5 KYLE LARSON
Age: 31 (July 31, 1992)
Hometown: Elk Grove, California
Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels
Standings: 5th
No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
DAYTONA DEETS: In three of the last four NASCAR Cup Series races at Daytona International Speedway, Kyle Larson has started first for the main event. In the 2023 DAYTONA 500, he qualified second and in the 2022 DAYTONA 500 he earned the pole position. In his 18 starts at the 2.5-mile Daytona Beach, Florida track, Larson has led 24 laps and scored five top-10 finishes.
SO CLOSE AT SUPERSPEEDWAYS: Although the 31-year-old driver has not yet locked in a win on a superspeedway, Larson has had some strong runs. In this year’s DAYTONA 500, he was on the front row for the final restart before being caught up in an incident on the last lap. His best run to date on a drafting-style track was a fourth-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway in April 2022.
RESTART READY: The driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is skilled at defending his position following cautions on-track. The Elk Grove, California, native ranks second-best among Cup Series drivers on restarts in 2023, based on data from Racing Insights.
WITH ONE REMAINING: With one race remaining in the regular season, Larson has earned the No. 5 team a spot in the playoffs for the third season in a row. He has won two points-paying races (Richmond Raceway and Martinsville Speedway) and the non-points-paying All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. This season, Larson has claimed a series-leading 10 top-five finishes and holds the best average starting position (9.72). He also has 12 top-10 finishes, three stage wins, has led the third-most laps (624), holds the fourth-best average running position (12.23) and has run the fourth-most laps in the top five (2,164) and top 10 (3,486).
SEVEN PLAYOFF SEASONS: This year’s playoffs will mark the seventh time that Larson has made the sport’s premier series playoffs. That is tied with teammate Chase Elliott for the most playoff appearances by a current driver at Hendrick Motorsports. The 2021 Cup Series champion is on the hunt for his second title in the 2023 playoffs.
FOUR TIRES FAST: The No. 5 HendrickCars.com pit crew ranks fifth on pit road for the best average four-tire pit stop time (11.266 seconds). The team’s four-tire stop of 9.281 seconds on lap 93 in June’s race at Nashville Superspeedway stands as the fourth-fastest four-tire stop of the season. The No. 5 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). Rod Cox is currently filling in for Teague, who is week-to-week as he rehabs a knee injury.
CATCH KYLE: On Saturday at Daytona, Larson will be at the Team Chevy display in the fan midway at 4:30 p.m. ET.
HENDRICKCARS.COM IN FLORIDA: This weekend, the No. 5 HendrickCars.com team races “away” in Daytona Beach, Florida, but you can visit one of their six Sunshine State dealerships in Tallahassee, Bradenton, Naples or Pompano Beach. Not in Florida? Shop one of Hendrick Automotive Group’s other 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.
9 CHASE ELLIOTT
Age: 27 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: 21st
No. 9 LLumar Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
PLAYOFF TALK: This weekend is Chase Elliott and the No. 9 team’s final opportunity to race their way into the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series postseason. Elliott is in a must-win situation to advance to the playoffs for the driver championship. The No. 9 team currently holds the final spot in the provisional playoff field for the owner championship by 30 points over the No. 23 entry.
TALKIN’ ABOUT DAYTONA: In 15 Cup Series starts at Daytona International Speedway, Elliott has two top-five finishes – both being runner-up results – four top-10s and three poles. He’s led 157 laps on the 2.5-mile superspeedway, including 31 laps last August. Additionally, the 27-year-old driver has nine starts at Daytona in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, capturing a win (in 2016), two top-five finishes and four top-10s. He also has a top-10 finish in one NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start at the track.
DRAFT DOMINANT: Last season across six drafting-style races, Elliott was the only repeat winner, earning the popular home track victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway in July and backing that up with a playoff win at Talladega Superspeedway in October. He led all drivers with five top-10s and three stage wins in those six events last year and led 166 laps, second only to teammate William Byron. In 2023, Elliott has three starts on drafting tracks. He’s set the pace for the field for 18 laps and has one stage win – all coming at Talladega in the spring. Overall, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native is tied for the fourth-most wins on drafting-style tracks by active Cup drivers with three. He’s also tied with Byron for the most drafting wins in the Next Gen car with two.
