Dover Motor Speedway
Sunday, May 1, 2022
1-Mile Oval
3:00 PM ET
Location: Dover, Delaware
TV: Fox
Event: NASCAR Cup Series (11 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: 7th
No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
A FIRST FOR LARSON: On Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, Kyle Larson led 32 laps en route to a fourth-place finish to mark his first ever top-five result in a superspeedway event in the NASCAR Cup Series. The driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 moved up two positions in the standings to seventh and now trails leader and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott by 69 points.
FIFTY (PER)CENT: Sunday’s performance marked the fifth top-five finish in 10 Cup Series races this season for Larson. The Elk Grove, California, native is second in that statistical category, trailing only Ross Chastain who has six finishes in the top five. Along with the fourth-place finish, Larson has a victory at Auto Club Speedway, a runner-up result at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a fifth at Richmond Raceway and a fourth at Bristol Motor Speedway.
MONSTER AT DOVER: In 13 starts at Dover Motor Speedway, Larson has 12 top-12 finishes with 880 laps led – the most he has led at a single track. Last year, he led 263 of 400 laps before finishing second to teammate Alex Bowman when Hendrick Motorsports swept the top-four positions. In 2019, Larson led 154 laps en route to his lone victory at the concrete track.
NOT SO AVERAGE: Larson’s average finish of seventh at Dover is the best all-time of any driver with more than two starts there. David Pearson (8.00), Bobby Allison (9.26) and former Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson (9.66) are the only other drivers to post a single-digit average finish at the Delaware venue.
SECOND BEST: At active tracks where he has more than one Cup Series start, Larson’s 7.0 average finish at Dover is only his second best. In 2021, a pair of runner-up results at Darlington Raceway improved his average at the 1.366-mile track to 5.55.
ANOTHER LEVEL: Larson has also been successful at Dover in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. In six starts there, the driver has one win, three top-five finishes and six top-10s. In June 2017, he led 137 laps from the pole to capture the victory at the Monster Mile.
BUSY WEEK: On Tuesday night, Larson won a dirt late model race at Eldora Speedway in Ohio. On Wednesday, he finished fifth in a dirt late model event at Brownstown Speedway in Indiana before traveling to Bristol Motor Speedway for sprint car and dirt late model racing in the World of Outlaws Bristol Bash Thursday through Saturday.
YOUR CAR NEEDS: This weekend, Larson will drive the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. 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: 26 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: 1st
No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
LEADER OF THE PACK: Following his seventh-place run at Talladega Superspeedway, Chase Elliott expanded his lead in the NASCAR Cup Series standings to 21 points over second-place Ryan Blaney. Including a tie earlier in the season, this marks the sixth consecutive week the Dawsonville, Georgia, native has been atop the standings.
CONSISTENCY PAYING OFF: While Elliott and the No. 9 team are still looking for their first win of 2022, they have been a model of consistency through the first 10 races of the season, scoring seven top-10 finishes – tied for most in the Cup Series. Those seven top-10s are also a career best for Elliott through 10 races. In addition, the 26-year-old’s average finish of 10.5 in 2022 leads all drivers.
MONSTER MILE STATS: On Sunday, Elliott is set to make his 12th Dover Motor Speedway start in the Cup Series. The driver of the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 earned a victory at the 1-mile track in the fall of 2018 and has eight total top-five finishes there, his most on any active track. In his most recent start at Dover, Elliott finished third and was part of a historic finish where Hendrick Motorsports swept the top four positions. In his previous 11 starts at the venue, he has accumulated an average finish of 10.5 and led 321 laps.
FRONT RUNNER: Elliott has spent a lot of time at the front of the field this season. He’s led 276 laps and raced inside the top five for nearly 1,000 circuits (977) – third-best in each category behind only teammate William Byron and Blaney. His 1,577 laps spent inside the top 10 are fourth-highest in the series.
GUSTAFSON AT DOVER: On Sunday afternoon, No. 9 team crew chief Alan Gustafson will call his 34th Dover race from atop a Cup Series pit box. He’s collected two wins with two different drivers on the 1-mile track: the first with Jeff Gordon in 2014 and most recently with Elliott in 2018. Along with Gustafson’s two victories, he has 17 top-five finishes, 19 top-10s and 592 laps led.
