Sonoma Raceway
Sunday, June 6, 2021
2.52-Mile Road Course
4:00 PM ET
Location: Sonoma, California
TV: Fox
Event: NASCAR Cup Series (16 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: 2nd
No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
RECORD-BREAKING WIN: On Sunday in the annual 600-mile race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Kyle Larson led 327 of 400 laps to capture Hendrick Motorsports’ record-breaking 269th NASCAR Cup Series win. Through 15 Cup Series races this season, the driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE has two victories (ranks second), eight top-five finishes (second), 10 top-10s (fourth) and currently sits second in the driver point standings. He has the most stage victories (nine) and has accumulated the most playoff points (19).
WOO BACK-TO-BACK: On Monday night at Lawrenceburg Speedway in Indiana, Larson won his first World of Outlaws sprint car race of the year. The 28-year-old started second in the 35-lap feature and took over the top spot on lap 11 en route to victory.
LEADER OF THE PACK: There have been 4,199 laps completed during the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season and Larson has paced the field a series high 1,105 times, or 26%. The driver of the No. 5 entry is nearing his career-high record, which occurred in 2017 when he led 1,352 laps in 36 races.
40 PERCENT: Larson has finished first or second in six of 15 races this season. The 2014 rookie of the year won at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway while posting second-place finishes at Circuit of The Americas, Dover International Speedway, Darlington Raceway and Atlanta Motor Speedway.
HOMETOWN BOUND: Sunday will mark the fourth consecutive Cup Series event at Sonoma Raceway that Larson, who grew up in Elk Grove 80 miles northeast of Sonoma, has led the field to the green flag. Larson won the pole position in 2017, ’18 and ’19, and he earned the first starting spot this weekend based on NASCAR’s qualifying metrics.
RC RACING: Larson has 16 starts on road courses in the Cup Series with two top-five finishes, five top-10s and two stage victories (third-most all-time). In May at Circuit of The Americas, Larson led four laps and finished second to Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott in the rain-shortened event. In sports cars, Larson competed in the Rolex 24 at DAYTONA for Chip Ganassi Racing from 2014 through 2016 and was victorious in 2015.
ROUTE 66: In June 2014, Larson competed in the ARCA Menards Series West event at Sonoma Raceway. After winning the pole, he led all 66 laps on the 1.99-mile layout and crossed under the checkered flag more than three seconds ahead of the competition.
FOURTH FOR 5: Larson has a 9.5 average running position in 2021 – the fourth-best average in the Cup Series. That average factors in position scored in all 4,199 laps run in NASCAR’s premier series this year. To better understand Larson’s average, 4% of it is scored as 40th place since the No. 5 entry experienced engine issues at the start of the Talladega race and completed only three of 191 laps.
YOUR CAR NEEDS: This weekend, Larson will 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 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
COURSE KING: Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, is set to make his 15th Cup Series start on a road course this weekend at Sonoma Raceway. Most recently, he collected a victory in the inaugural race at Circuit of The Americas. He has collected the most wins (six) in the fewest starts (14) and stage wins (six) of active drivers. Overall, 25-year-old Elliott is the youngest driver to have six road course wins. He has garnered seven top-five finishes, nine top-10s and a total of 289 laps led at road courses. His six wins tie him with NASCAR legends Rusty Wallace, Ricky Rudd, Richard Petty and Bobby Allison for third-most all-time road course wins behind Jeff Gordon (nine) and Tony Stewart (eight). He also remains the youngest road course winner at 22 years, 8 months, 8 days.
ROAD COURSE PROWESS: Elliott’s wins at COTA (2021), Watkins Glen (2018, 2019), Charlotte ROVAL (2019, 2020) and the DAYTONA Road Course (2020) account for six of the last nine road course victories. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native has led laps in the last seven road course races, the longest active streak. In 2021 on road courses, Elliott has led the most laps of all drivers (49) and also holds the best average finish (9.21) of active drivers and sixth-best all-time average of drivers with at least five starts.
