5 KYLE LARSON
Age: 31 (July 31, 1992)
Hometown: Elk Grove, California
Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels
Standings: 1st
No. 5 Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
LEADER OF THE PACK: With his eighth-place finish Sunday at Nashville Superspeedway, Kyle Larson broke a tie with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott for the lead in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season standings and now holds a 20-point advantage. The Elk Grove, California, native also has accrued 23 playoff points with seven races to go in the regular season.
CHI-TOWN: The Cup Series will make its second visit to the Chicago Street Race on Sunday. The layout features 12 turns across 2.2 miles in the heart of the Windy City. Last year, Larson started seventh and finished fourth in the inaugural event.
ROAD SUCCESS: Larson is tied for second-most road course wins among all active Cup Series drivers. His five victories on serpentine tracks occurred at Sonoma Raceway (2021 and 2024), Watkins Glen International (2021 and 2022) and the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL (2021). All of the triumphs have come with Cliff Daniels, who ranks second among active crew chiefs in road course wins. Larson is one of seven drivers all-time to finish first on at least three different road courses.
MILESTONE MARKER: On Sunday, Larson is scheduled to make his 350th start in NASCAR’s premier series. Throughout his Cup-level career, the Elk Grove, California, native has 26 wins (tied for 32nd all-time), 112 top-five finishes, 174 top-10s and 20 pole awards.
UP ON THE STAGE: Larson has earned 207 stage points this season, 34 more than second place. The 2021 Cup Series champion has run the most laps in the top five (2,838) while his 12.28 average finish ranks second.
FAST CAR: With seven races to go in the regular season, Larson has led 755 laps, which is 35 more than anyone else. The 31-year-old driver also leads the series in pole positions (four) while he is tied for most wins (three).
I DRIVE FASTLY: In just his fourth year driving for Hendrick Motorsports, Larson has already accumulated 20 points-paying wins, which rank him third in team history. He trails only NASCAR Hall of Famers Jeff Gordon (93) and Jimmie Johnson (83) in victories for the organization, which has won Cup races with a record 20 different drivers.
SATURDAY SUCCESS: On Saturday, Larson will wheel the No. 17 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race. In March at Circuit of The Americas, the Hendrick Motorsports driver captured victory on the road course – the organization’s first at the Xfinity Series level with the No. 17 entry.
VALVOLINE ON BOARD: At Chicago, Valvoline will appear for its third of three 2024 primary races with the No. 5 team. Valvoline Inc. is a global leader in vehicle care and supplier of premium branded lubricants and automotive services. Since 2014, Hendrick Motorsports has earned a NASCAR-best three Cup Series championships (2016, 2020 and 2021) with Valvoline products in its Chevrolet racing engines. Off the track, Valvoline is the preferred lubricant of Hendrick Automotive Group, which operates 93 car dealerships across the United States. See every angle of the paint scheme that will be on track here.
9 CHASE ELLIOTT
Age: 28 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: 2nd
No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
TALKIN’ 2024: With only seven races remaining before the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, Chase Elliott ranks second in the regular season standings, only 20 points behind Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson. The 28-year-old holds an average finish of 10.05, which leads the series and is the best of his Cup career through 19 points-paying races. His seven top-five finishes are tied for second-best and his nine top-10s are tied for sixth-best.
CHASING HISTORY: Elliott has been the king of consistency this season. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native is the only driver to finish all 19 points-paying events inside the top 20, making him the first driver to do so since Ricky Rudd in 1991. His father, NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, also accomplished the feat in 1988. Bill’s worst finish through 19 events that season was 19th, matching Chase’s lowest result this year. Elliott has completed all but one lap this season, which is the best mark since Kurt Busch finished every lap through the first 19 races of 2016. The Hendrick Motorsports driver’s only performance not on the lead lap occurred at Bristol Motor Speedway where he still drove to an eighth-place finish.
CHICAGO FILES: The Chicago Street Race represents one of only two road courses on the current Cup Series schedule where Elliott has yet to win. After last year’s inaugural event in downtown Chicago was delayed by weather, he started at the rear of the field after moving to a backup car. The driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 finished the first stage in 20th and followed that with a 25th-place result in stage two after contact with the tire barrier. Strategy in the final stage helped Elliott gain pivotal track position. He held his own through several late-race cautions to take the checkered flag in the third position.
ROAD RACING MASTER: Elliott leads active drivers with seven Cup Series victories on road courses and is tied for the most stage wins with eight. He’s also third on the all-time road course victories list, trailing only NASCAR Hall of Famers Jeff Gordon (nine) and Tony Stewart (eight). Elliott has triumphs on five different road courses, the most in series history. In 32 Cup starts on tracks with left and right turns, Elliott has an average finish of 8.59, which is not only the best among active drivers, but fourth all-time (minimum of four starts). He also leads active drivers with 489 laps led in road races. Since Elliott’s most recent victory (Road America in 2021), he’s posted three runner-up finishes on serpentine tracks.