PIT ROAD PROWESS: The No. 9 pit crew continues to impress and is now ranked second among the Cup Series field this season when it comes to the average length of four-tire pit stops (11.951 seconds). The NAPA AUTO PARTS 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 KNOWS DOVER: NAPA AUTO PARTS is back on board the No. 9 Chevrolet this weekend at Dover. It will mark the ninth time that the Atlanta-based company has been the primary partner of Elliott and the No. 9 team at the Monster Mile. NAPA visited victory lane in the fall of 2018 when Elliott led the final 11 laps en route to his first win at the track.
A SHOC ENERGY DAYTONA RACE EXPERIENCE: A SHOC Energy is giving fans the opportunity to win a VIP trip to the Cup Series race at Daytona on Saturday, Aug. 27. One grand prize winner and guest will receive flight and hotel accommodations, tickets to the regular-season finale and a $500 Visa gift card. The sweepstakes is open now through July 15 and fans can enter by texting “ASHOCTRIP” to 97579.
24 WILLIAM BYRON
Age: 24 (Nov. 29, 1997)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Standings: 3rd
No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
BEST YEAR YET: After 10 races in 2022, William Byron is off to his best start at the NASCAR Cup Series level. In his fifth season, the 24-year-old driver has scored two race victories, three stage wins, four top-five finishes and eight top-10s with 520 laps led and 13 playoff points accumulated – all career-best statistics at the 10-race mark. He is currently third in the Cup Series standings behind only teammate Chase Elliott and second-place Ryan Blaney.
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN: Byron has led laps in eight of the 10 points-paying races in 2022, including all eight events on paved ovals. His 520 total laps led are the most in the Cup Series. He has also spent the second-most laps running in the top-10 (1,860) and the most laps running within the top-five (1,396).
TWO-FOUR HISTORY: Byron’s two victories in 2022 have added to the total of his storied car number. Five of the No. 24’s total of 97 Cup Series wins have come at Dover Motor Speedway, all with NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon. If Byron goes to victory lane on Sunday, it will put the No. 24 just two away from the 100-win milestone and will secure the fourth-most wins by a car number at the Monster Mile, breaking a four-way tie.
DOVER DIGEST: In seven Cup Series starts at Dover Motor Speedway, Byron has a best starting position of second that came in May 2019 when Hendrick Motorsports teammate Elliott edged him out for the pole. However, in his last two Cup starts there, Byron has raced to consecutive fourth-place results – his best at the mile-long track and his second-longest streak of top-five finishes at a venue behind only Martinsville Speedway where he has three in a row.
MONSTER MILE MINUTES: Sunday’s race will be crew chief Rudy Fugle’s second at the Cup Series level at Dover Motor Speedway after he scored a fourth-place finish in last year’s event. However, the Livonia, New York, native has eight other starts at the 1-mile track, all in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. In those races, Fugle has accumulated one win, two top-five finishes and two top-10s. One of those previous starts was with Byron in 2016 when the duo started on the pole and raced to an 11th-place result.
RAPTOR® TOUGH: Byron will climb behind the wheel of the No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Sunday’s event at Dover. The last time he raced the RaptorTough.com paint scheme, he ended up in victory lane at Martinsville Speedway. RAPTOR® is a durable protective coating and bed liner that is designed to tolerate the toughest climatic conditions and can be applied to a wide range of substrates from steel, wood, concrete and plaster to plastics and composites. Resistant to common fuels, UV, scratches and stains, RAPTOR® is available at local paint distributors, auto parts stores and can also be purchased from online retailers like Amazon. For a better look at Byron’s No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, click here.
48 Alex Bowman
Age: 29 (April 25, 1993)
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Resides: Concord, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Greg Ives
Standings: 5th
No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Defending race winner Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will be available in the Dover Motor Speedway media center on Saturday, April 30, at 9:15 a.m. ET.
HISTORIC MILE: In 2021 at Dover Motor Speedway, Alex Bowman took home his second win of the NASCAR Cup Series season in historic fashion. The driver led 98 circuits at the 1-mile track while leading Hendrick Motorsports to the organization’s first one-two-three-four finish. Bowman’s 98 laps led in that event rank as the fourth-most in his eight-year Cup Series career.
