Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021
2.43-Mile Road Course
1:00 PM ET
Location: Speedway, Indiana
TV: Fox
Event: NASCAR Cup Series (24 of 36)
Radio: SiriusXM, PRN
5 KYLE LARSON
Age: 29 (July 31, 1992)
Hometown: Elk Grove, California
Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels
Standings: 1st
No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
FIVE FOR FIVE: On Sunday at Watkins Glen International, Kyle Larson led the final 26 laps to capture his fifth points-paying victory of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season. The driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE also visited victory lane at Nashville Superspeedway, Sonoma Raceway, Charlotte Motor Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway this year. In June, Larson scored a $1 million payday in the non-points NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway.
THREE WHEELING: Following the 26th race of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, playoff points will be awarded to the top 10 drivers in the standings with 15 markers awarded to first place, 10 to second, eight to third, seven to fourth, and so on. Larson is currently tied atop the standings but holds the tiebreaker with three races remaining in the regular season.
FIVE-STAR: Through 23 of 36 Cup Series races, Larson leads the series in wins (career-best five), stage wins (12), playoff points (37), and laps led (career-best 1,468). He is tied for most second-place finishes (five), most top-five finishes (12), most top-10s (16) and most pole positions (one). Larson has also paced the field a series-high 88 times on road courses.
ROAD RACING ENTHUSIAST: In June at Sonoma Raceway, Larson won both stages and led 57 of 92 laps to capture his first Cup Series road course victory. Overall, he has 19 starts on road courses in the Cup Series with two wins, four top-five finishes, seven top-10s and four stage victories (second-most all-time).
THREE FOR THREE: Larson has scored three consecutive victories in three very different disciplines. On Monday night in a dirt sprint car, Larson won the Front Row Challenge at Oskaloosa Speedway in Iowa. Prior to his victory in a stock car at Watkins Glen last weekend, the 29-year-old driver won the World of Outlaws dirt late model Prairie Dirt Classic at Fairbury Speedway in Illinois on July 31.
SLIDE JOB: The 60th Knoxville Nationals is scheduled for Aug. 11-14 at the famed Knoxville Raceway in Iowa. In five Knoxville Nationals A-Main starts, Larson has scored four top-six finishes, including a second-place finish in 2017. Although last year’s event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Elk Grove, California, native won the Capitani Classic held at the famed half-mile dirt oval. HendrickCars.com will appear on the No. 57 entry and on Larson’s uniform, gloves and helmet.
QUICK TIME: At 13.69 seconds, the No. 5 pit crew owns the quickest average time for four-tire pit stops in 2021. The over-the-wall crew is comprised of gasman Brandon Harder, jackman Brandon Johnson, tire carrier R.J. Barnette and tire changers Donnie Tasser (front) and Calvin Teague (rear).
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.
WE’RE HIRING: Hendrick Automotive Group is hiring more than 300 technicians at its dealerships throughout the country. Positions are open for all skill levels and offer tuition and training reimbursement. Interested people can apply at HendrickCars.com.
9 CHASE ELLIOTT
Age: 25 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: 6th
No. 9 Hooters Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
NEW TRACK WRANGLER: The NASCAR Cup Series season will take on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course for the first time this weekend and Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Hooters Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, is no stranger to bringing home a win at new tracks on the circuit. The 25-year-old driver has won at the DAYTONA Road Course and Circuit of The Americas in their inaugural Cup Series debuts.
ROAD RACING RECAP: Elliott is set to make his 18th Cup Series road course start Sunday at the Indy road course. He has garnered seven road wins across five different tracks with a combined 10 top-five finishes, 12 top-10s and 326 laps led. On road courses in 2021, Elliott has led the second-most laps of all drivers (86).
RUNNING DOWN THE RECORD: Elliott’s seven road course wins are the most of all active drivers and the third-most all-time road course wins behind only Jeff Gordon (nine) and Tony Stewart (eight). The Dawsonville, Georgia, native also leads the way for the most wins on different road courses in the series (five).
TAKE NOTE: Elliott’s wins account for seven of the last 12 road course victories in the Cup Series. He holds the second-best all-time win percentage on road courses (41.18%) and remains the youngest road course winner at 22 years, 8 months, 8 days. Elliott also holds the best average finish (7.88) of active drivers and the third-best all-time average of drivers with at least five starts. Elliott has garnered the most stage wins (six) of all time at road courses, as well.