WHAT A STREAK: Sunday’s second-place result is Elliott’s third consecutive top-three finish of the season. Also, having collected a top-10 finish in each of the last five NASCAR Cup Series events, Elliott currently holds the longest active streak.
RETURN TO WINE COUNTRY: Elliott is set to make his fifth Cup Series start at Sonoma Raceway this weekend. In his previous Cup starts at the road course, the driver of the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 earned his first top-10 result at Sonoma in 2017 and followed it up in the 2018 season with a fourth-place finish – his first career top-five on a road course. During the last visit to the 2.52-mile course, Elliott raced inside the top five for most of the event before a mechanical issue ended the No. 9 team’s day in the final stage.
GUSTAFSON ON ROAD COURSES: Crew chief Alan Gustafson will call his 37th road course race from atop the pit box this Sunday at Sonoma. In his previous 36 starts, the Florida native has garnered six wins, the most of active crew chiefs, 11 top-five finishes, 17 top-10s and 346 laps led.
SEASON SUMMARY: Sunday marked the 15th race of the 2021 Cup Series season. So far this year, Elliott has one win, seven top-five finishes (three of which are runner-up results), nine top-10s, and has led a total of 103 laps. He has also collected the fifth-most stage points (114), one stage win, has spent 1,368 laps inside the top five and 2,605 laps running in the top 10. Elliott’s average running position for the season is 10.04 and his average finish is 10.6. He currently sits fourth in the driver point standings, 92 points behind leader Denny Hamlin.
PIT ROAD POWER: Heading to Sonoma, the No. 9 team owns the sixth-best average time for four-tire pit stops at 13.76 seconds through 15 races. The NAPA pit crew is comprised of jackman T.J. Semke, gasman John Gianninoto, tire carrier Jared Erspamer and tire changers Chad Avrit and Nick O’Dell.
NAPA KNOW HOW: The No. 9 Chevrolet will don the familiar blue, white and yellow NAPA AUTO PARTS paint scheme on Sunday at Sonoma. The Atlanta-based company is serving as majority sponsor for Elliott and the No. 9 team for 25 NASCAR Cup Series races this season.
24 WILLIAM BYRON
Age: 23 (Nov. 29, 1997)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Standings: 3rd
No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
UP FRONT VIEWS: After another top-five run this past Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, William Byron and the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE continue to be a model of consistency. After 15 races, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native has collected one win, six top-five finishes and 12 top-10s all while leading 190 laps. With the second-best average running position throughout the NASCAR Cup Series field of 7.99 and an average finishing position of 9, Byron is tied for the second position in the driver points standings with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson following the 600-mile race at Charlotte Motor Speedway – the highest ranking of his Cup career.
READY, PLAYER 24: After its inception last year during the pandemic, the iRacing NASCAR Pro Invitational Series resumes Wednesday night for the fifth race of 10 in 2021 at the virtual Chicago Street Course with the Next Gen car. 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 10 total Pro Invitational Series starts, Byron leads the field with four wins and is the only driver to win consecutive races. He has paced the field in eight of his 10 starts, leading a total of 477 out of 1,210 laps – the most of all drivers.
ROAD RESULTS: This Sunday will mark the third points-paying road course race of the 2021 season and Byron has stepped up his road course racing skills in the last two years, finishing in the top 10 in three of the last five races. While in the last seven road course events, he has led at least 20 laps in three of those races, including leading the most laps during last year’s race at the Charlotte ROVAL. In fact, Byron led the second-most laps on road courses during the 2020 season.
