5 KYLE LARSON
Age: 30 (July 31, 1992)
Hometown: Elk Grove, California
Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels
Standings: 4th
No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
LEADING LAPS: Kyle Larson has led the most laps in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season through eight races. With 75 laps led on the dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway, he has now led 438 circuits. All of last season, he led 635 laps.
SETTING THE STAGE: In the Bristol dirt race, Larson picked up his second stage win of the season by leading the entire opening segment. He is tied for third in the statistical category this year. In the era of stage racing (since 2017), he has the third-most stage wins (44) in the series.
NO. 5 IN 2023: The Elk Grove, California, driver has earned one win, two poles and three top-five finishes this season. The most recent of those pole positions came last weekend at Bristol, where through his heat race win and passing points Larson earned the top starting spot. The driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has the second-most laps run in the top five (1,091) and the third-most laps in the top 10 (1,361). Larson is tied with four other drivers for the fifth-most top-10 stage finishes in 2023 (nine out of 16 stages run).
PAVING SUCCESS ON SHORT-TRACKS: Among the Hendrick Motorsports drivers, Larson holds the most short-track wins with three victories. The triumphs have come at Richmond Raceway (2017 and 2023) and the concrete layout of Bristol (2021). The Richmond win in 2017 came with a different organization. He has led in the last four paved short-track races, which is the longest active streak among all drivers. Larson has also finished in the top five in the last three paved short-track races and that is his longest streak of top-five finishes on short-tracks ever. Since the start of 2022, Larson ranks third for most points earned on short tracks (234) and sixth in laps led on that track type (206).
MARTINSVILLE MOJO: Last October, Larson won the pole and came very close to a victory. Ultimately, he scored the runner-up position at Martinsville Speedway – his best result at the Virginia venue. Larson has 16 Cup Series starts at the .526-mile track. He has led 180 laps, won one pole, tallied three top-five finishes and four top-10s at the track. Two of those three top-five results have come in the last four races at the venue with the Rick Hendrick-owned team.
PIT CREW RETURNS: Last weekend at Bristol, non-competitive pit stops were held at the stage breaks and crew members performed the stops instead of the pit crew. At Martinsville, the No. 5 HendrickCars.com pit crew is back. The team’s five-man pit crew consists of Blaine Anderson (front-tire changer), R.J. Barnette (tire carrier), Brandon Harder (fueler), Brandon Johnson (jackman) and Calvin Teague (rear-tire changer).
EXTRACURRICULARS: In addition to Larson’s full-time NASCAR schedule, he still races on dirt throughout the week. Last Thursday, April 6, Larson competed in his own Late Model Challenge race and won, taking the lead with 13 laps to go at Volunteer Speedway in Tennessee. On Tuesday, Larson finished fifth in the A Feature of the inaugural event of the High Limit Sprint Car Series season at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas. Along with his brother-in-law Brad Sweet, Larson has launched a series featuring a weeknight schedule where many of the nation’s top sprint car drivers compete at 11 different racetracks throughout the United States. Check out the full schedule at highlimitracing.com.
YOUR CAR NEEDS: This weekend, Larson will drive the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, but you can pick up your own keys from any one of Hendrick Automotive Group’s 95 dealerships nationwide. Customers can also shop from the convenience of their home selecting 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.
HENDRICK IS HIRING: Join 10,000+ others nationwide in working at Hendrick Automotive Group. Hendrick is hiring technicians and other positions at its dealerships throughout the country. Positions are open for all skill levels and offer tuition and training reimbursement. Individuals who are interested can apply at HENDRICKCARS.COM.
9 CHASE ELLIOTT
Age: 27 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: 34th
No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
HE’S BACK: On Wednesday, it was announced that Chase Elliott would return to the seat of the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 this weekend at Martinsville Speedway. Elliott, 27, suffered a fractured tibia last month and has missed the last six NASCAR Cup Series races while he’s been recuperating. After being medically cleared Tuesday, Elliott tested Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning in the Chevrolet Driver-in-the-Loop simulator in Concord, North Carolina, before making the final decision to return at Martinsville. Hendrick Motorsports has received a waiver from NASCAR to allow Elliott to be eligible for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
PAPERCLIP PERFORMANCE: Elliott is set to make his 16th Martinsville start in the Cup Series on Sunday. The 27-year-old driver made his Cup Series debut for Hendrick Motorsports at the track on March 29, 2015. Since then, he has led a total of 957 laps there – his most laps led at any track. Across his 15 Cup starts at Martinsville, he has one win (fall 2020), five top-five finishes and nine top-10s. He leads all drivers there with six stage wins – tied for the most stage wins by a Cup Series driver at a track. Elliott is also tied for the third-most top 10s in the last seven Martinsville races with five.