23 RACES DOWN: We are down to the final three races of the 2021 regular season. Elliott’s two wins and 13 top-10 finishes are tied for career bests for him through 23 races in a year. His five runner-up finishes, 10 top-fives and 11.6 average finishing position are all career bests for him through this period. Elliott has spent 1,846 laps inside the top five and 3,381 laps running in the top 10.
GUSTAFSON AT ROAD COURSES: Crew chief Alan Gustafson continues to lead the charge with seven wins at road courses – the most of active crew chiefs. This weekend at the Indianapolis road course, the 46-year-old crew chief will call his 40th road course race from atop the pit box. In his previous 39 starts, Gustafson has garnered 14 top-five finishes, 20 top-10s and 383 laps led.
NOT LETTING UP: The No. 9 team owns the third-best average time for four-tire pit stops at 13.8 seconds through 23 races. The Hooters 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.
WELCOME BACK, HOOTERS: This weekend at Indy, Hooters will make its second 2021 appearance on the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE with the Night Owl 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 also piloted the No. 9 Hooters Chevrolet in May at Darlington and will again later this season in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs at Bristol Motor Speedway.
HOME SWEET HOME: No. 9 team engineer Tom Gray hails from Indianapolis. Gray attended Purdue University and majored in mechanical engineering technology. The Indy native was interviewed by Gustafson on “Behind the 9.” Watch the episode here.
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
BEST YEAR YET: After 23 races in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, William Byron is having his best season yet at the highest level of competition in the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. So far, Byron has collected one win (Homestead-Miami Speedway), one pole (Road America), eight top-five finishes and 15 top-10s (tied for the fourth-most by a driver this season) all while leading 245 laps and collecting three stage wins. His eight top-five finishes and 15 top-10s are the most the 23-year-old driver has earned in a season at the Cup level.
THREE TO GO: With only three more races until the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs begin, Byron continues to be a model of consistency. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native has spent 4,076 laps running in the top 10 – the second-most in the series – and 2,194 laps in the top five – the third-most throughout the field. Byron holds the third-best average running position in the Cup Series of 8.91 and an average finishing position of 11.65, placing him in third for the driver points standings.
HISTORY MAKER: While this weekend’s event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course is considered a new venue for Cup Series drivers, Byron has made history at the venue before. In 2017, Byron made his first trip to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. While battling for a championship, Byron became the youngest driver to win a major race at the historic 2.5-mile oval at 19 years, 7 months and 23 days.
WHAT’S IN A NUMBER?: Byron would love to kiss the bricks again this weekend, and if he does, he will add to the already lengthy legacy the No. 24 has at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Dating back to 1994, Jeff Gordon won the inaugural Brickyard 400 before going on to win the crown jewel event four more times – the most by a car number at IMS. On Sunday, the Cup Series will compete on the IMS road course for the first time and Byron will have the chance to extend the history of the No. 24 if he captures the checkered flag for the first-time event like Gordon did 27 years ago.
ROAD COURSE RESULTS: Despite limited road course racing in his background, Byron has stepped up his road course skills throughout his time in the Cup Series, finishing in the top 10 in four of the last eight races. In five of the last 10 road course events, Byron has led laps, including leading the most during last year’s race at the Charlotte ROVAL. Byron has also led the fifth-most laps on road courses during the 2021 season (20). Two of Byron’s total Cup Series stage wins have come during road course races.
ROAD COURSE RUDY: While this will be the first time for most at the IMS road course, crew chief Rudy Fugle is poised to take on the 2.43-mile venue using his road course knowledge. Already in 2021, Fugle and Byron have five road course starts together. While the duo’s good road course runs aren’t shown in their finishes this season, they turned their luck around last Sunday and scored a sixth-place result at Watkins Glen International. Aside from five 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, Fugle 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 takes on the Indy road course for the first time, Byron will climb behind the wheel of the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. 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 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: 11th
No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
TURNING LEFT AND RIGHT: In the NASCAR Cup Series, Alex Bowman has 17 starts at road courses with two top-five finishes and seven top-10s. He has finished inside the top 15 in 11 of 13 road course starts while behind the wheel for Hendrick Motorsports and has an average finish of 11.2 while driving for the organization. The No. 48 team has placed inside the top 10 in five of the last eight road course events in the series.