SONOMA STATS: With a pause in racing action at Sonoma Raceway last year due to the pandemic, Byron will return to the 2.52-mile road course for the third time in his Cup Series career. In those two starts, Byron’s best showing came in 2019 when he qualified second and raced up front for most of the event, collecting as many stage points as possible, including his first Cup Series stage win. However, with a differing strategy, Byron was credited with a 19th-place result. Aside from his two Cup Series starts, Byron has two previous starts at the road course both coming in the ARCA Menards Series West (formerly known as the K&N Series West). In fact, Byron’s first road course race in a stock car came at Sonoma Raceway in 2015 in the ARCA Menards Series West event where he qualified second and raced to a fifth-place finish. Byron returned to Sonoma for the ARCA Menards Series West race in 2018, tying his best qualifying effort of second, but crossed the finish line two spots better than his 2015 showing, in the third position.
FIRST FOR FUGLE: Already in 2021 Fugle and Byron have three road course starts together, two at the DAYTONA Road Course and most recently at the Circuit of The Americas. For the Clash exhibition race, the No. 24 raced to a solid fifth-place result but bad luck struck the team for their return trip less than two weeks later, resulting in a 33rd-place finish after Byron suffered a flat tire and with two laps to go. Two weeks ago at Circuit of The Americas, Byron was running within the top five when damage sustained from a competitor forced the No. 24 team to rally from behind, resulting in an 11th-place result. However, aside from those three road course starts in the Cup Series, Fugle has seven other road course races under his belt all coming in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. In those seven starts, the Livonia, New York, native has one win (Erik Jones, 2015), three top-five finishes, and five top-10s. One of those seven truck starts was also with Byron where the duo raced to a 10th-place finish at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in 2016.
ALL ABOUT AXALTA: When the Cup Series returns to Sonoma for the first time since 2019, Byron will climb behind the wheel of the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE as he takes on the 2.52-mile road course. 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.
48 Alex Bowman
Age: 28 (April 25, 1993)
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Resides: Concord, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Greg Ives
Standings: 12th
No. 48 Ally 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, June 3 at 11:15 a.m. ET. Visit NASCARmedia.com for details.
Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, will be available to members of the media via video conference on Friday, June 4 at 11 a.m. ET. Visit NASCARmedia.com for details.
TOP FIVE IN CHARLOTTE: During the 600-mile event on Sunday afternoon at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Alex Bowman brought home a fifth-place finish at the end of the day. The No. 48 Ally team captured stage points in all three stages, finishing 10th, seventh and fifth, respectively. After a two-tire call under caution on Lap 174, Bowman was the first car off pit road and led the field to green on lap 177. This fifth-place finish is Bowman’s first top-five result at the 1.5-mile speedway. The Ally driver is tied for third for the longest active top-10 streak among active drivers in the series.
BOWMAN IN SONOMA VALLEY: The driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet will make his fifth start at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday afternoon. Bowman’s first and only top-10 at the track came back in 2018 after he finished ninth at the conclusion of the 110-lap event. Out of 420 total laps within these four races, Bowman has completed 99.8% of the total laps. In 2018, Bowman made one start at the California-based venue in the ARCA Menards Series West (formally known as the K&N Series West) event where he qualified seventh.
ROAD COURSE HISTORY: The 28-year-old driver has 14 previous starts on road courses in the NASCAR Cup Series. With two top-five finishes and six top-10 results at road course venues, Bowman’s best results have come at the Charlotte ROVAL. The Ally driver currently has two top-five results, three top-10s, including one runner-up result in the 2019 event, and has an average finish of 4.6 at the track. Bowman is one of four drivers to capture top-10 results in both road course events this season. In his road course starts with Hendrick Motorsports, Bowman has finished inside the top 15 in all 10 events and has placed in the top 10 in six of the last 10 events. Bowman has an average finish of 9.56 on these tracks while driving for Hendrick Motorsports.
IVES AT SONOMA: Crew chief Greg Ives has called the shots five times at Sonoma Raceway for Hendrick Motorsports. The Michigan native has three top-10 results at the track and finished 14th with Bowman in their latest run at the facility in 2019. Ives’ drivers have completed 100% of the total laps during these five events. The crew chief’s best finish at the track came in 2017 when Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished sixth. From 2006-2012, Ives was a race engineer for the No. 48 team and captured five top-10 finishes, including one win in 2010 after the team led 55 laps.