SEEKING A NEXT GEN WIN: While it has been three years since Elliott’s last Cup Series victory on a road course, he has continued to be among the best in the field following the 2022 introduction of the Next Gen race car. Since the start of 2022, he has the most top-five finishes (seven), is tied for the third-most top-10s (nine) and holds the second-best average result (9.62) on serpentine tracks. In his most recent road course start, Elliott drove to a fourth-place finish at Sonoma Raceway.
FIRST VICTORY: Elliott’s first career Cup Series victory came at a road course: Watkins Glen International in 2018. The six-time National Motorsports Press Association Most Popular Driver Award winner started the race from third and led 52 of 90 laps en route to the checkered flag.
VIEW FROM THE TOP: On Sunday in Chicago, Alan Gustafson will call his 54th road course race from atop the pit box. In 20 seasons, he has led his teams to seven wins – a series high among active crew chiefs – along with 21 top-five finishes and 29 top-10s. Gustafson’s road course victories have all come with Elliott and the No. 9 team – first at Watkins Glen in 2018 and most recently at Road America in 2021.
FASTEST FIVE: In April at Texas, the No. 9 pit crew laid down the fastest four-tire pit stop (9.076 seconds) of the 2024 season. The over-the-wall squad has remained the same since 2018 and currently holds the fastest average four-tire pit stop time (10.573 seconds) this season. The 2021 Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew award-winning group is comprised of Chad Avrit (rear-tire changer), Jared Erspamer (tire carrier), John Gianninoto (fueler), Nick O’Dell (front-tire changer) and T.J. Semke (jackman).
24 WILLIAM BYRON
Age: 26 (Nov. 29, 1997)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Standings: 7th
No. 24 Relay Payments Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
24 IN ‘24: William Byron’s 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season started off hot with three wins (currently tied for the most) including the DAYTONA 500. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native has six top-five finishes (tied for sixth-most) and 10 top-10s (tied for third-most). He has the best average starting position (9.16) and the sixth-best average finish (13.53). After 19 races, he is seventh in the 2024 Cup Series standings with 16 playoff points.
ROAD COURSE RINGER: In 2024, the Cup Series has competed on two road courses: Sonoma Raceway and Circuit of The Americas, where Byron dominated and captured the pole before securing the win. In the last four road races, he has two victories, one pole award, three top-two finishes and three top-fives. He also has one stage win and 108 laps led with an average starting position of 5.75 and an average finish of 8.5. In 28 career Cup Series road course starts, Byron has five poles on four different layouts with two wins.
CHI-TOWN CHAOS: Like the majority of the Cup Series field, this will be Byron’s second start at the Chicago Street Race. In last year’s inaugural event, he was forced to start at the rear of the field due to a broken toe link in practice. With heavy rain hindering the first half of the race, Byron maneuvered his way to fourth before being collected in an on-track incident. He was able to continue and finished the race 13th.
RUDY RUNDOWN: After scoring a 13th-place finish in the inaugural Chicago Street Race in 2023, Rudy Fugle and the No. 24 team hope to better that result Sunday. All told, the crew chief has 30 NASCAR national series starts on road courses (20 in the Cup Series, three in the Xfinity Series and seven in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series). With his wins at Watkins Glen and COTA, Fugle is tied for fourth among active Cup crew chiefs on road courses. He also has a road victory in the truck ranks in 2015.
PIT ROAD PROWESS: After 19 races in 2024, the No. 24 pit crew is having another strong season. Currently ranked fifth for the fastest average four-tire pit stop (10.859 seconds), the over-the-wall team consists of Spencer Bishop (jackman), Jeff Cordero (front-tire changer), Orane Ossowski (rear-tire changer), Ryan Patton (tire carrier) and Landon Walker (fueler).
WELCOME RELAY PAYMENTS: In 2023, Hendrick Motorsports announced a new partnership with Relay Payments, the fintech company modernizing payments for the transportation, logistics and supply chain industries. Sunday’s Chicago Street Race will mark the first of two 2024 events where Relay Payments is the primary partner. Founded in 2019, Relay’s mission is to help digitally transform the logistics industry. The company offers a digital payment network designed to increase efficiencies, reduce fraud, improve driver satisfaction and eliminate operational headaches. Earlier in the year, Relay hosted a fan-based vote for this season’s paint scheme with the winner featuring a split black and white design with green accents and chrome numbers. For a closer look at Byron’s No. 24 Relay Payments Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, click here.