SUPERSPEEDWAY RANKS: Over the last 15 races on superspeedways, Elliott shares the top spot in multiple categories – tied for most runner-up finishes (two), most top-fives (five) and most stage wins (five). He ranks second in wins (two), top-10 finishes (nine), laps led (267) and average finish (11.73) across that span.
COMING HOME: 2020 Cup Series champion crew chief Alan Gustafson will return home to the “World Center of Racing” this weekend. The veteran shot caller grew up in Ormond Beach, Florida, just down the road from the legendary superspeedway. After graduating from Seabreeze High School, Gustafson enrolled at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to study mechanical engineering. This is his 19th season as a crew chief and eighth year with Elliott. Gustafson has three victories on drafting-style tracks, all with his current driver.
LLUMAR RETURNS: LLumar, a brand of automotive window tint and paint protection film manufactured by Eastman, will have its colors carried on the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 this weekend at Daytona. It’s the second of four races that the brand is serving as primary partner during the 2023 season. Following this Saturday’s race, LLumar will be back on board Elliott’s No. 9 at Talladega and Las Vegas Motor Speedway in October. Earlier this season, Elliott drove the LLumar Throwback Chevrolet to a third-place finish at Darlington Raceway. In June, it was announced that Eastman Performance Films, LLC extended its sponsorship of Hendrick Motorsports, Elliott and the No. 9 team through 2026. Get a look at the 2023 LLumar Chevrolet here.
RACEDAY APPEARANCES: On Saturday at Daytona, Elliott will stop by the Team Chevy display in the fan midway at 3:45 p.m. ET. Also making an appearance at the Team Chevy display throughout the weekend is the 2023 No. 9 LLumar Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 show car.
24 WILLIAM BYRON
Age: 25 (Nov. 29, 1997)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Standings: 3rd
No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
HIGH FIVE: When the NASCAR Cup Series raced at Watkins Glen International this past Sunday, William Byron and the No. 24 team took home the checkered flag – their fifth of the season. On race day, Byron started second and finished stage one in that spot. A call by crew chief Rudy Fugle to pit two laps into the second stage set Byron up to take the lead and the stage two win. Despite a mid-race caution, Byron continued to dominate the 90-lap event, crossing the finish line first for his first NASCAR road course win. He is the eighth different driver to win five races in a season for Hendrick Motorsports.
WHAT’S IN A NUMBER?: With his win at Watkins Glen, Byron continues to extend the history of the No. 24. At 102 victories in the Cup Series, the No. 24 is now tied with the No. 2 for third on the all-time wins list by car number. The No. 43 is second at 200 and the No. 11 is atop the board at 230. Byron’s five victories in the No. 24 this season are tied for the eighth-most wins in a single season with the number.
NEXT GEN DUO: Since the introduction of the Next Gen Cup Series car in 2022, Byron and Fugle have collected seven wins together. Not only is that the most by a driver but it is also the most by a crew chief in the same time period.
ONE MORE: Heading into the regular-season finale, Byron is third in the Cup Series driver points standings, 76 markers behind the leader. He continues to have a career-best year, leading the series in wins (five), stage wins (eight) and laps run in the top five (2,778). Byron’s 876 laps led are not only the top mark in the series but are also a single-season best mark for the 25-year-old driver. His nine top-five finishes are tied for the second-most in the sport’s top division. In addition, Byron ranks third in average running position (10.24) and laps run in the top 10 (3,707).
DRAFT DAY: When it comes to tracks that involve drafting, Byron is consistently running up front. He has three wins on these types of tracks – his first Cup Series win at Daytona International Speedway in August 2020 and at the re-configured Atlanta Motor Speedway in March 2022 and July 2023. Two of those drafting wins came with the Next Gen car – tied for the most by a driver with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott. He also has led 213 laps at drafting tracks since the start of the 2022 season – the most of any driver.
BEACHCOMBER: Byron has 11 Cup Series starts at Daytona. In that time, he has collected one win, two top-five finishes, two top-10s and led 94 laps. However, his stats don’t accurately depict Byron’s success at the 2.5-mile oval. This is the venue where he collected his first pole award (2019 DAYTONA 500) and his first Cup Series win (2020). Byron also won the Duel qualifying race in 2020 and was in position to capture the win during the summer race in 2019 before weather ended the event early, leaving him with a runner-up finish. Byron’s success at Daytona doesn’t end there. During his 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship campaign, he led 29 laps to score the victory, becoming the youngest driver with an Xfinity Series win at Daytona at 19 years, 7 months and 1 day.