GOING BACK TO ‘22: In last April’s Martinsville race, Elliott and the No. 9 team started from the pole and swept the first two stages. The 2020 Cup Series champion led a total of 185 laps during the race, including the 10,000th lap led by a Hendrick Motorsports driver at Martinsville – the only Cup Series track to see a team lead over 10,000 laps in its history. Elliott ultimately took the checkered flag in the 10th position after the race was sent into overtime. In the fall, the driver of the No. 9 started the race in second and finished in the runner-up position in each of the first two stages, leading 54 laps en route to a 10th-place result. He’s one of only six drivers, including teammate William Byron, to finish in the top 10 in each race at the .526-mile circuit last season.
SHORT-TRACK STATS: On Sunday, Elliott will make his 42nd short-track start in the Cup Series. In those races, he has garnered one win (Martinsville 2020), 14 top-five finishes, 21 top-10s, two poles and led 1,491 laps. Since 2022 on that track type, Elliott is tied with seven other drivers for the second-most top-10 finishes (four), led the fourth-most laps on short tracks (240) and is tied for the seventh-most points (202).
WINNING GAME: Despite missing the last six Cup Series events, Elliott is tied for the lead among his peers in the number of victories scored in the Next Gen car with five. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native was in the running to earn his sixth earlier this season at Auto Club Speedway, ultimately finishing second in the 200-lap race. It was his last start prior to his injury.
AG’S PAPERCLIP PAST: No. 9 team crew chief Alan Gustafson is set to call his 37th Martinsville Speedway race from atop the pit box. In his previous 36 Cup Series starts at the track, he has three wins, 15 top-five finishes and 26 top-10s with 1,934 laps led at the venue. Gustafson most recently visited victory lane at the Virginia short track with Elliott in November of 2020 to solidify the No. 9 team’s spot in the Championship 4. The veteran crew chief’s other two wins came with NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon in 2013 and 2015.
GET UP AND GO: NAPA Auto Parts is back on board the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 this weekend at Martinsville. The Atlanta-based company has been Elliott’s primary partner for 10 of his 15 Cup starts at the short track, including his 2020 victory. This season marks NAPA’s 10th year partnering with the five-time Cup Series Most Popular Driver Award winner, dating back to his first season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Get a closer look at the 2023 paint scheme here.
24 WILLIAM BYRON
Age: 25 (Nov. 29, 1997)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Standings: 14th
No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
24 POWER: William Byron and the No. 24 team are off to a hot start in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season. Through eight points-paying races, Byron tops most statistical categories including wins (two), stage wins (five), laps run in the top five (1,139) and laps run in the top 10 (1,402). He is second in laps led (385) to Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson (438). The Charlotte, North Carolina, native is also tied for the most top-10 finishes in a stage (11).
STAGE WINNER: During the 2023 season, Byron has five stage wins – the most of any driver. In fact, he’s won stage one in four of the last six races this season. This also marks the most stage wins for him in a season – surpassing his four stage wins in 2021 and 2022. His five stage wins are tied for the most stage wins by a driver in the first eight races.
SHORT-TRACK SUCCESS: Heading into the second short-track race of 2023, Byron is no stranger to success at this type of track. Since the start of 2022, he has led the most laps on short tracks (451) and has collected the second-most points (234). In his last eight short-track races, Byron has one win, five top-five finishes, six top-10s, 451 laps led, an average starting position of 10.00 and an average finish of 7.13. Of those stats, his top-10 finishes and average finish rank the best of all drivers with his top-five finishes tied for the most among all competitors.
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 25-year-old driver has moved through the NASCAR ranks and is now poised to make his 11th Cup Series start there. Of his previous 10 starts at the .526-mile short track, Byron has one win (April 2022), four top-five finishes (his most at a track), six top-10s (tied for his most at a track) with 221 laps led (his third-most laps led at a track). In fact, he is one of six drivers, along with teammate Chase Elliott, to finish in the top 10 in both Martinsville races last year. Byron currently holds the second-longest top-10 streak there with four. Over the last seven races there, he has the second-most top-10 finishes (six).
