Martinsville Speedway
Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021
.526-Mile Oval
2:00 PM ET
Location: Martinsville, Virginia
TV: Fox
Event: NASCAR Cup Series (35 of 36)
Radio: SiriusXM logo PRN logo
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
NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE: At Kansas Speedway on Sunday, Kyle Larson led 130 of 267 laps en route to his ninth victory of 2021. The win marked his third consecutive victory – the second time he has won three races in a row this season. This is the first time a driver has earned three consecutive wins on two separate occasions in one season since Dale Earnhardt accomplished the feat in 1987.
HOT DOG: Prior to his victory at the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March, Larson had scored NASCAR nine runner-up finishes – the most all-time without a Cup Series victory – in 71 career starts on 1.5-mile tracks. Following his win at Kansas on Sunday, the 29-year-old driver now has four victories in the last eight races held on tracks of that length.
PEN-ULTIMATE: Entering the penultimate race of the season, Larson leads the series in wins (nine), top-five finishes (19), top-10s (25), stage wins (17), laps led (2,397) and average start (6.4) – all career-bests. His laps led total is 998 more than the closest competitor.
WITHIN REACH: Larson’s laps led total of 2,397 is the most ever during a 36-race season and is the most since former Hendrick Motorsports driver and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon paced the field for 2,610 circuits in 1995. If Larson leads at least 214 of the remaining 812 laps in the final two races, he will set the record for most laps led by a Hendrick Motorsports driver during a season in just his first year with the championship organization.
TO THE NINES: Along with nine wins, Larson has also posted runner-up finishes in six races. The driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE has finished in the top two in 44% of the Cup Series races held in 2021.
APRIL SHOWERS: In April at Martinsville Speedway, Larson started 19th and finished fifth in the rain-delayed event. Overall, he has two top-five finishes and three top-10s in 13 starts at the .526-mile Virginia short track.
UPPING THEIR GAME: At 13.63 seconds, the No. 5 pit crew owns the quickest average time for four-tire pit stops in 2021. During the playoffs, their average time is even quicker at a series-best 13.27 seconds. 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.
OVER $200K: In March, Larson announced the launch of the Kyle Larson Foundation, which was established to better serve today’s youth, families and communities in need through hands-on support. The Sanneh Foundation and the Urban Youth Racing School are the primary beneficiaries of the foundation, which will also work closely with Hendrick Cares, the corporate social responsibility program of Hendrick Automotive Group. To kickstart the “Drive for 5,” Larson pledged a personal donation of $5 for every Cup Series lap he completes this season and will contribute another $5,000 for every top-five finish he earns. Through 34 races, he has already pledged more than $140,000 and raised more than $200,000. To learn more, please visit KyleLarsonFoundation.org.
9 CHASE ELLIOTT
Age: 25 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: 2nd
No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
FINAL TWO: This Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway marks the final race of the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, currently sits second in the playoff standings, 34 points above the cutline. In the eight playoff races, Elliott has garnered three top-five finishes, led 232 laps and picked up 269 points.
SEASON SUMMARY: With only two races remaining in the 2021 Cup Series season, Elliott’s nine top-two finishes are the most he has collected in a single year. The driver of the No. 9’s 14 top-five finishes are his most at the 34-race mark. In those 34 races, Elliott has also picked up two wins, 20 top-10s and 569 laps led.
PAPERCLIP PERFORMANCE: Elliott is set to make his 13th Martinsville Speedway start in the Cup Series on Sunday. The 25-year-old driver made his Cup Series debut at the track for Hendrick Motorsports on March 29, 2015, and has since led a total of 429 laps there – his second-most laps led at any track (Bristol Motor Speedway – 439).
CLOCKING IN: During last season’s Round of 8 finale at Martinsville, Elliott turned in a stellar performance. He overcame several obstacles and led a career-high 236 laps – most laps led by Elliott in a single NCS event – en route to his first Cup Series win at the track. The victory secured Elliott’s first-ever berth in the Championship 4. He joined teammate Jimmie Johnson and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon as Hendrick Motorsports drivers who secured a spot in the championship race by winning at Martinsville.