RUDY, RUDY, RUDY: Saturday night’s race at Daytona will be Fugle’s sixth on top of the box in the Cup Series at the 2.5-mile oval. In 2021, the No. 24 duo of Fugle and Byron started both races at the Florida-based track from the front row. However, despite running up front in every Daytona event they’ve raced at together in the Cup Series, misfortune has struck the No. 24 as they have been collected in on-track incidents before the checkered flag on four occasions. Aside from those five Cup starts, the Livonia, New York, native has nine other national series starts at Daytona, with seven coming in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. Fugle has one runner-up result, one top-five finish and two top-10s across those seven races. Of those Truck Series starts, one of them was with Byron, where the duo qualified and finished 13th.
PIT ROAD PROWESS: After 25 races in the 2023 season, the No. 24 pit crew remains in the top spot with the fastest average four-tire pit stop time of 11.078 seconds. 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).
RAPTOR® TOUGH: For this weekend’s regular-season finale at Daytona, Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will have RaptorTough.com back on board. RAPTOR® is a durable protective coating that is designed to tolerate the toughest climatic conditions and can be applied to a wide range of items, including truck beds, lawnmowers, outdoor furniture and more. With 16 pre-mixed colors available, it’s easy to personalize anything you want to protect. RAPTOR® is available at local paint distributors, auto parts stores, and online retailers. For a better look at Byron’s No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, click here.
48 Alex Bowman
Age: 30 (April 25, 1993)
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Resides: Concord, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Blake Harris
Standings: 20th
No. 48 Ally Arena Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
BACK AT THE BEACH: On Saturday night, Alex Bowman and the NASCAR Cup Series take on Daytona International Speedway for the 2023 regular-season finale. The 30-year-old driver is currently ranked 20th in the driver points standings, 96 markers behind the provisional playoff bubble. Bowman must win under the lights to punch his ticket to the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season with Hendrick Motorsports.
SIX GOD: Bowman has become a familiar face at the front of the Daytona field, having started on the front row for the DAYTONA 500 for a record six consecutive years. He earned the pole position for this year’s DAYTONA 500 as well as the 2018 and 2021 marquee events. He is the fifth-youngest pole winner in the event’s history based on his 2018 pole at 24 years, 9 months and 17 days old.
DRAFTING DOWNLOAD: In the 2023 DAYTONA 500, Bowman finished fifth, marking the first time since 2001 a pole sitter has recorded a top-five result in that race. In the Daytona summer race, he has three top-10 finishes in seven starts. Bowman’s best finish at a drafting track was a runner-up showing at Talladega Superspeedway in 2019, where he placed second to teammate Chase Elliott.
BLAKE AT SUPERSPEEDWAYS: Blake Harris, who is the crew chief of the No. 48 Ally Racing team, will make his third start atop the pit box at Daytona. In his first start with the No. 34 team in the 2022 DAYTONA 500, Harris qualified sixth and finished seventh with driver Michael McDowell. This year, Harris helped Bowman lead the field to the green flag at the DAYTONA 500 before finishing the race in fifth.
1 VICTORY ROYALE: This Saturday, the No. 48 Ally Chevy will don the bright colors and characters of the popular video game Fortnite. Ally, in collaboration with SuperAwesome, launched the Ally Arena, a new Fortnite Creative experience. This virtual space allows players to enjoy allyship and shared experiences in the form of concerts, live streams and other engaging custom content – including collaborative crossovers with NASCAR. The new Ally 48 Island, within the Ally Arena, is uniquely shaped like and inspired by the iconic No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Fans and gamers can enjoy racing-themed minigames and experience the power of Epic Games’ new Unreal Engine for Fortnite, widely recognized as the world’s leading engine for game creation, enabling builders to import custom 3D items and write code to govern their usage. (Game Code: 3804-0541-8611) To see all angles of the unique scheme, click here.
RESTART ME UP: Bowman is tied as the fifth-best driver on restarts in 2023, according to data from Racing Insights. That mark is second-best among the Hendrick Motorsports quartet, as teammate Kyle Larson is second in this statistical category.
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 Life Is Golden, Golden Retriever Rescue, Inc., which serves Port Orange, Florida. Bowman and Ally will donate $4,800 to Best Friends and Life is Golden. Ally will increase its donation to $10,000 if the No. 48 team wins.