INDY STATS: The driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet has five previous Cup Series starts at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the oval track. This weekend marks the first NCS event on the 2.43-mile road course at IMS and Bowman’s first time on the 13-turn circuit. Bowman made two starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series on the IMS oval and has an average finish of 16.
CALLING ROAD COURSES: Crew chief Greg Ives has called 19 Cup Series races on road courses at Hendrick Motorsports. The Bark River, Michigan, native’s drivers have captured two top-five results and nine top-10s at Circuit of The Americas, the Charlotte ROVAL, Road America, the DAYTONA Road Course, Sonoma Raceway and Watkins Glen International. This weekend’s event will mark the inaugural NCS event on the IMS road course and Ives’ first time calling the shots on this circuit. On the famed Indy oval, Ives has six starts in the series with his best finish of 13th coming in 2016 with Jeff Gordon behind the wheel.
HOMETOWN TRACK: Two members of the No. 48 Ally team call Indiana home. Engineer Tim O’Brien grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana, approximately 130 miles from the famed Indiana speedway. The 38-year-old attended Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, and received his mechanical engineering degree in 2005. He has been a part of Hendrick Motorsports for six years and started racing go-karts when he was 12. Front end mechanic Ty Sipes hails from Bloomfield, Indiana, located approximately one hour and 45 minutes southwest of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Growing up, Sipes gained experience at local racetracks working on USAC Series cars. Prior to joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2014, Sipes was a mechanic with Kasey Kahne’s World of Outlaws sprint car team.
PIT ROAD STATS: Following last weekend’s event at The Glen, the No. 48 pit crew continues to sit fifth on the chart for the fastest four-tire pit stop average in the NASCAR Cup Series with a time of 13.86 seconds. The team had the fastest single stop at Dover International Speedway (12.18 seconds) on May 16 and had the third-fastest stop at Atlanta Motor Speedway (12.25 seconds) on July 11. The No. 48 pit crew includes fueler Jacob Conley, tire carrier Allen Stallings, jackman Dustin Lineback, and tire changers Scott Brzozowski (front) and Devin DelRicco (rear).
PADDING THE RECORD: With Kyle Larson’s performance Sunday at Watkins Glen International, Hendrick Motorsports extended its NASCAR Cup Series record for all-time road-course victories to 24, which is 11 more than any other team. The organization has won on road courses with a series-high seven different drivers: Jeff Gordon (nine wins), Chase Elliott (seven), Tim Richmond (three), Larson (two), Jimmie Johnson, Ricky Rudd and Geoff Bodine. Hendrick Motorsports also has the most road course stage wins of any team with 11.
ROAD RUNNERS: In NASCAR Cup Series road races since 2018, Hendrick Motorsports has gone to victory lane in nine of 13 events, including eight of the last nine. The team has won 10 of 24 stages (the most) and led more than anyone else with 502 of 1,140 laps (44%). It has posted four 1-2 finishes during the stretch, all coming in the last eight races.
DÉJÀ VU: Sunday will mark the Cup Series’ first-ever race on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 27 years after NASCAR’s debut at the historic venue. On Aug. 6, 1994, Hendrick Motorsports won the inaugural event on the IMS oval with driver Gordon. Dating back to that race, Hendrick Motorsports has won six of the last 13 Cup events held on new tracks, including three of the last four. In 2021, the team has gone to victory lane at two of the three new tracks on the circuit: Elliott at Circuit of The Americas and Larson at Nashville Superspeedway.
INDY TRENDY: Although Hendrick Motorsports has never raced on the venue’s road course, it has posted a record 10 NASCAR Cup Series wins competing on the storied Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval – twice the total of any other team. The organization holds the track records for Cup Series top-five finishes (27), top-10s (42) and laps led (1,030). Its five Cup pole positions on the Indy oval are tied for the most.