LOOKING BACK: With 15 events complete this season, Bowman has two wins (Richmond, Dover), four top-five finishes, seven top-10s and one pole award (DAYTONA 500). The No. 48 Ally team has spent 2,072 laps running inside the top 10, which ranks 11th out of all active drivers. Out of those laps, 1,045 have been inside the top five. Bowman has led 117 laps in 2021 across five different venues. He currently sits 12th in the NASCAR Cup Series points standings and is eighth in the playoff standings.
LIGHTNING FAST: With two wins in 15 events this season, the No. 48 pit crew continues to be the fastest in the Cup Series based on average four-tire stop times. The five-man over-the-wall crew has an average four-tire stop time of 13.64 seconds. The team includes fueler Jacob Conley, tire carrier Allen Stallings, jackman Dustin Lineback and tire changers Scott Brzozowski and Devin DelRicco.
IT’S 269 … AND COUNTING: Kyle Larson’s dominant win Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway was the record-breaking 269th in the NASCAR Cup Series for Hendrick Motorsports and NASCAR Hall of Fame car owner Rick Hendrick. The team is now the winningest in the history of NASCAR’s top-tier series after passing the legendary Petty Enterprises, which recorded 268 across six decades. The Petty organization held the Cup Series record for points-paying victories for more than 60 years before Hendrick Motorsports tied the mark May 23 at Circuit of The Americas and broke it at Charlotte.
FOR A CAUSE: After Chase Elliott won at COTA to tie the Petty Enterprises record, the autographed door panel of his No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE went up for auction to benefit Victory Junction. When the auction closed Sunday at 7 p.m. ET, the winning bid stood at $28,700. Car owner Hendrick matched it with a separate donation, bringing the total impact to $57,400.
ONE-TWO-THREE: Hendrick Motorsports has won three consecutive NASCAR Cup Series races, finishing at least first and second in all of them. The team recorded an incredible 1-2-3-4 result at Dover International Speedway, finished first and second at COTA, and then 1-2-4-5 at Charlotte. In the last three events, the team has three wins, 10 top-five finishes and 11 top-10s. Its worst finish during the stretch was 11th place. Hendrick Motorsports has won at least three straight races on 16 different occasions, the most of all teams in NASCAR history.
THREE WINS, THREE DRIVERS: The three consecutive wins by Hendrick Motorsports have come via three different drivers: Alex Bowman at Dover, Elliott at COTA and Larson at Charlotte. The last time Hendrick Motorsports won three straight with different drivers was 2015 with Jeff Gordon at Martinsville, Jimmie Johnson at Texas and Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Phoenix. No team has ever won four consecutive races with four different drivers.
WIN COUNTRY: Going into Sunday’s road-course event at Sonoma Raceway, Hendrick Motorsports is the track’s all-time leader in wins (six), pole positions (nine), runner-up finishes (six), top-five results (31), top-10s (54) and laps led (674).
ROAD RUNNERS: Hendrick Motorsports is the all-time leader in NASCAR Cup Series road-course wins with 21, which is eight more than any other team. It has won road races with six different drivers and has more stage wins on road courses (eight) than anyone else.
GREAT AS OF LATE: On road courses over the last three NASCAR Cup Series seasons (2019-2021), Hendrick Motorsports has won six of nine races, including five of the last six. The team has won two of four pole positions, six of 14 stages and led 308 of 587 laps raced (52%).
QUOTABLE /
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on the driving style at Sonoma: “Sonoma is a finesse track, but you still have to be aggressive. I’ve had a lot of success there with three poles but I seemed to struggle during the race, so I’m really looking forward to going there in Hendrick Motorsports equipment. Hendrick Motorsports’ road course program is really good, especially the 9 team. It seems like Chase Elliott has won every road course race the last four years.”
Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on racing at Sonoma with no previous crew chief experience at track: “It’s definitely a challenge for us in that regard – from not having my own crew chief notes, and even our past notes at Hendrick Motorsports we have not been where we needed to be the last few trips there. Luckily, we have a great road course foundation from the 9 car (driven by Chase Elliott) with their wins on road courses and what that package looks like. The magic is translating that to Sonoma. We have a new aero package since the last trip there, and we have a new tire this weekend so we have a lot of challenges, but our company has momentum right now and hopefully we can close the gap.”
Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on returning to Sonoma: “Sonoma has been a place that I haven’t done a very good job at in the past. It’s been a pretty big challenge for me. It’s been a couple years since we’ve been there, so it’s been a while. When we were there in 2019, I felt like we were doing a great job and in a good position before we had our mechanical issue, so I’m looking forward to getting back and having another shot at it.”
Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on racing at Sonoma: “Sonoma is so unique and hard to master until you have run there for a while. I feel like we were really close in 2019, probably the best we have been at Sonoma. It is such a tough track to get around and the drivers struggle to see around the apex. The surface is also pretty worn out around the track. The closest track surface we probably see is the DAYTONA Road Course. I do think we were really close the to win in ’19, though. Hopefully, we will rectify that finish this weekend.”
William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on how Sonoma races differently than other road courses: “Sonoma is probably the most different out of all the road courses we go to on the circuit. It has more of a short track feel almost because there’s no big braking zones; you’re moreso always turning. It’s all about how you turn and navigate the apex of the corners and get a good run off the corner. It’s not as much about braking and high speed, it’s more about finesse and exiting the low speed corners. It’s just a different challenge and you set up your car differently because of it. I’m excited for it, though. I think we have a good package this year and I feel like I’ve really done my homework for this weekend.”
Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE on having less experience at Sonoma: “Sonoma is a racetrack that I haven’t been to in my career, not just in the Cup Series, but in any series. That doesn’t really concern me, though. I’ve been watching a lot of video of past races and we have a good notebook here at Hendrick Motorsports. From what I can tell, if you get buried in traffic, it’s hard to make up positions, even with pit strategy. Sonoma is a track where you either have to go for the win or go for maximum points. It doesn’t seem to be like most road courses where you can go for stage points in one stage and give up the points in another. You have to pick one strategy or the other, which is a challenge. I’m almost happy that we don’t have practice this weekend for that reason. That means we show up and race. I can’t overthink things. I just have to make a decision and go with it.”
Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on being a part of Hendrick Motorsports history: “Being a part of Hendrick Motorsports’ 269 milestone is so cool. To be a small part in this historic record-breaking number means so much to me. Mr. Hendrick and everyone at the shop deserves this honor and as much as I wish it was the No. 48 to take the win in Charlotte, we are so pumped for Kyle (Larson) and the No. 5 team.”
Bowman on road course preparation: “Over the last few years, I feel like our road course program on the No. 48 team is getting stronger. Having a teammate like Chase (Elliott) to lean on for some road course advice has been extremely helpful. We didn’t go to Sonoma last season, so this week is going to consist of watching old races and simulator work. Hopefully, we can go out this weekend and keep our streak of top 10s and continue moving up in the point standings.”
Greg Ives, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on breaking the all-time win record: “Mr. H always says it is always about the people. He treats the people first, one with respect and two they all matter to his success. We went through a hard time last year going through quarantine last year and he was a rock. We came up a little short on being the ones to break that record for Mr. Hendrick last weekend, but I couldn’t be more proud of what Cliff (Daniels) and Kyle (Larson) have done this year. Everyone’s wins add up to a great year so far and the record-breaking night on Sunday was really special to be a part of.”
Ives on returning to Sonoma: “We haven’t been to Sonoma in a while. We have a lot of high expectations for us. Alex (Bowman) is continuously growing confidence on road courses. Coming out of COTA with an eighth-place finish, he really doesn’t give himself a lot of pats on the back for how well he does at road courses. He loves the challenge and will rise up when needed, which will show at the end of Sonoma. We are looking forward to it.”