MARTINSVILLE MASH: In the last five races at Martinsville, Elliott has finished inside the top five in four of those events. He is the only driver with an active top-five streak of at least two races at the .526-mile track.
SHORT-TRACK STATS: On Sunday, Elliott will make his 37th short-track start in the Cup Series. In those races, he has garnered 12 top-five finishes, 18 top-10s and led 962 laps. Since the start of 2020, Elliott leads all drivers with the most points (363) collected on short tracks
GUSTAFSON’S PAPERCLIP PAST: No. 9 team crew chief Alan Gustafson is set to call his 34th Martinsville Speedway race from atop the pit box this weekend. In his previous 33 Cup Series starts at the track, he has three wins – most recently with Elliott in November 2020 to solidify the No. 9 team’s spot in the Championship 4. Gustafson also has 15 top-five finishes and 24 top-10s at the venue. His other two wins at the paperclip-shaped track came with Gordon in 2013 and 2015.
PIT POWER: The No. 9 team owns the third-best average time for four-tire pit stops at 13.37 seconds during the playoffs. 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 familiar blue, white and yellow NAPA AUTO PARTS paint scheme will be on track this weekend at Martinsville. The Atlanta-based company is serving as majority sponsor for Elliott and the No. 9 team for 25 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: 10th
No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
CONTINUING THE TREND: Down to the last two races in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, William Byron continues to post career-best stats this year at the highest level of competition in the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. So far, Byron has collected one win (Homestead-Miami Speedway), two pole awards (Road America and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course – most by a driver this season), four top-two finishes, 11 top-five finishes and 19 top-10s all while leading 425 laps and collecting three stage wins. In his Cup career, these are the most top-two finishes, top-fives, top-10s, laps led and stage wins the Charlotte, North Carolina, native has earned in a single season.
MARTINSVILLE MINUTES: Despite his young age, Byron’s time at Martinsville Speedway goes back to when he attended his first Cup Series race at the paperclip-shaped track in 2006 as a fan. Since then, the 23-year-old driver has moved through the NASCAR ranks and is now poised to make his 10th overall start at the half-mile track, his eighth in the Cup Series. Of those seven Cup Series starts at the 0.526-mile venue, Byron has a track-best finish of second in the fall of 2019 where he came within car lengths of scoring the win. Aside from his Cup Series starts, he has two other Martinsville starts from the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2016, where he qualified seventh for both events and raced to one top-five finish and two top-10s.
THE FUGLE FILES: This Sunday’s race will mark crew chief Rudy Fugle’s second trip to Martinsville Speedway in the Cup Series. Earlier this season, Fugle and the No. 24 team started third at the Virginia-based track and raced to a fourth-place result. Aside from that Cup start, the Livonia, New York, native has 14 starts at the paperclip-shaped track already under his belt, all in the Truck Series. In those 14 races, Fugle accumulated one win (May 2019), six top-five finishes and 12 top-10s. Two of those previous starts were with Byron, both in 2016, where the duo started seventh in both races and raced to a third-place result in the spring and an eighth-place finish in the fall.
LIBERTY U ONBOARD: For the final time in the 2021 season, Byron will pilot the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway. Liberty University has a long history with Byron starting back in 2014 in the late model ranks. Liberty University has been Training Champions for Christ since it was founded in 1971. Located in the mountains of Central Virginia, Liberty is a liberal arts institution with 17 colleges and schools that offers more than 600 degree programs from the certificate to the doctoral level, on campus and online. Working on an undergraduate degree in strategic communication, Byron is in his junior year at Liberty University through its online program. For a better look at Byron’s Liberty University paint scheme, 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
IT’S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN: With two races remaining in the NASCAR Cup Series season, Alex Bowman has had a career year through 34 events. The 28-year-old driver has three wins (career season high), seven top-five results (tied for a season high) and 15 top-10s (tied for a season high). Bowman has led 152 laps this season at eight different venues. Since joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2016 as a replacement driver for Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bowman has five wins, 23 top-five results, 56 top-10s, 1,066 laps led and three pole awards, including two in the DAYTONA 500.
