Hendrick Motorsports Media Advance: Atlanta

5 KYLE LARSON
Age: 32 (July 31, 1992)
Hometown: Elk Grove, California
Last Week: 4th (Darlington)
Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels
Standings: 1st
 
No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Kyle Larson is the only driver to have led more than 1,000 laps this season. His total of 1,089 is second-best for his career through 26 races behind only his 2021 championship season (1,566).
• The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion is the top seed in the playoffs with an eight-point advantage over second place. He enters 35 markers above the elimination line.
• Larson accounts for 49% of all laps led by Chevrolet drivers in 2024 (1,089 of 2,220).
• Twelve of Larson’s 27 Cup wins have occurred on eight of the 10 playoff tracks (all but Atlanta Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway).
• The 32-year-old driver has run a series-high 3,500 laps in the top five in 2024.
• The Elk Grove, California, native has 9.32 average running position, which also tops the series this season,

9 CHASE ELLIOTT
Age: 28 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Last week: 11th (Darlington)
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: 7th (-26)

No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts/Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Chase Elliott enters the first race of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs at his home track of Atlanta Motor Speedway as the seventh seed, nine points above the elimination line.
• The 2020 Cup Series champion has one win at Atlanta, coming in the summer of 2022 after leading 92 laps.
• Elliott is one of four drivers with a top-10 average finish in the five Cup Series races at Atlanta since the 2022 reconfiguration (8.75).
• Elliott has three victories in 39 starts on drafting tracks, most recently in the 2022 playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway.
• The 28-year-old driver ranks second to teammate William Byron (three) in drafting track wins in the Next Gen car with two.
• At Atlanta, both the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and Elliott’s uniform will don special designs created by two Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta patients as part of the Chase Elliott Foundation’s Desi9n to Drive program.
• Elliott’s uniform will be up for grabs in a sweepstakes fundraiser that runs through Oct. 9.

24 WILLIAM BYRON
Age: 26 (Nov. 29, 1997)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Last Week: 30th (Darlington)
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Standings: 4th (-18)
 
No. 24 Relay Payments Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• William Byron enters the first round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs as the No. 4 seed, 17 points above the cutline. This is his sixth consecutive playoff appearance coming off of a Championship 4 showing last season.
• The Charlotte, North Carolina, native has two wins at Atlanta Motor Speedway coming in the spring 2022 and summer 2023.
• Since the reconfiguration of Atlanta, Byron has run within the top five for 380 laps – third-most – and within the top 10 for 668 laps – fourth-most.
• The 26-year-old driver has the most wins on drafting tracks during the Next Gen era with three victories and ranks second in points earned among playoff drivers on drafting tracks this season with 129 points.
• In the last eight drafting races, Byron has six top-10 finishes, including two wins.

48 ALEX BOWMAN
Age: 31 (April 25, 1993)
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Last Week: 19th (Darlington)
Crew Chief: Blake Harris
Standings: T-12th (-35)

 No. 48 Ally Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• This weekend’s start of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs at Atlanta Motor Speedway marks Alex Bowman’s sixth appearance the postseason (2018-2022, 2024). Bowman advanced to the round of 12 in each of his past five appearances and made it to the round of 8 in 2020.
• In seven events at playoff venues earlier this season, Bowman ranks 11th in points (183).
• The 31-year-old has 12 top-10 finishes this season, already more than he scored in all of 2023.
• At 11:30 a.m. local time Sunday at Atlanta, Bowman will be at the Hendrick Motorsports merchandise hauler signing autographs for fans with an exclusive wrist band. Want a wrist band? Be one of the first 100 to purchase a No. 48, 1:24 scale diecast at the merchandise hauler on-site. Fans can purchase during operational hours Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning.
• For four years, Bowman and sponsor Ally have teamed up to support Best Friends Animal Society and their network of partners. Every race weekend, the pair donates $4,800 to help homeless pets. This weekend, the charitable donation will go to Hall County Animal Shelter, located approximately 80 miles northeast of Atlanta Motor Speedway.

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS /

*Most
**Tied for most

• Hendrick Motorsports has won three of the five races at Atlanta Motor Speedway under the current configuration put in place in 2022. William Byron has two of those victories.
• All four Hendrick Motorsports cars are in the playoffs in the same season for the sixth time. The organization has registered 58 playoff wins, the most by 21.
• Hendrick Motorsports has gone to victory lane 17 times at Atlanta, the fifth-most of any track and the most of any NASCAR Cup Series team. That includes eight different winners, also the most. That list is led by Jeff Gordon with five.
• The No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevy team leads the Cup Series in fastest average four-tire pit stop time (10.759 seconds) and also turned in the fastest stop of the year, a 9.076-second service at Texas in April. The No. 24 team is sixth in four-tire average at 10.907 seconds and the No. 48 squad is just behind in seventh at 10.977.
• With five wins at drafting tracks in the Next Gen Car, Hendrick Motorsports leads all organizations.

QUOTABLE /

Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on going to Atlanta Motor Speedway: “Going into Atlanta, it’s good to have the points lead. We have run well there but I looked at the stats and I think I have one finish better than 30th since the reconfiguration. Hopefully, we can battle for stage wins and be there at the end.”

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts/Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the eighth edition of the Desi9n to Drive program: “Gavin and Logan have both designed not only my car, but my helmet, my fire suit, my shoes, my gloves. The contest really covered all the bases, and those fellas won. So, I’m excited to see their stuff come to life. It’s always an exciting weekend for me to see their imagination come to life for one, but it’s really better to see them at the track and to host them and for them to come and have an experience. But just to get out there and to see their work on the track has been really fun to be a part of, and I’m looking forward to it again this weekend.”

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Relay Payments Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on starting the playoffs: “I feel like for us, having the stamina throughout the year to get to this part of the year and put your best performances on display, so, I feel like we’re in that position where we’re well-positioned. We have good, decent playoff points – we would’ve liked to have had more this year – but decent playoff points and I think we just have to get through the rounds one by one and see how they go.”

Blake Harris, crew chief of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on Atlanta Motor Speedway: “I think Atlanta is quite the wild card this year. You’ve got a little bit of everything and a lot of unknowns. I think for us, starting with Atlanta this week, we will certainly focus on trying to stay out of everyone else’s mess. We’ve had some fast race cars there. In the spring (race), think we got wrecked at not even a lap and a half, so we’re just really trying to avoid that and execute at a high level. We’ll do everything in our power to not let the variables get us.”