Hendrick Motorsports Media Advance: Darlington

Darlington Raceway
Sunday, April 6, 2025
1.366-Mile Oval
3 PM ET
Location: Darlington, South Carolina
TV: Fox
Event: NASCAR Cup Series (8 of 36)
RADIO: SiriusXM

5 KYLE LARSON
 Age: 32 (July 31, 1992)
Hometown: Elk Grove, California
Last Week: 5th (Martinsville)
Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels
Standings: 2nd

No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet

• Kyle Larson led 55 laps en route to victory in the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway in 2023.
• Larson has won three of the last four stages at the egg-shaped South Carolina track.
• The driver of the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet has led 392 laps at Darlington in the Next Gen car, most of all drivers.
• The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion has 64 career stage wins, two behind Martin Truex Jr. for most all-time.
• Larson’s average finish of 10.4, average start of 9.6 and average running position of 9.64 are best among drivers that have started all seven races this season.
• Larson and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman are tied for the most top-10 finishes this year with five.
• The Elk Grove, California, native has finished on the lead lap in the last 16 races, his longest such streak.

9 CHASE ELLIOTT
 Age: 29 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Last week: 4th (Martinsville)
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: 3rd

No. 9 UniFirst Chevrolet

• Chase Elliott qualified second last weekend at Martinsville Speedway, leading 42 laps in the early going, collecting 12 stage points and finishing fourth.
• Dating back to last season, Elliott has finished on the lead lap in 10 consecutive races, the third-best active streak in the NASCAR Cup Series. He’s one of four drivers to finish on the lead lap in all seven events this season. His average running position of 12.62 is currently seventh best.
• Elliott has finished in the top 12 in his last four Cup Series events at Darlington Raceway.
• This weekend, Elliott will take on double duty at Darlington, getting behind the wheel of the No. 17 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday in addition to driving the No. 9 UniFirst Chevrolet in Sunday’s Cup event.
• Elliott has four Xfinity starts on the track “Too Tough to Tame.” He won in his first start there in 2014 while driving for JR Motorsports and most recently finished fourth last fall in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 17 entry.

24 WILLIAM BYRON
Age: 27 (Nov. 29, 1997)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Last Week: 22nd (Martinsville)
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Standings: 1st

No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet

• So far in 2025, William Byron has an average running position of 9.7 and an average finish of 10.6, both second best in the NASCAR Cup Series. He also has collected 70 stage points this season, second most.
• In addition, Byron leads all drivers with 735 laps in the top five. His 1,112 laps in the top 10 are third best.
• Byron has one Cup Series win in 13 starts at Darlington (May, 2023) with four top-five finishes and six top 10s.
• During the Next Gen era, the 27-year-old driver has spent 1,195 laps in the top five and 1,697 laps in the top 10 at the 1.366-mile, egg-shaped oval, both tops in the series. He also has an average finish of 10.33, best of all drivers.
• This weekend, Byron will sport a No. 24 Axalta throwback paint scheme that pays tribute to Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon and his “final ride” paint scheme that he ran at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2015. This throwback celebrates the 10-year anniversary of Gordon’s last race as a full-time driver.

48 ALEX BOWMAN
 Age: 31 (April 25, 1993)
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Last Week: 27th (Martinsville)
Crew Chief: Blake Harris
Standings: t-4th

No. 48 Ally Chevrolet

• Alex Bowman is currently tied for fourth in the NASCAR Cup Series standings heading into Sunday’s race at Darlington Raceway, 35 points behind leader and teammate William Byron.
• In honor of Hendrick Motorsports’ 200th victory, Bowman’s No. 48 Chevrolet will don Jimmie Johnson’s black and white paint scheme from the 2012 Southern 500.
• Over 14 starts at Darlington, Bowman has one top five and four top 10s. His best result was a second-place run in 2020.
• For the Best Friends Animal Society programming, Ally and Bowman will partner with Dorchester Paws in Summerville, South Carolina, as their selected shelter for this weekend at Darlington.
• Ally and HendrickCars.com are teaming up again 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 open road in a Chevy Silverado LT Trail Boss with an Airstream camper. To enter, fans can stop by the Ally Fan Zone and check out the camper. To enter online, visit ally.com/sweepstakes/nascar. 

Hendrick Motorsports

 
*Most all time
**Tied for most all time

• Hendrick Motorsports is the all-time leader in NASCAR Cup Series wins (16), poles (eight), top-five finishes (57), top-10 finishes (95) and laps led (4,016) at Darlington Raceway.
• After last week’s race at Martinsville Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports drivers fill the top three spots in the points standings with William Byron leading, Kyle Larson second and Chase Elliott in third. Alex Bowman is tied for fourth.
• Thus far in 2025, Hendrick Motorsports has had at least one of its Chevrolets running in the top 10 in 96% of the laps run. The organization’s four drivers have spent a combined 4,013 laps in the top 10 through seven races, more than any other team.
• Hendrick Motorsports’ 18 top-10 finishes are the most by any company ever through a season’s first seven races.
• In each of the last 11 races at Darlington, Hendrick Motorsports has had at least one car finish in the top 10, the longest active streak.

QUOTABLE /
 
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet, on his No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM throwback paint scheme for Darlington Raceway: “I always look forward to this race, and we’ve been able to do some cool throwbacks the last two years honoring Terry Labonte and past No. 5 paint schemes. This year we’re throwing it back to Terry’s last win in 2003 which occurred at Darlington (Raceway). It was great catching up with him last week when we unveiled this car. A shoutout to HENDRICKCARS.COM – they did an amazing job with this scheme.”

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet, on Darlington Raceway: “To me, Darlington really kind of defines what you would think NASCAR is and should be in my eyes. I think from a driver’s perspective, it’s so difficult. It’s just such a tough place to navigate and drive, particularly for the fall race, being another 100 miles. I’ve always enjoyed going there. I hope one day, it enjoys having me more than it has … hopefully we can make a good gain (this) weekend. We’ve put a lot of work into it already.”

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet, on Darlington Raceway and the season thus far: “I’m excited to get to Darlington this weekend. I’m actually excited about the next few tracks. They’re usually pretty good ones for us. We’ve had a great start to the season, even though last weekend was tough, it happens. I’m not worried and know we’ll rebound.”

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet, on Darlington Raceway: “Darlington is a really difficult track and always a challenge. We were really good there back in 2020 and finished second but besides that we haven’t had much luck. Hopefully we can turn that luck around and have a good finish this weekend.”