Hendrick Motorsports Media Advance: North Wilkesboro

North Wilkesboro Speedway
Sunday, May 18, 2025
0.625-Mile Short Track
8 PM ET
Location: North Wilkesboro, North Carolina
TV: Fox
Event: NASCAR All-Star Race
RADIO: SiriusXM

5 KYLE LARSON
Age: 32 (July 31, 1992)
Hometown: Elk Grove, California
Last Week: 1st (Kansas)
Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels
Standings: 1st

No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet

• Kyle Larson registered his third win of the season last Sunday at Kansas Speedway, leading 221 laps, sweeping both stages and registering the race’s fastest lap in piling up a 61-point day. It marked the first 61-point sweep since NASCAR began awarding a point for the fastest lap this season. With the effort, Larson seized the lead in the NASCAR Cup Series points standings.
• During his dominant performance at Kansas, Larson eclipsed the 10,000-laps-led mark for his career, joining Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch among active drivers to achieve the milestone.
• Sunday marked the fourth consecutive race in which Larson scored the most points.
• Due to Indianapolis 500 commitments in pursuit of the #H1100, Larson will miss Friday’s NASCAR All-Star Race practice and qualifying sessions at North Wilkesboro. Justin Allgaier will drive the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in his place, and the team will skip Saturday’s heat races. Larson will return for Sunday’s All-Star Race. Allgaier will also serve as the reserve driver for next weekend’s Coca-Cola 600.
• Larson has won three of the last six NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Races including the first at North Wilkesboro Speedway in 2023. His three wins in the event are tied for second-most all-time with Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt, one back of leader Jimmie Johnson (four).
• In eight starts in the All-Star Race, Larson has led a combined 239 laps, third-most among all active drivers. His lifetime average finish of 7.0 in the event is second best.
• Entering the 0.625-mile oval, Larson is one of just two drivers to finish in the top five in both short-track races this season (Martinsville Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway), winning at Bristol.

9 CHASE ELLIOTT
Age: 29 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Last week: 15th (Kansas)
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: 4th

No. 9 Prime Video Chevrolet

• In 2020, Chase Elliott earned a NASCAR All-Star Race victory, claiming the checkered flag at Bristol Motor Speedway. Elliott led 60 laps en route to capturing the $1 million prize. Elliott remains the third-youngest All-Star winner at 24 years, seven months, 17 days.
• This weekend, the All-Star Race returns to North Wilkesboro Speedway for the third consecutive season. In his first two appearances Elliott finished fifth and eighth, respectively.
• When the Dawsonville, Georgia, native was just 14 years old, he visited victory lane at the short track in the PASS (Pro All Stars Series) late model race held on September 4, 2010. It was the first event the track hosted since the mid-1990s.
• Elliott will make his 10th consecutive appearance in the All-Star Race this weekend. His 2020 NASCAR Cup Series championship and All-Star Race win locked him into the event for the remainder of his full-time Cup Series career under current rules.
• The 29-year-old driver finished in the top eight in seven of his nine All-Star Race appearances.
• His average finish of 8.0 across his nine All-Star Race starts ranks fourth-best among active drivers with at least four starts.

24 WILLIAM BYRON
Age: 27 (Nov. 29, 1997)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Last Week: 24th (Kansas)
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Standings: 2nd

No. 24 Valvoline Chevrolet

• William Byron enters this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race second in points and locked into the playoffs via win in the season-opening DAYTONA 500. He is 35 points behind teammate and points leader, Kyle Larson.
• Thus far in 2025, Byron leads all Cup Series drivers in average starting position (9.3), and is third in both top-five finishes (five) and top 10s (seven). His average finish of 10.2 ranks second behind only Larson.
• This is the fifth consecutive season that William Byron is locked into the All-Star main event. He has a career-best showing of seventh, coming at Texas Motor Speedway in 2021.
• This will be Byron’s third year racing at North Wilkesboro Speedway for the All-Star race. He has two career wins at short tracks, both coming at Martinsville Speedway and both in the Gen 7 era (spring 2022 and spring 2024).

48 ALEX BOWMAN
Age: 31 (April 25, 1993)
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Last Week: 5th (Kansas)
Crew Chief: Blake Harris
Standings: 8th
 
No. 48 Ally Chevrolet

• Alex Bowman earned a fifth-place finish in last Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Race at Kansas Speedway, securing his second top-five result of the 2025 season in the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet.
• Bowman currently ranks eighth in the points standings, 144 points behind Hendrick Motorsports teammate and leader, Kyle Larson.
• This will be Bowman’s first NASCAR All-Star Race appearance since 2022. He won the fan vote in 2019 and has finished in the top 10 in his last four All-Star Races (2019 – 2022). His best results came in sixth place finishes in 2021 and 2022 at Texas Motor Speedway.
• For the Best Friends Animal Society programming, Ally and Bowman will partner with Asheville Humane Society in Asheville, North Carolina, as their selected shelter for this weekend at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
• 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. 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 is the all-time leader in the NASCAR All-Star Race in starts (130), drivers to make a start (23), wins (11), winners (five), top fives (44), top 10s (73) and laps led (990).
• Including the All-Star Race, the Clash, the DAYTONA 500 Duel races and the All-Star Open, Hendrick Motorsports has piled up 40 victories in NASCAR Cup Series special events, 12 more than any other organization.
• Sunday at North Wilkesboro Speedway will mark the 22nd time all four Hendrick Motorsports cars will start the All-Star Race, 13 more than the second-most.
• Hendrick Motorsports has won the All-Star Race in three of the last five years.
• So far in 2025, Hendrick Motorsports drivers have combined to lead 55% of laps at short tracks.

QUOTABLE /
 
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet, on entering Indy 500 prep as the NASCAR Cup Series points leader: “I just think it’s really cool. I think it’s good for our team. I think it’s good for our sport. I think it’s good for racing that the Cup Series point leader is competing in the Indy 500 for the second year in a row. I would say last year was a goal of mine. This year I didn’t really think about it. But I do think it puts even more of a spotlight on us and our sport.”

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet, on North Wilkesboro Speedway: “This place has been around for a long time. It’s kind of in the heart of NASCAR, with Charlotte being right down road and all that stuff. So yeah, I think it’s a good thing. Personally, I was excited to see that NASCAR or whoever spent a bunch of money to repave the place because that just told me that it was going to be around for a while, and they made that commitment pretty quickly. Yeah, I think it’s all positive.”

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet, on North Wilkesboro Speedway: “To be honest, we haven’t had great runs at North Wilkesboro the last two years. Last year we never really got a chance after suffering a mechanical issue early on. Hopefully this time around we can actually run the race and be in contention. Our short track program is something we’re trying to work on, so all laps help.”

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet, on North Wilkesboro Speedway: “I’m pumped that we get to actually focus on the All-Star Race and not have to worry about getting locked in this weekend at North Wilkesboro. It’s honestly a relief. I actually ran my first stock car race there in 2010, on the older surface, obviously. It’s a cool racetrack with a lot of history. I’m looking forward to getting on track and trying to bring home the $1 million.”