HENDRICK
MOTORSPORTS /
| 2023 | All-Time | Daytona | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Races | 25 | 1,334 | 79 |
| Wins | 7* | 298* | 15** |
| Poles | 6 | 245* | 23* |
| Top 5 | 30* | 1,220* | 60* |
| Top 10 | 43 | 2,088* | 107* |
| Laps Led | 1,627* | 78,944* | 2,275* |
| Stage Wins | 12** | 91 | 2 |
*Most **Most (tie)
CLOSING IN ON 300: Following William Byron’s win at Watkins Glen International, Hendrick Motorsports is just two points-paying victories away from its milestone 300th win in the NASCAR Cup Series. Twenty drivers have combined to reach the organization’s current total of 298, which is the most Cup Series wins by any team. With seven points-paying victories in 2023, the team has posted its 36th multi-win season in the Cup Series while maintaining a streak of at least two per season for the past 30 years. The organization has gone to victory lane at more racetracks (31) than any other active team.
MILESTONE MOMENTS: In addition to 300 Cup Series wins, Hendrick Motorsports is approaching several other major milestones. With 245 pole awards, the team is just five away from 250 at the Cup level. In addition, Hendrick Motorsports engines have recorded 498 NASCAR national series victories and need just two more to reach 500.
NOTABLE STREAKS: With Byron’s win, Hendrick Motorsports has now had a driver notch five victories in a season for four straight years. Byron did it this season, Chase Elliott accomplished it in 2020 and 2022 and Kyle Larson achieved it in 2021. It is the team’s longest such streak since it had a driver reach five wins in a season from 2006 to 2010. In addition, the organization has five consecutive victories at Watkins Glen (2018-19, 2021-23). The only track where the team has posted a longer winning streak was at Phoenix Raceway, with six victories in a row from 2007 to 2009.
RACING INTO THE POSTSEASON: On two occasions in team history, a Hendrick Motorsports driver has raced their way into the postseason in the final regular-season race. In 2012, Jeff Gordon earned a wild card slot with a second-place finish at Richmond Raceway. In 2020, Byron was on the outside looking in following the first two stages but went on to win the event at Daytona International Speedway to make the playoffs. Both Elliott and Alex Bowman will be looking to race their way in with a win at Daytona for the one remaining playoff spot up for grabs.
PLAYOFF LOWDOWN: The 2023 season marks the 20th year with playoffs in NASCAR. Including this year, Hendrick Motorsports has had at least two drivers compete in the postseason in 19 of the 20 years. That is the most of all teams. Byron (five wins) and Larson (two wins) are already locked into the 16-driver field. In nine of the seasons with playoffs, a Hendrick Motorsports driver has gone on to win the championship. Jimmie Johnson (2006-10, 2013, 2016), Elliott (2020) and Larson (2021) each have titles in the playoff era of NASCAR racing.
WINNER WINNER: The organization is tied for the most points-paying Cup Series wins at Daytona with 15 and those victories have come from seven different drivers. Gordon’s six wins top the board, followed by Johnson with three victories and Dale Earnhardt Jr. at two triumphs. Byron, Geoff Bodine, Tim Richmond and Darrell Waltrip each have one win. Specific to the team’s seven summer race wins, Gordon won three times, while Byron, Earnhardt Jr., Johnson and Richmond each have one victory for the team.
MASTERS OF DAYTONA: The Rick Hendrick-owned team has 42 wins in total on the oval at Daytona. Those victories are broken down by 16 in the Daytona Duels, eight in the DAYTONA 500, seven in the Coke Zero 400, seven in the Clash and four in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. In addition, Elliott won the 2020 race on the Daytona International Speedway Road Course.
QUALIFYING QUICKNESS: With 23 poles at Daytona, Hendrick Motorsports has more than twice as many poles at the “World Center of Racing” as any other team. The Concord, North Carolina-based team has started first in 10 of the last 12 Daytona races with qualifying. All four drivers in the current lineup have earned a pole position at this track. The last time that two Hendrick Motorsports cars didn’t start on the front row at Daytona was in August 2020.
DRAFTING DARLINGS: The Concord, North Carolina-based team has 32 wins on drafting tracks, which is the highest total among active teams in the series by 12 victories. The drafting tracks on the circuit are 2.5-mile Daytona, 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway and 1.54-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway (since its reprofiling for the 2022 season). In addition to its 15 wins at Daytona, the team has 14 victories at Talladega and three triumphs at Atlanta.