NINE ON THE LINE: Over the last 11 NASCAR Cup Series points races, Hendrick Motorsports has won eight times (most), scored six-runner-up results (most), finished 1-2 on five occasions (most), won 10 of 26 stages (most), and led 1,335 of 2,221 laps raced (60%). With 44 total entries across the most recent 11 events, the team has scored 21 top-five finishes (most) and 29 top-10s (most).
23 AND WE: After 23 of 36 points-paying races in 2021, the four-car Hendrick Motorsports stable has won 11 times, which is its most ever at this time of the year. Its 16 stage wins are the most in history by any organization going into the 24th points race. Hendrick Motorsports has its most top-five finishes (36) and posted its fourth-most laps led (2,083) at the 23-event mark. The team’s 56 top-10s in 2021 represent the second-most by anyone ever at this point in a season.
QUOTABLE /
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and on road course layout: “There is just a different vibe at Indianapolis – the history, the fans, the facility. I think it’ll be cool to run the road course layout this weekend and we all want to say we won the inaugural event. With my racing (in Iowa) this week, I’ll be watching a lot of tape of other series on the road course layout to familiarize myself with it ahead of practice on Saturday.”
Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on pit strategy at Indianapolis road course: “We do think about the regular-season point standings and want to win it, but that hasn’t played into how we’ve called a race. All year long, we’ve been aggressive trying to get stage points and trying to maximize our day across the board. Everyone thought our strategy (of racing for stage wins and not pitting just prior to end of stages) at Sonoma (Raceway) was bananas, but it worked out. We’ll learn a lot during practice on Saturday, and that should help us refine the gameplan we have worked on this week.”
Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on the configuration of Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course: “You know, that road course, to me, is not going to be your average infield road course. That place was the host of an F-1 event, many INDYCAR events over the years, and obviously Xfinity last year. It was laid out probably more like a traditional road course – a place that was kind of made for it and has a little more flow to it than some of the infield tracks that we see, like the ROVAL. A lot of these tracks have infield tracks. We just might not go to them. But I think it’ll be more like a normal road course, more so than the ROVAL. One thing about those types of tracks is they don’t have any elevation really. And that, to me, is kind of what makes them different. Charlotte has a little more elevation and up and down than you might think, but watching that race last year, the thing that stood out to me the most was it is super flat. There is really no up and down to it. So, I think that could be a little different than the norm.”
Elliott on moving from the oval to road course: “The oval has always been a place that I wanted to do well at; unfortunately, I just never have. I was old enough for Dad’s win at the Brickyard that I was a part of those photos. I always thought it would be really cool to have a win there, just win that race and have my family there. I am not sure what the road course will bring. It’s definitely going to bring a different feel for me because it is hard to view it as the same event as what Dad won. I am still excited about it and looking forward to it. I have never run there or run anything on the course. The big thing this weekend will be practice on Saturday. Until you get to a place and you can see it, feel it, and kind of find your rhythm with it, it’s hard to tell especially with a new road course.”
William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on preparing and racing the Indy road course for the first time: “I think it’s going to be really interesting. I honestly would compare it to the ROVAL just based on the laps I have run already on the Chevy simulator. I feel like a lot of the corners are low speed but there are also very high-speed braking zones to manage, as well, like the ROVAL. There’s a lot of tight radius corners, too, but I feel like that’s going to make for good racing. Continuing to prep for this weekend, I’m going to re-watch the Xfinity Series race from there last year and then Saturday’s race, as well. Their cars are pretty similar to us, especially on the road courses with their horsepower and downforce package. They’re a little bit slower than our cars but the characteristics are the same.”
Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on running the road course at Indianapolis: “Going to Indy, there is a lot of history; most of that comes on the oval. It’s cool to get the opportunity to run the road course. It will be a new challenge for us. I think having two road course events back-to-back will help me be more prepared for the second race. We have been racing ovals for quite a while. It would be really cool to be the next Hendrick Motorsports driver to win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the first to win on the road course.”
Greg Ives, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on preparation for the Indy road course: “We have a good game plan in place for the Indy Chevrolet based on video and whatever you can to gain knowledge since we haven’t been there before. The foundation that you build is from the feedback from the driver and the things that hurt us in Watkins Glen that you can adjust and apply for Indy. You may adjust your game plan as far as what you are going to practice and try, but all in all, you are always learning and can always apply what to do and what not to do.”