THE FUGLE FILES: This Sunday’s race will mark crew chief Rudy Fugle’s fifth in the Cup Series at Martinsville. In his first four Cup Series starts, Fugle has one win (April 2022), three top-five finishes and four top-10s with the No. 24 team. Aside from his Cup Series starts, the Livonia, New York, native has 14 races already under his belt at the Virginia venue, all in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. In those 14 races, Fugle has 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.
PIT ROAD PROWESS: The No. 24 pit crew has an average four-tire pit stop time of 11.224 – the best average in the field. The No. 24 pit crew consists of Spencer Bishop (jackman), Jeff Cordero (front-tire changer), Orane Ossowski (rear-tire changer), Ryan Patton (tire carrier) and Landon Walker (fueler). They also had the fastest four-tire pit stop in the season-opening DAYTONA 500 at 11.278 seconds.
GOT 99 PROBLEMS, BUT WINNING AIN’T ONE: With his two victories to start the year, Byron continues to make his mark on the legacy of the No. 24 at the Cup Series level. Those two wins bring the No. 24 one victory away from 100. Currently fifth with 99 wins, the No. 24 is only behind the No. 3 with 101, the No. 2 with 102 wins, the No. 43 with 200 wins and the No. 11 with 228 wins on the all-time list. In fact, the No. 24 has 10 wins at Martinsville alone – with one of those being Byron’s. Those 10 wins are tied with another Hendrick Motorsports number, the No. 48, for the third-most by a car number at the short track.
LIBERTY U IS BACK: This Sunday, Byron will sport his Liberty University paint scheme for the third time in the 2023 season. Featuring a white base with navy flames and red accents, the Liberty University No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will be sure to stand out on track. The school has a long history with Byron starting back in 2014 in the late model ranks. Liberty 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 now in his junior year through its online program. For a better look at Byron’s new Liberty University paint scheme, click here.
48 Alex Bowman
Age: 29 (April 25, 1993)
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Resides: Concord, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Blake Harris
Standings: 11th
No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
MARTINSVILLE MAGIC: Alex Bowman has had success at Martinsville Speedway in his NASCAR Cup Series career. In his 13 starts in sport’s top series, the Tucson, Arizona, native has one win coming in the penultimate race of the 2021 season, one top-five finish, four top-10s and has completed 6,203 of 6,404 laps (96.9%) across those starts. His win and three of the top-10 finishes have come in the last fives races at the Virginia venue.
SHOT OUT OF A CANNON: The driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is poised to have one of his best seasons in NASCAR’s premier series. Through eight points-paying races, Bowman has the best average finish and is tied for the most top-10 finishes. In the season thus far, he has one pole position – at the DAYTONA 500 – three top-five finishes, six top-10s, an average starting position of 9.13 and an average finish of 9.88. Bowman is also tied for the fifth-most top-10 stage results this season (nine), the sixth-most laps run in the top five (581) and the seventh-most laps run in the top 10 (1,159).
RIGHT ‘ROUND: Heading into this weekend’s race at Martinsville, Bowman has completed all but two laps in the 2023 Cup Series season (1,983 of 1,985). Only three drivers have completed more laps in 2023.
HE’S DUE: Since the start of the 2021 season, Bowman is tied for the fourth-most wins with five. His most recent victory came last year at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which locked him into the 2022 playoffs. In that span, one of those five wins came at Martinsville in October 2021.
SHORT-TRACK SPEED: Bowman has two wins on short tracks in his Cup career. The first came at Richmond Raceway in April 2021. In that event, Bowman finished the first stage in seventh and the second stage in fourth before leading the final 10 laps to victory. The other win was at Martinsville, where he finished eighth in the first stage, second in the second stage and led the final eight laps to capture the checkered flag.
PIT POWER: The No. 48 Ally Racing pit crew holds the ninth-fastest pit stop of the 2023 season. On lap 185 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the five-man crew made a four-tire pit stop of 9.776 seconds, which was the fastest four-tire stop of that race. The five-man team also holds the 10th-fastest four-tire pit stop average at 11.553 seconds. The over-the-wall crew is made up of rear-tire changer Andrew Bridgeforth (rear-tire changer), Jacob Conley (fueler), Allen Holman (jackman), Scott Riddle (tire carrier) and Donnie Tasser (front-tire changer).
CALL HIM PIG-PEN: After finishing the dirt race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Bowman flew to Lakeside Speedway in Kansas to run the No. 55 Ally sprint car for Alex Bowman Racing on Tuesday night. He finished 16th in the A Feature that was the first event of the High Limit Sprint Car Series co-created by Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson.