48 ALEX BOWMAN
Age: 31 (April 25, 1993)
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Resides: Concord, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Blake Harris
Standings: 13th
No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
CARS IN CHICAGO: This weekend, NASCAR visits the 2.2-mile, 12-turn Chicago Street Race for the second consecutive year with Alex Bowman seeking his first road course win and eighth overall in sport’s premier series. In 32 Cup Series starts on road courses, he has scored two runner-up finishes: Circuit of The Americas in 2022 and the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL in 2019. On this track type, he is in a seven-way tie for the fourth-most top-five finishes (four) in the Next Gen car. He has finished in the top 10 in three of the last five Cup Series road races.
FAST IN 2024: Thus far in 2024, Bowman has secured four top-five finishes, including a runner-up performance in the DAYTONA 500. He also has 10 top-10 finishes, representing a personal best through 19 races in a season and placing him in a three-way tie for the third-most alongside Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson and William Byron. The driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has 15 lead-lap finishes, also his most through 19 races in a single season. He holds the ninth-best average finish in 2024 (14.47).
PLAYOFF PUSH: The 31-year-old Bowman ranks 13th in the regular season Cup Series standings, 165 points behind the leader. With seven events to go before the playoffs and five spots left unclaimed by race winners, he sits 51 points above the cut line.
ALLY 400 RECAP: After hosting several NASCAR national series races, Nashville Superspeedway sat dormant for 10 years until 2021 when sponsor Ally brought racing back to the “Music City” with the inaugural Ally 400. This year, Ally featured a full-scale setup in the fan zone complete with a victory wheel, No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 show car, Hendrick Motorsports 40th anniversary street car, cooling zone and more. Country music sensation Luke Combs served as the honorary pace car driver and new Ally Financial CEO Michael Rhodes waved the green flag for Sunday’s race. For the third year, Dale Earnhardt Jr. designed the No. 48 team’s paint scheme for the Ally 400. At the end of the exciting five-overtime race, the Ally Racing team finished 14th.
ONE TAIL AT A TIME: Since 2024, Bowman and Ally have teamed to support Best Friends Animal Society and its vast network of partners. Every race weekend, the pair donates a total of $4,800 to help homeless pets. This weekend, the charitable donation will go to One Tail at a Time. If you’re in town for the race, check out the animals available for adoption at the shelter located just 5 miles northwest of Millennium Park. Not ready to adopt? Visit their website for further details on how to help save a life by donating, volunteering or fostering. Learn more about Best Friends’ new “Bring Love Home” campaign here.
FUELING THE PIT CREW: The Ally Racing pit crew ranks ninth on pit road for the best average four-tire stop this year (10.969). The five-man No. 48 crew is composed of jackman Allen Holman, tire carrier Brandon Grier, front-tire changer Donnie Tasser, rear-tire changer Andrew Bridgeforth and gasman Jacob Conley.
NOT YOUR AVERAGE TRAFFIC: Join Bowman with views from his No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 this weekend at Chicago. Fans can ride along Sunday by tuning into NASCAR’s in-car camera on-board. Visit nascar.com/drive to experience the behind-the-scenes perspective.
WIN YOUR WHEELS: Ally is constantly looking for ways to be an ally to No. 48 fans, and what better way than rewarding Ally Nation fandom with a new car – specifically, a special-edition Chevrolet Camaro. To celebrate Hendrick Motorsports’ 40th anniversary, a limited line of Hendrick Motorsports 40th Anniversary Edition Chevrolet Camaro street cars will be sold exclusively through select Hendrick Automotive Group Chevrolet dealerships. One lucky fan will win a 40th Anniversary Edition Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE. Enter at Ally.com/sweepstakes/nascar or visit the Ally Fan Zone at select tracks. The promotion will end Sept. 20, 2024.
HENDRICK
MOTORSPORTS /
| 2024 | All-Time | Chicago | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Races | 19 | 1,364 | 1 |
| Wins | 7* | 308* | 0 |
| Poles | 5* | 251* | 0 |
| Top 5 | 25* | 1,257* | 2* |
| Top 10 | 39* | 2,151* | 2** |
| Laps Led | 1,175 | 80,932* | 0 |
| Stage Wins | 10 | 108 | 0 |
*Most **Most (tie)
WIN-DY CITY: Hendrick Motorsports enters Sunday’s Chicago Street Race having won three of the last four NASCAR Cup Series road course events. Of the team’s all-time record 29 road course victories, 14 have come with its current stable of drivers: Chase Elliott (seven), Kyle Larson (five) and William Byron (two). Hendrick Motorsports has won 14 of the last 28 road races on the Cup schedule (50%).