MR. CONSISTENTENCY: Bowman and No. 48 Ally Racing team crew chief Greg Ives had one goal ahead of the 2022 season: be more consistent. Through the first 10 races of the year, Bowman has tallied six top-10 finishes, the most of his Cup Series career through 10 starts. With more time spent in the front of the pack, the Tucson, Arizona, native has also notched 309 points in 2022, ranking him fifth in the standings, 59 markers behind leader and teammate Chase Elliott.
BOWMAN AT DOVER: Bowman, who turned 29 on Monday, will make his 12th Dover start on Sunday. In his prior 11 Cup Series races there, the driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has one win, four top-five finishes and four top-10s with 140 laps led. Bowman is also tied for the most top-fives at Dover since the start of the 2019 season with four.
IVES AND THE MONSTER: Ives has 13 Dover starts as a crew chief in the Cup Series. In those races as the shot-caller, the 42-year-old Bark River, Michigan, native, has garnered one win (May 2021 with Bowman), five top-five finishes and seven top-10s with 150 laps led.
HOMETOWN HERO: No. 48 team rear-tire changer Devin DelRicco grew up 86 miles from Dover in Marlboro, Maryland. The 30-year-old athlete visited the 1-mile venue for the first time as a fan in 2005 for the NASCAR Cup Series event. DelRicco has been with Hendrick Motorsports for seven years and has two NASCAR Xfinity Series championships with JR Motorsports.
PALM OF HIS HAND: Miles the Monster will display the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the palm of his gargantuan hand ahead of Sunday’s race at Dover. For the 2022 season, Ally Financial continues to be the sponsor of the track’s Victory Plaza where fans can see Miles holding the full-size No. 48 Chevy. It also sponsors Dover’s Monster Bridge Suites.
THROUGH 10: After 10 Cup Series races, Bowman has collected one win (Las Vegas Motor Speedway), two-top five finishes (the most of his career through 10 races) and six top-10s. His average finishing position of 11.1 is second only to teammate Elliott in 2022
A MONSTER DAY: Last May at Dover Motor Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports drivers Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott and William Byron finished first, second, third and fourth, respectively. It was the organization’s first-ever sweep of the top-four finishing positions in a race and marked only the fourth time in NASCAR Cup Series history that any team accomplished it. At Titusville-Cocoa Speedway in December 1956, Peter DePaolo Racing’s five-car effort became the first to record a top-four sweep and repeated the achievement in April 1957 at North Wilkesboro. Forty-eight years later, Roush Fenway Racing did it in 2005 with four of its five entries at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Hendrick Motorsports is the only four-car team to post a one-two-three-four finish in the Cup Series.
FRONTRUNNERS: At Dover last May, Hendrick Motorsports led 382 of the 400 laps – or 95.5%. It was the highest percentage of laps the team had ever led in a single Cup Series race until April 9 of this year when Hendrick Motorsports led 98.5% of the laps at Martinsville Speedway (397 of 403).
THE FIRST STATE: Dover is one of three racetracks where Hendrick Motorsports has posted more than 20 points-paying wins. The team’s 21 victories at the Delaware venue is equal to its total at Charlotte Motor Speedway and surpassed only by its 27 at Martinsville, which represents the all-time record for wins by any team at a track. Since 2009, it has posted at least one victory there in each season except 2011, 2016, 2019 and 2020. No other team has posted more than nine wins at Dover.
MAGNIFICENT SEVEN: Seven different drivers have contributed to Hendrick Motorsports’ Dover win total: Jimmie Johnson (11 victories), Jeff Gordon (five), Bowman, Elliott, Geoff Bodine, Ken Schrader and Ricky Rudd.
DOVER-TIME: Four Dover races have ended in overtime with all four being won by Hendrick Motorsports: Johnson in 2005, 2015 and 2017, and Elliott in 2018.
STELLAR 2022: In 10 points-paying races this season, Hendrick Motorsports has recorded four wins, which represent its most since 2007. The team’s top-five finishes (12) and top-10s (22) are equal to its 10-race marks from 2021 when it went on to tally its second-best full-season totals in both categories. Hendrick Motorsports’ 930 laps led through 10 races are the organization’s most since 2014 (961) and more than the second- and third-place teams combined. Its seven stage wins in 2022 are equal to second- and third-ranked teams combined.
LET’S DO THE NUMBERS: Since the start of the 2021 Cup Series season, Hendrick Motorsports has recorded 21 points-paying race wins. The total is equal to that of the next four teams combined: Joe Gibbs Racing (11 victories), Team Penske (six), Stewart-Haas Racing (two) and Trackhouse (two). Three other active teams have recorded one win apiece during that span.