SAVE THEM ALL: Bowman and primary partner Ally are teaming up this year to bring back the Best Friends Animal Society donation effort. This week, the duo will make charitable contributions to the SPCA of Martinsville and Henry County, which serves the local community in Martinsville. Bowman and Ally will donate $4,800 to Best Friends and the SPCA of Martinsville and Henry County. Ally will increase its donation to $10,000 if the No. 48 team wins on Sunday.
DAY ‘N’ NITE: The No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will adorn two versions of its primary scheme during the 2023 Cup Series season. The No. 48 Ally Chevy “day” scheme will host a white base with bright plum, grapefruit, and seafoam stripes down the side. This version of the primary scheme will appear at races that take place during the day. When the lights come on over the racetrack, the black-based No. 48 Ally Chevy “night” scheme will be sported with a similar design to its daytime counterpart. This weekend, the No. 48 machine will go back to the white-based “day” scheme. Check out all the angles of the new look here.
HENDRICK
MOTORSPORTS /
Hendrick Motorsports
| 2023 | All-Time | Martinsville | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Races | 8 | 1,317 | 78 |
| Wins | 3* | 294* | 27* |
| Poles | 4* | 243* | 19* |
| Top 5 | 11* | 1,201* | 89* |
| Top 10 | 15* | 2,060* | 143* |
| Laps Led | 873* | 78,190* | 10,501* |
| Stage Wins | 7* | 86 | 7 |
*Most **Most (tie)
CLOSING IN ON 300: Hendrick Motorsports is six points-paying victories away from 300 in the NASCAR Cup Series. Twenty drivers have combined to reach the organization’s current total of 294 wins, which is the most in the sport by any one team. Their first win came at Martinsville Speedway in April 1984 with Geoff Bodine behind the wheel. With three wins this season, Hendrick Motorsports has posted its 36th multi-win season in the Cup Series. In each of the last 30 seasons, the organization has won at least two races.
BACK ON THE BOX: Sunday’s race at Martinsville will see the return of Cliff Daniels (No. 5), Alan Gustafson (No. 9), Rudy Fugle (No. 24) and Blake Harris (No. 48) as the crew chiefs for their respective teams. All four crew chiefs had been suspended for the previous four races due to penalties enforced by NASCAR.
IN THE KNOW: This weekend’s action will use the rules package designed to have a decrease in downforce for most short ovals and road courses. Hendrick Motorsports has won two of the three races with this rules package: William Byron (at Phoenix Raceway) and Kyle Larson (at Richmond Raceway). In the event of damp conditions, teams will be able to use “wet weather equipment” at the short track.
CLOCKING IN: With its 27 victories at the paperclip-shaped track, Hendrick Motorsports holds the Cup Series record for the most wins at a single circuit. Eight different drivers (the greatest number of different winners at Martinsville) have won at this track for the organization, led by Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson with nine victories apiece. Darrell Waltrip recorded four wins. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bodine and current drivers Byron, Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott have each taken home one Martinsville victory. The team is the only one to lead over 10,000 laps at any one track with 10,501 circuits out front.
SPRING REWIND: Byron won the 2022 spring event at the .526-mile track for the organization’s series-best 27th victory at the Virginia venue. On the night, Hendrick Motorsports led a dominating 397 of 403 laps. At 98.51%, the performance set a record for the organization’s highest percentage of laps led in a single race.
STUDYING THE TRENDS: The 14-time Cup Series championship-winning organization has won three of the last five Martinsville races and one race at the facility over the past three seasons. Elliott’s playoff win in 2020 marked the start of that stretch. Then, Bowman won in October 2021 and Byron visited victory lane last spring.
NO SHORTAGE: Hendrick Motorsports leads all active Cup Series teams with 56 points-paying victories on short tracks – 11 more than the next closest team. Gordon leads all drivers in team history with 17 short-track wins.
VICTORY IN VIRGINIA: Team owner Rick Hendrick grew up in Palmer Springs, Virginia, and his teams have won 39 Cup Series races in his home state. Hendrick Motorsports has gone to victory lane in Virginia at least one time in 28 different seasons, including the past four. The past 10 races in Virginia have seen one of his drivers emerge victorious on five occasions with each of the four active drivers winning.
STAGE SAVANTS: With seven stage wins in 2023, Hendrick Motorsports has the most stage wins in the series. Those stage wins have come between two drivers – Byron (five) and Larson (two). The seven stage triumphs through eight races are tied for the second-most by one team in Cup Series history. The team’s eight stage wins in 2020 stand as the most stage wins at this point in one season.