ROAD RECORDS: On road courses, Hendrick Motorsports holds the Cup Series records with 29 wins (most by 14), 26 pole positions (most by 13), 93 top-five finishes (most by 26), 155 top-10 finishes (most by 43) and 2,353 laps led (most by 1,097).
CRUISE BROTHERS: A Cup Series record eight different drivers have won on road courses for Hendrick Motorsports. Jeff Gordon is NASCAR’s all-time king of the road with nine victories, while Elliott leads active drivers with seven wins. Larson (five), Tim Richmond (three), Byron (two), Jimmie Johnson (one), Ricky Rudd (one) and Geoff Bodine (one) have all contributed to the organization’s total.
MIDWEST EXPRESS: Hendrick Motorsports has 31 victories on racetracks located in the Midwest – more than any other active organization. Joe Gibbs Racing is second with 27.
SPORTY 40: In 2024, Hendrick Motorsports is celebrating its 40th anniversary. The team holds the all-time NASCAR Cup Series records in every major statistical category, including championships (14), wins (308), pole positions (251) and laps led (80,932). This season, it leads all Cup organizations with seven points-paying victories through 19 races.
QUOTABLE /
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on last year’s race at Chicago: “I thought we had a good race there last year, but we need to improve in some areas to battle for the win. (Winner) Shane (Van Gisbergen) was super fast, so we need to make some gains. The fans in the Midwest are incredible and they braved the elements to support Cup Series racing there last year. It was a cool event — one that we all hope is better this year with better weather.”
Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, reflecting on last year’s Chicago Street Race: “I have nothing but good things to say about that event as a whole. I thought they did a really good job with it last year. I thought the track was laid out really well. The logistics and everything flowed. It took a little time to learn (the course). I spent some time on iRacing, just trying to learn the turns, just because nobody had ever seen it before, so it took me a little time to memorize it. Usually when you get out on track in real life it comes pretty quick, and I was a little nervous about that going in. But it really came pretty fast and once you kind of get in the rhythm, things flow well.”
Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the inaugural Chicago Street Race and returning there this weekend: “I was kind of pessimistic about going there, but I had a great time. I thought the event was amazing. The track was much better than I expected and raced much better than I expected. The rain was a bummer for the crowd, but the element that it brought to the racing was really good. It will be interesting just to be in dry conditions and go through the race a little bit more conventionally. I think there’s still going to be a good amount of cautions. But there’s strategy and everything that goes along with that. I thoroughly enjoyed it last year and I think it’s a great venue. To race in the city like that is kind of surreal. The whole thing has a great vibe to it. I’m looking forward to going back.”
William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his expectations for the second year of the Chicago Street Race: “This track is still new. Last year we didn’t make a ton of laps and we definitely didn’t make a lot of laps in the dry. So this is really new for us as drivers and the teams still. I really enjoyed the challenge it brought last year and all the unknowns behind it. The rain definitely threw a wrench in things, and with the weather being clear this weekend, I think we can expect a completely different track and race. I’m excited for it.”
Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the challenges of the Chicago Street Race: “To me the first challenge is not knowing a lot about the surface. I mean, if someone blew a transmission on the streets downtown last week, that will effect the racing surface for us. All those things are things that are way out of your control when it comes to racing on public roads. The track constantly changes and we don’t technically have a scan of it so we don’t know what bumps are going to be this time either. You’re going to hit the track ready to go fast and it’s going to be vastly different, and that’s not normal compared to the normal wear a track sees in a year. From a fuel standpoint, it’s really looking like one pit stop. And since we didn’t race much in the dry last year, we don’t know how much the tires are going to fall off. If it runs anything like road courses have in the last couple years, fuel will be more important when it comes to strategy. It will be about figuring out that fuel window, when you can short pit or when you can stay out longer based on how your race is going. Knowing it’s a one pit stop race, you would think it could be a boring race because it’s shorter, but I’ve truck raced enough to know that shorter races bring more excitement.”
Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on racing the Chicago Street Race: “I’m excited to get there. It is a really fun place to race. It’s honestly difficult just making laps there by yourself. It’s so technical, which actually makes it really fun. I’m excited to get there from that standpoint. I think our road course stuff has been really, really good. Last year, we had a good day going until we encountered a mechanical issue. Excited to go back to Chicago and looking for a little redemption.”
Blake Harris, crew chief of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on calling the shots for the No. 48 team for the second Chicago Street Race: “This weekend we are shooting to have a full solid race. I feel like road courses in general have been a strength of ours this year, so my eyes are set on a top-five finish and hopefully contending for a win. There is potentially a little bit of rain Sunday, so we’ll see how everything plays out. We ended the race a little bit early last year due to a mechanical failure, so I’m a little bit disappointed that we didn’t get more dry track time there. Of what we did run, and even in the wet (tires), I thought we were super competitive. I’m excited to get back there.”