BOWMAN AT MARTINSVILLE: Bowman impressed at Martinsville Speedway last season when he earned sixth-place finishes in both races. He has three top-10 finishes in 11 career starts at the Virginia track in the Cup Series. Earlier this year, Bowman finished 34th when he was caught up in an incident on lap 384 after pitting for a loose wheel. Prior to the pit stop, the No. 48 team raced up to second place before making a second stop on pit road.
SHORT-TRACK STATS: The driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE has made 33 paved short-track starts in his seven-year Cup Series career. Bowman has one win (Richmond Raceway), three top-five finishes and seven top-10s at Richmond, Martinsville and Bristol Motor Speedway. So far this season, Bowman captured his first short-track victory at Richmond after leading 98 laps and posted two top-five results on these tracks. Bowman earned the 10th-most points (123) on short tracks in 2021 and the ninth-most (270) since the start of 2020.
IVES IN VIRGINIA: Crew chief Greg Ives will call the shots for the 14th time at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday afternoon. The Bark River, Michigan, native has one top-five finish and five top-10s at the short track with a best finish of fourth coming in 2015 with Earnhardt. Ives was a race engineer for the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team from 2006-2012 when he was a part of six wins, three pole awards and 12 top-10 finishes at Martinsville with Jimmie Johnson behind the wheel.
2X WINNING OWNER AT MILLBRIDGE: Monday evening, Alex Bowman Racing’s No. 55 midget entry driven by CJ Leary competed in the Walkapedia Carolina Midget Showdown at Millbridge Speedway in Salisbury, North Carolina. The brand-new chassis battled inside the top two for most of the 30-lap feature before claiming Bowman’s second-career win as a team owner. The team came back on Tuesday evening to dominate the 40-lap event and sweep the showdown for ABR’s third victory. Earlier this year, Josh Wise piloted the ABR entry to victory lane at IRP in Indianapolis.
PIT ROAD TIMES: The No. 48 pit crew sits sixth on the charts for the fastest average four-tire stop time of 13.88. The team includes fueler Jacob Conley, tire carrier Allen Stallings, jackman Dustin Lineback and tire changers Scott Brzozowski and Devin DelRicco.
CLOSE TO HOME: No. 48 engine tuner Stephen Raynor calls Martinsville Speedway his home track. The 35-year-old team member grew up and currently resides in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, which is approximately 50 miles from the Virginia venue. He has been with the Hendrick Motorsports engine department for nine years.
TICK-TOCK STARS: Hendrick Motorsports has 25 points-paying wins at Martinsville Speedway, which are the most victories by any team at any track in NASCAR Cup Series history. In addition to its 25 iconic grandfather clock trophies, the organization holds the Martinsville records for pole positions (17), top-five finishes (85), top-10s (136) and laps led (9,607). A track record six different Hendrick Motorsports drivers have won there.
WINS-VILLE: Hendrick Motorsports has won 11 Cup Series playoff races at Martinsville. With four post-season victories at the half-mile venue, Joe Gibbs Racing is the only other team with more than one playoff win there.
SHORT-TRACK SUCCESS: With 53 all-time wins on short tracks, Hendrick Motorsports leads all active Cup Series teams. It has 10 more than next-best JGR (43) and 20 more than third-place Team Penske (33). A total of 13 different drivers have won at least one short-track race for Hendrick Motorsports.
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PILLOW: Dating back to 2020, Hendrick Motorsports has won five consecutive Cup Series playoff elimination races. It has won 10 of 30 playoff elimination events overall and at least one elimination race in each of the last four seasons.
