Hendrick Motorsports Media Advance: DAYTONA 500

Daytona International Speedway
Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025
2.5-Mile Tri-Oval
2:30 PM ET
Location: Daytona Beach, Florida
TV: Fox
Event: NASCAR Cup Series (1 of 36)
RADIO: SiriusXM

5 KYLE LARSON
Age: 32 (July 31, 1992)
Hometown: Elk Grove, California
Last Week: 17th (Clash at Bowman Gray)
Crew Chief: Cliff Daniel
Standings: N/A

No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet

• In 2017, Kyle Larson led the field in the DAYTONA 500 at the white flag before running out of fuel on the final lap.
• Larson won the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway in July 2018. The Elk Grove, California, native led a race-high 40 laps en route to victory.
• The 32-year-old’s best finish on a drafting track in the Cup Series is fourth (twice), most recently at Talladega Superspeedway in October 2024.
• Larson is tied for second in consecutive DAYTONA 500’s led with four.
• The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion led all drivers last year in wins (6), top twos (8), stage wins (12), laps led (1,700) and races led (25).
• Larson has 23 wins since joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2021, most of all drivers in that timeframe by 11.
• New this season is an additional championship point for posting the fastest lap in a race. Larson had the fastest lap in five of the 36 races in 2024, the most of all drivers.

9 CHASE ELLIOTT
Age: 29 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Last week: 1st (Clash at Bowman Gray)
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: N/A

No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet

• Chase Elliott kicked off 2025 with a victory in the NASCAR Cup Series Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, leading 171 of 200 laps. It was his first Clash victory.
• While Elliott doesn’t have a DAYTONA 500 win under his belt yet, he’s come close to visiting victory lane before in the prestigious event, finishing runner-up to Michael McDowell in 2021 and running out of gas as the leader on lap 198 of 200 in 2017.
• The Dawsonville, Georgia, native is the youngest DAYTONA 500 pole winner, earning the top qualifying position in 2016 at 20 years, 2 months and 17 days. He followed that up with a second pole award the next year.
• Elliott has three wins on drafting tracks, capturing the checkered flag at Talladega Superspeedway in 2019 and 2022 as well as Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2022.
• The 29-year-old driver has a chance to join his father in winning the Clash and the DAYTONA 500 in the same year with NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott emerging victorious in both races in 1987.
• Ormond Beach, Florida, native Alan Gustafson is tied with Leonard Wood and Waddell Wilson for the most DAYTONA 500 poles for a crew chief with four.

24 WILLIAM BYRON
Age: 27 (Nov. 29, 1997)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Last Week: 18th (Clash at Bowman Gray)
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Standings: N/A

No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet

• In an event postponed to Monday in 2024, William Byron captured his first DAYTONA 500 win, becoming the fifth-youngest winner of the Great American Race at 26 years, 2 months and 21 days.
• With the victory, Byron joined five other NASCAR Cup Series drivers who have won the prestigious race for Hendrick Motorsports – Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Darrell Waltrip, and Geoff Bodine. He’s the only active driver for the organization with a DAYTONA 500 win.
• Last year’s DAYTONA 500 victory was his second at the 2.5-mile superspeedway. He previously won at Daytona in August 2020, his first career Cup Series win. In total, Byron has two wins, one pole, three top-five finishes and four top 10s with 100 laps led at Daytona.
• In 34 starts on drafting tracks, Byron has four wins – tied for fourth with those who have multiple wins on that style of track.
• Two of those victories came in the last 10 drafting races making the 27-year-old driver the only repeat winner. In those same 10 starts, Byron has eight top-10 finishes which leads all drivers.
• Rudy Fugle returns for his fifth year with the No. 24 team. Fugle and Byron have 140 Cup Series starts together making them the fourth-most-tenured driver and crew chief pairing.