NEXT GEN NUMBERS: Byron and Elliott are tied for the most wins (two) on drafting tracks in the Next Gen car. Byron was victorious at Atlanta in March 2022 and July 2023. Elliott scored wins at Atlanta in July 2022 and Talladega in October 2022. Those victories have all occurred in the last nine races on drafting tracks.
QUOTABLE /
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his goal at this superspeedway race: “At all the superspeedways, I just crash. It’s difficult. I feel like we have gotten a lot better at it. I don’t think style is the right word, but it takes a different mindset to race there (superspeedways). We’ve done a much better job at positioning ourselves to the front of the pack. One small decision can lead to you losing a little track position and even ultimately getting into a crash. I’d like to get some good finishes. I’m not even looking for a win, I just want to finish. We (the No. 5 team) have not finished at a superspeedway race this year. If we keep positioning ourselves towards the front, it’s going to work out eventually.”
Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the team’s hopes for Daytona International Speedway: “Speedway racing has not been kind to us for whatever reason. We always bring fast cars and that is such a huge credit to everyone at the engine shop here at Hendrick Motorsports and all the folks building the race cars. Every time we unload at a speedway, we know we are going to be competitive. We just continue to get caught up in action on track. Hopefully, at some point that turns around for us and we can find ourselves in a good spot at the end of the race and get a good finish. Of course, this weekend our mindset is going to be getting a good finish to help our teammates as much as we can. We have two must-win cars that need to get into the playoffs, so we need to be good teammates and pushers – being a good wingman however we can do it. We want to put ourselves in position to be around and be helpful at the end of the race.”
Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the adversity the team has faced this season: “I just really appreciate everyone on this No. 9 team for continuing to show up and fight every week. It’s been a different year for sure – not one that I would like to do over. There’s definitely a lot of lessons learned, and I think there’ll be some good to come from this on the back end and this season to come. So, I’m looking forward to this weekend. Hopefully, we can get in the show. Worst case, try to get the No. 9 car in the owner playoffs and make a run at that, regardless. I’m looking forward to opportunities ahead, continuing to fight and trying to improve these last 11 weeks.”
Elliott on how he approaches superspeedway racing: “Those races are so tough, but I think as we’ve seen over the last few years, track position ends up being a really important piece of the puzzle at those races. The (Daytona) night race in the summer becomes a bit of a wreck fest, so trying to balance that stuff is tough. I think one important piece of plate racing is establishing yourself as one of those guys who can make a difference and make a lane move forward. I’m just excited to get down there and give it a shot.”
William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on if he thinks the No. 24 team is ready for the playoffs: “I think we’re in good form right now. I think we’re close. It’s kind of like football, and we’ve used that analogy a lot this week, in that it’s going to continue to get harder. Guys are going to get faster over the weeks. I think at this point, if the championship was next week, we would say ‘yeah let’s do this.’ Hopefully, we feel the same way after Martinsville (Speedway) and go into Phoenix (Raceway) prepared. I think we’re in good form now, but a lot can change.”
Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the plan for Daytona: “For this weekend, it’s going to be all about helping our teammates in the Nos. 9 and 48. We want to figure out how to be a good pusher and help one of them get to the win. That’s our number one goal: To help the organization. And to be honest, I like that. If we can do that, we’re also guaranteeing ourselves a good finish and you have a purpose. You have an exact way on how you want to approach the race and that’s to help one of your teammates.”
Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the goal at Daytona: “Obviously, this situation is not ideal, but we have one option – win. I have mixed feelings because normally, I feel like I draft well with the No. 9 car and Chase Elliott, but this weekend, I have to beat him. We have a great team, a great pit crew, and as long as we can stay out of the big one, there is no reason we can’t go compete for a win this Saturday and grab the last playoff spot.”
Blake Harris, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his confidence heading to Daytona: “We had a really good race here for the DAYTONA 500 – starting on the pole and taking home a top-five finish. We have also had speed at the other superspeedways this year, so we have a lot of confidence we will have a fast No. 48 Ally Arena Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 this Saturday under the lights. Our team does a good job of staying focused in high-pressure situations and this weekend is another shot for us to show up and compete. If we can keep our heads down and execute the way our team knows we can, there is no reason we can’t punch our ticket to the playoffs.”