NEARING 100,000: Since Hendrick Motorsports was founded in 1984, it has led a record 99,432.14 miles in points-paying Cup Series races. The team is less than 600 miles from hitting 100,000 led at NASCAR’s top level. Last season, Hendrick Motorsports led 5,662.77 miles. Through 10 races in 2022, it has led 974.66 miles. At Dover, the organization has led 7,259 miles. Earlier this season, the team hit another major milestone – its 2,000th top-10 finish in the Cup Series – at Bristol Motor Speedway.
QUOTABLE /
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on driving the Next Gen car at Dover: “We had a great result last year in the Gen 6 car. Finishing one-two-three-four I know meant a lot to Rick (Hendrick, owner) and all the men and women at Hendrick Motorsports. I’ve run well at Dover throughout my career and have led a lot of laps there, and I hope that is the case again this weekend. I don’t know how this generation of car will race on the concrete, but I hope we’ll be using multiple lanes on Sunday.”
Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on challenges of new Next Gen car on a concrete track: “The car itself is really going to perform well – I think we have the potential to see a really good race. If we get some warmer temperatures and the groove widens out, these cars should be very racy on a very racy track. I think it could be a lot of fun and a great race for the fans. If it’s super cool and the track is very fast, it could be a narrower groove and much harder to pass. We’ll just need to see how the temperatures are, what the tire wear is like and how the track is taking (tire) rubber, but I think it’s going to be great.”
Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on heading to Dover with the Next Gen car: “All these places, as we go to them for the first time, I’m kind of like everybody else, just waiting to see how it goes. I never would have thought that Martinsville would have gone like it did, so I think we were probably all surprised about that one, but nonetheless, I’m excited to get out there and hopefully it goes well.”
Elliott on the expectations he sets for himself to perform well: “I want to win just as much as everyone else, if not more. I always want to win, and I always have an expectation of myself to want to go and perform. That expectation is the only one that matters to me, and I want to do the job to the best of my ability always, whether you have a win in the bank or not. For me, that doesn’t make me try any harder. I’m going to do my best and see where we end up.”
Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on racing at Dover with the Next Gen car: “I don’t really know what to expect. I love Dover. It’s one of my favorite tracks to go to. It’s a lot of fun to race. Obviously, it has big wide surface, and that’s the key to me is hopefully there’s some value in getting up the track and there’s multiple lanes. That’s always, in my opinion, what creates good racing, is the opportunity to have multiple lanes. Hopefully that shows up.”
William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on if he feels like he’s having to re-learn tracks with the Next Gen car: “I’d say every week is a new week. It really is. We look at our old notes for balance and things like that, but even that’s kind of changed. I think Dover’s going to be eye-opening to see how this car gets around, because you know it has way less downforce. Downforce is key at Dover. I’m very interested to see how that feels and how that plays out, because I don’t know what to expect.”
Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on what notes he can use to prepare for Dover: “We don’t have a ton of short track notes with the Next Gen car right now, but I think the race at Martinsville gives us a good starting point. That race we saw that track position played a big factor and that maintaining a pit strategy that helped with that was key. I can see that playing a factor again this weekend at Dover. I also think some of our setup notes from last year will still help as well. Plus, with the high banking in the corners at Dover, it translates slightly to an intermediate track in that regard, so we can use those notes that we have as well. We ran well at Martinsville a few weeks ago, and Dover has been good to us in the past, so I think those things give us a good baseline for when we unload for practice.”
Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on returning to Dover after the Hendrick Motorsports sweep last year: “Winning last year at Dover was special. We had a fast race car, fast enough to hold off my teammates and be the one to lead the one-two-three-four charge for Hendrick Motorsports. Being a part of such a unique moment in a season that was filled with these types of moments is something I will always hold close to me.”
Greg Ives, crew chief of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on how he’s preparing to repeat last year’s success: “Dover has been a track that Hendrick Motorsports has historically done well at as well as Alex (Bowman). Our plan is to go back there and continue to build off the confidence and success from the past. Even though it is a different car and tire, we are approaching it the same way we always do; maximizing restarts, pit road times, practice and qualifying to get the most out of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet and look to come out of there with another Miles the Monster trophy.”