BANNER YEAR: Including Kyle Larson’s performance Sunday at Kansas Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports now has 15 Cup Series points-paying victories in 2021, which represents its second-best single-season win total since Rick Hendrick founded the organization in 1984. In 2007, Hendrick Motorsports posted a team record 18 points wins and earned 14 combined victories in 1998.
TWOFER: With 15 victories and 16 second-place results, Hendrick Motorsports has posted 31 top-two finishes during the 2021 Cup Series season – one away from tying the modern-era record for a team. From 1972 through 2021, the mark for top-two finishes in a single season is 32 by Joe Gibbs Racing in 2019. In that span, Hendrick Motorsports’ 29 in 2009 ranks third and its 27 in 2007 is fourth.
PLAYOFF PERFORMANCE: At Kansas, Hendrick Motorsports recorded its 51st all-time win during the Cup Series playoffs – 18 more than next-best JGR (33) and more than double third-place Penske Racing (24). In eight playoff events this year, the team has four victories – all courtesy of Larson. Dating back to last season, Hendrick Motorsports has won seven of the last 13 playoff races.
QUOTABLE /
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on April race at Martinsville: “Martinsville has been a really tough track for me in the past. Earlier this year, we were really good there in Hendrick (Motorsports) equipment and I was able to run top five. That run helped my confidence a lot. I think if we can go there and have another good run and, heck, if we can get a win there, yes – I’ll be feeling great going to Phoenix.”
Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on something to prove at Martinsville: “We definitely want to have a good run this weekend in Martinsville. We have had that one circled for a while because we, as a team, feel like we have something to prove. Hopefully, we can do that. Martinsville is an amazing track for the (No.) 9 team. So, I would imagine they’re going to be the favorite to win Martinsville, and hopefully both teams can go into Phoenix with some good momentum.”
Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on heading into Martinsville 34 points above cutline: “I don’t know if it allows you to do much of anything now. After what we saw in Kansas, I am not really sure that any amount of points is safe. I really think anyone in this round can win this weekend. So, we are really going to have to be on it, but I’m looking forward to the opportunity and excited for the challenge.”
Elliott on Martinsville being an elimination race: “As a group, we’ve done a better job at just enjoying those moments and I feel like I’ve done a better job of enjoying them and performing in those situations. It’s really become exciting for me and our team, which is a great thing. Hopefully, we can lock in one of the first two weeks or at least have some really good runs as far as points. If it comes down to it, we’ll embrace it and enjoy that moment and try to move on.”
William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on the challenges of racing at Martinsville: “I look forward to going to Martinsville this weekend. Ever since the second half of the 2019 season, I’ve looked forward to racing there even more. I feel like I’ve really found a good balance when going there now. It’s a fun track but it is always a challenge to race at, no matter how many times you have. You want to make the best lap times every lap because it’s so easy to get behind early and even harder to make up lost time. At the same time, you have to manage your brakes so they last the whole race. 500 laps around Martinsville are always tough. It’s about surviving and being there at the end.”
Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on keeping momentum through the end of the season: “We may not be in the playoffs anymore but I think the (No.) 24 team is still making a statement each and every week. That’s what we want to accomplish. We aren’t letting off the gas or waiting around for next season to start. Preparation for next season has already begun and we don’t want to lose the momentum that we have worked so hard to gain. I think this weekend at Martinsville will be another weekend where we can show how much we have elevated this team throughout the season. When we went there in the spring we had a good, solid race overall. This time, we’re looking to improve on that. William has really hit his stride at Martinsville the last couple years, and we have such great notes already from our teammates. This is a long, grueling race but as long as we take care of our car, we will have a shot at a win in the end. I’m confident in that.”
Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on returning to Martinsville: “I’m looking forward to Martinsville. We were actually really strong there in the spring (but) didn’t get to show it. We had a loose wheel and had to pit under green and then they all crashed on the next restart – we got run over like we did in Texas. I think we had a car capable of winning. We went to Richmond the week after that and won. I think our short-track stuff is pretty solid right now, and I’m looking forward to getting there.”
