DePaolo Racing in 1957 and Carl Kiekhafer Racing in 1956. The earliest in a single season a team has won with four different drivers is race No. 12 by Hendrick Motorsports in 2007 and JGR in 2016.
TWO TO TIE: Hendrick Motorsports entered the 2021 season within striking distance of one of stock car racing’s most enduring achievements: Petty Enterprises’ all-time team record for NASCAR Cup Series victories. The legendary Petty organization captured the wins record from Carl Kiekhafer Racing more than 60 years ago when Lee Petty took the checkered flag at Orange Speedway on May 29, 1960, for the team’s 53rd victory. Its 268th and most recent win was delivered by driver John Andretti on April 18, 1999. Hendrick Motorsports has earned 266 points-paying Cup Series wins since Rick Hendrick founded the team in 1984 and currently needs just three to break the record at NASCAR’s highest level.
QUOTABLE /
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on Darlington Throwback scheme: “Every year when the throwback race comes around, you try to think of past NASCAR paint schemes, so it was really cool that Hendrick Motorsports and Mr. H (Rick Hendrick) allowed me to throwback to my first go-kart. My dad picked out the paint scheme when I was racing and, as a kid, I always wanted something different. Now as I have gotten older, I appreciate that he kept our cars looking consistent with the orange and the white until we got new sponsors. So, it’s cool to have the orange and white with the faded blues for Darlington.”
Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on rules package for Darlington: “There’s some notes from last year we’re going to try to pull from, but it’s so different with the aero and horsepower package. All three races last year were the high drag, high downforce and low horsepower package. Coming back this weekend with no practice and the low downforce-high horsepower package is a completely different ballgame. There’s a fine balance between the drivability and turn you look for at Darlington that we’re hoping to achieve. We’ve dug into some historical notes and the trends from 2018, which is the last time we raced there with this aero and power package. It’s such a long race that we’ll just have to tune on the car as we progress through it.”
Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on Darlington: “I enjoy Darlington. I am a performance guy so if it goes well, I probably liked it that trip and if it didn’t, then I probably don’t. Last year, I feel like we had a solid run and had a shot at it there at the end. Martin (Truex Jr.) and I ended up wrecking coming to the closing 10 laps for the lead. I was definitely playing defense, he was on me and was making a good run. So there’s room for improvement, obviously. You want to be fast enough where that guy behind you is nowhere close. That’s where I want to be and that’s how you want to position yourself at the end of those races, if you can. We can definitely be better, but I was pleased with our speed last year. We had some really good runs and were certainly solid, so we have something good to build off of.”
Elliott on coming to Darlington for Throwback weekend: “I think it’s such a great event. I’ve enjoyed the vibe around it and the throwback schemes are all pretty cool. We are looking forward to running the Alan Kulwicki Hooters paint scheme this year. I know Hooters has been excited to do this scheme for a while so it’s great to see it come to life.”
William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on the difficulties of racing at Darlington: “Darlington is a track that is known for its old, worn-out surface and how hard it is on tires. You’re always elbows up at that place, but you also have to know when to press forward and when to manage your equipment so you’re not over taxing your tires. I’ve tried to manage that as best as I can, but that’s what makes Darlington such a tough track. It’s not an easy task while, at the same time, it’s easy to lose focus for a moment and that’s all it takes to end your day. Hopefully, this weekend we’ll have the setup we need, and then it’s up to me to get the most I can out of the Valvoline Chevy while making sure we’re around in the end of it.”
Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on what to expect at Darlington: “Darlington is a track that you race the race track more than anything. The track has an older surface, so it changes quite a bit throughout a run. It’s a place that you expect to be making changes to your setup almost constantly. Even if you feel like you have your car handling ideally at the time, you have to think and plan two steps ahead to keep up with the trends of the track and the race. That makes it difficult as a crew chief, though, because you don’t want to over adjust and get yourself behind early on. William has ran well in most of the races he’s been in at Darlington; we just need to work on putting him in position to be there at the end. Sunday is going to be a long race and we need to focus on running our race in the situation we’re in more than anything.”
Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on his throwback scheme at Darlington: “Ally being open to doing whatever throwback I wanted to do this year was really cool. Being able to honor (crew chief) Greg (Ives) this weekend in Darlington is going to be really special. It was really fun being able to surprise him a few weeks ago and to have his family from back home involved was the icing on top. The seafoam Chevrolet will look good on track and even better up front on Sunday.”
Bowman on what makes Darlington a difficult track: “Darlington is one of those tracks where you can’t get caught up in racing the other guys. This is a place where you have to race the track and adjust your car to what you need on track. We ran well there last year and I think we have a good notebook to carry on to this weekend’s race. Tire management is key in Darlington and will be something to look after on Sunday.”
Greg Ives, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on racing strategy at Darlington: “Going to 400 miles for this race at Darlington doesn’t really change any strategy. It maybe just changes how many laps are in the stage and how many laps you are going to run on tires. It is definitely grueling on the drivers, as well, with the heat that is expected down there in Darlington. It is definitely a fun racetrack, and I don’t know many drivers who don’t like racing down there. You end up racing the racetrack instead of racing the drivers at that place. Green-flag ;passes are going to be difficult with just how hard the racing is there. We are looking to getting down there with our throwback scheme. I know Alex (Bowman), Ally and everyone on the team is looking forward to Darlington.”