WINNING WAYS: Since the start of the 2021 season, all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers rank among the top-six winningest drivers in the Cup Series. Larson’s 14 wins top the board, followed by Elliott’s seven. Byron and Bowman are in a three-way tie for fourth with five victories each.
NEXT GEN NUMBERS: Elliott is tied for the most wins since the launch of the Next Gen car (in 2022) with five victories. In that span, Larson and Byron each have four wins, which is tied with two other drivers for third.
QUOTABLE /
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his desire to get his first win at Martinsville Speedway: “I want to win at any track that I haven’t won at. Martinsville (Speedway) has been a place I’ve struggled at pretty regularly. Last year, we had two good races at Martinsville. I feel like it is potentially in our future to win a race there. If I did, that would probably be the all-time biggest win of my life, because any time you can accomplish something that is difficult to you or you don’t think you can accomplish, it means a lot.”
Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on building on the foundation of last year’s results at Martinsville: “(I’m) certainly optimistic going to Martinsville Speedway. Hendrick Motorsports, as a whole with the Next Gen car last year, had decent performance there. It is a different aerodynamic package than what we had last year, so there are some question marks around that. We will just have to work through it this weekend. It’s nice knowing that we have the foundation of performance last year with our company and hopefully we can build on that.”
Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his return to action at Martinsville: “The rest of the field has been racing and continuing to sharpen those tools and I haven’t. I do think it is going to be tough, but I certainly believe we can go up there, have a really strong performance and get back in the groove. We’ve got to have our ducks in a row. I think it will be a good opportunity to get back in the swing of things and we’ll see where it goes from there.”
Elliott, on the importance of Martinsville related to the NASCAR playoffs: “Martinsville (Speedway) has become an extremely important race because of where it falls on the schedule in the fall. When I go there in the spring, I’m thinking about if we are in a position here in the fall and we are still in the points deal, this race can be really important. Much like Phoenix (Raceway) in the spring, you are thinking about that championship weekend if you are fortunate enough to make it back. I put Martinsville kind of in that same bucket.
Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on racing at Martinsville: “Martinsville (Speedway) is just such a unique place and it’s so tied to the roots of short-track racing that I came from and I think most people that compete in the sport have come from. I think that just makes it special. I enjoy racing there. You can see the car all the way around the track. You can see when you’re good and when you’re not good. You can see the contact. It’s just fun. A lot of things have changed over the years, generations of cars, tires and rules packages, but Martinsville for the most part stays pretty much the same, which is cool.”
William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his thoughts about Martinsville: “Martinsville (Speedway) means a lot to me. I remember going there as a kid. Then, getting the win last April, especially with everything that was going on with my family, it meant a lot. I’ve always run well there, short tracks in general really. I think we have had really strong cars there lately, but we do have some room for improvement from the fall race last year. With how we’re running this season, though, I’m optimistic for this weekend.”
Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on what’s important at Martinsville: “I feel like we’ve always run well at Martinsville (Speedway). Not only run well but we finish well. I think the biggest thing, though, to be good there is to put together a solid weekend. We learned that in the fall when we didn’t qualify well and it put us behind almost all race. Qualifying is important any time, but it’s probably most important at a place like Martinsville. If we have a good Saturday, it will propel us to have a good Sunday, and that’s out goal this weekend.”
Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on having crew chief Blake Harris back: “It’s nice having him back, obviously. I think not having him at the track in the early part of the season was a setback. At the same time, I had Greg Ives back and we had a lot of time together, so communication wasn’t something we had to develop. Blake and I still worked closely at the shop on what I needed in the car, so I think it will just go back to business as usual this weekend.”
Blake Harris, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on getting back on top of the pit box: “I am excited to get to Martinsville Speedway this weekend and have my first trip there with Alex (Bowman). He’s had success in the past there as have I with other drivers. I think it is one of his best short tracks and he runs really well there. There are a lot of specifics and driver inputs at Martinsville that complement his driving style really well. Hendrick Motorsports has a massive history of success there. Last year, they had speed in qualifying and in the race. Alex has only raced there once in the Next Gen car, so we have a year’s worth of development to get through and will hopefully go have a good weekend.”
Harris, on reviewing the recent success of the No. 48 team for prep heading to Martinsville: “I think when you look at the past success and every week this year, we have had speed. Most of the tracks we have gone to, we have had top-five speed. Just carrying Hendrick Motorsports’ speed and performance that we have had all season and using that as a solid baseline will help us a lot.”