48 ALEX BOWMAN
 Age: 31 (April 25, 1993)
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Last Week: 19th (Clash at Bowman Gray)
Crew Chief: Blake Harris
Standings: N/A

No. 48 Ally Chevrolet

• Alex Bowman returns to race for the No. 48 Ally Racing team for the fifth consecutive year, marking his eighth season with Hendrick Motorsports and his 11th year in the NASCAR Cup Series.
• Blake Harris enters his third year as the team’s crew chief. Under Harris’ leadership, Bowman has one victory (Chicago Street Course, 2024), 12 top fives, 27 top 10s and three poles. The win at Chicago secured the team’s spot in the NASCAR Playoffs, the first for Harris as crew chief.
• Bowman has earned three DAYTONA 500 poles (2018, 2021 and 2023), and is one away from tying the all-time record currently held by Buddy Baker, Cale Yarborough and Bill Elliott, (four). Bowman started on the front row for the Great American Race a record six consecutive times from 2018-2023.
• His best finish on a drafting track is second (twice), both times to teammates (William Byron in the 2024 DAYTONA 500, Chase Elliott at Talladega in April 2019).
• The 2025 season marks the fifth year Ally and Bowman have teamed up to try to #SaveThemAll, donating $4,800 each week to benefit both Best Friends and a partner animal shelter in each race market. If Bowman wins, Ally will up their portion of the donation to $10,000. Since 2021, Ally and Bowman have helped raise over $725,000 and hope to reach $1 million by 2026. This weekend their donation will go to Halifax Humane Society in Daytona Beach, Florida.
• Ally and HENDRICKCARS.COM are teaming up to give fans the chance to win prizes with this year’s “Open Road Sweepstakes.” Fans can win VIP experiences at various races throughout the season and one lucky winner will hit the road in a Chevy Silverado LT Trail Boss with an Airstream camper. Fans can stop by the Ally Fan Zone to enter the sweepstakes in-person and check out the camper. Fans can also enter at ally.com/sweepstakes/nascar.

Hendrick Motorsports

*Most all time
**Tied for most all time

• Hendrick Motorsports enters 2025 with at least one points-paying NASCAR Cup Series win in each of the last 39 seasons. It’s the longest streak by any team in the sport’s history.
• The 14-time Cup Series champions come into the 2025 DAYTONA 500 tied with Petty Enterprises for the all-time lead in Great American Race victories with nine.
• After William Byron’s performance in 2024, Hendrick Motorsports became the only organization to win the DAYTONA 500 in five different decades (1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s). Last year’s victory also gave the organization its fourth 1-2 finish in the event, the most all time.
• With 16 DAYTONA 500 pole awards, Hendrick Motorsports has 10 more than any other team in history. It has earned eight of the last 10 pole positions for the race.
• A record six different drivers have won the DAYTONA 500 for Hendrick Motorsports.
• Byron’s victory in 2024 gave Hendrick Motorsports 33 victories on drafting tracks, 12 more than any other organization.
• Hendrick Motorsports has led 3,360 miles in the DAYTONA 500, enough to drive from Key West, Florida, to Alaska.

QUOTABLE
 
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet, on racing on superspeedways and Daytona: “(Crew chief) Cliff (Daniels) and the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM crew have always given me fast cars at Daytona and the superspeedways. We’ve run up front and battled for the win but seem to be caught up in something. We utilize good strategy with great pit stops to be in contention. We just need to see the checkered flag.”

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet, on trying to win the DAYTONA 500: “I think any driver wants to win all the big races on the schedule and Daytona’s one of them and probably one of the hardest ones to win just because it’s the one that you have the least amount of control over. And I think that it has eluded some greats over the years because of that, and I think it’s just such a unique thing and it’s really hard to explain to people. Just it being such a massive race, but a lot of people can win. I think for me it’s just kind of included in the bunch of crown jewel events on our schedule that I would love to have all of them, at least have a couple of them before I get done. Just to say you won those races would be really, really special, I think when you look back on it.”

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet, on returning to the DAYTONA 500 after winning last year: “I’m excited to get back to Daytona (International Speedway). It took a while for last year’s win to really sink in, but I think it’ll definitely set in this week especially when we get the car back. It’s cool to know that we’re in a position this week to go back-to-back which only a few drivers have done. Hopefully we can kick the season off in that way.”

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet, on trying to win the DAYTONA 500: “It’d be super cool, obviously, to win. The (DAYTONA) 500 is really special and important. So, hopefully we can make it happen. It’s a tough race to win. We’ve, been close now a couple times, so, the last two years we’ve been really good there in the race and excited to get back there.”