Hendrick Motorsports Media Advance: North Wilkesboro

North Wilkesboro Speedway
Sunday, July 19
0.625-Mile Short Track
7 p.m. ET
Location: North Wilkesboro, North Carolina
TV: Fox
Event: NASCAR Cup Series (Race 21 of 36)
RADIO: SiriusXM

5 KYLE LARSON
Age: 33 (July 31, 1992)
Hometown: Elk Grove, California
Last Race: 34th (Atlanta)
Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels
Standings: 6th

No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet

• Kyle Larson will make his 200th career NASCAR Cup Series start with Hendrick Motorsports this weekend at North Wilkesboro Speedway. During his career with the organization, Larson has recorded 26 victories, 14 poles, 86 top-five finishes, and 114 top-10 finishes.
• The Elk Grove, California, native’s average starting position of 8.25 in 2026 is best among all drivers.
• North Wilkesboro Speedway was home for the NASCAR All-Star Race from 2023-2025. Larson led 145 of 200 laps en route to a victory in the first of those races. Among those three events, he tallied two top-five finishes.
• In addition to his All-Star Race starts at the 0.625-mile short track, Larson appeared in a NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race, earning a victory in 2023.
• The No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM pit crew ranks second among all NASCAR Cup Series pit crews.

9 CHASE ELLIOTT
Age: 30 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Last Race: 13th (Atlanta)
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: 5th

No. 9 LLumar Chevrolet

• This weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to North Wilkesboro Speedway for its first points race at the track since 1996.
• In three NASCAR All-Star Races at the facility, Chase Elliott has two top-five finishes and three top 10s, with a best finish of fifth (2023, 2025).
• Across the last 15 short track races, Elliott has 10 top-10 results, including a victory at Martinsville Speedway in March of this year.
• In the Next Gen era on short tracks, the 30-year-old has led the sixth-most laps (675). He’s earned the sixth-most points (70) on this track type in 2026.
• Elliott is one of four drivers remaining in the NASCAR In-Season Challenge. In this weekend’s semi-final round, fourth-seeded Elliott is up against No. 25 Todd Gilliland. Elliott has finished ahead of Gilliland in 15 of 20 races in 2026.
• Elliott will run in four series this weekend at North Wilkesboro. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native will race in both CARS Tour events on Friday evening, including driving the No. 8 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet for JR Motorsports in the Late Model Stock Car division. On Saturday, he’ll get behind the wheel of the No. 7 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race. He’ll cap off the weekend with Sunday night’s Cup Series race in the No. 9 LLumar Chevrolet.

24 WILLIAM BYRON
Age: 28 (Nov. 29, 1997)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Last Race: 16th (Atlanta)
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Standings: 12th

No. 24 All-Pro Chevrolet

• From 2023-2025, the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race was held at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Sunday will mark the first points race at the facility for William Byron. His best finish in an All-Star Race at the track was sixth (2025).
• Byron has four short track wins, second most of the current Hendrick Motorsports lineup.
• In the Next Gen era on short tracks, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native has led the fourth-most laps (1,041). He also has four wins, tied for second most among drivers.
• Byron is the only repeat winner on short tracks in the last nine events at this track type. In fact, in the last six short track races, Byron has two wins (Iowa Speedway and Martinsville Speedway) to go with three top-five finishes.

48 ALEX BOWMAN
Age: 33 (April 25, 1993)
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Last Race: 22nd (Atlanta)
Crew Chief: Blake Harris
Standings: 29th

No. 48 Ally Chevrolet

• In the last three events in the NASCAR Cup Series, Alex Bowman has earned two top-10 finishes.
• Bowman has two career wins on short tracks, visiting victory lane at Richmond Raceway and Martinsville Speedway in 2021.
• On short tracks, the 33-year-old has earned 18 top 10s with three coming in the last five Cup starts on this style track.
• Bowman scored a fourth-place finish in the 2025 All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Prior to that, he competed in the 2024 All-Star Open at the track, finishing sixth.

17 COREY DAY
Age: 20 (November 28, 2005)
Hometown: Clovis, California
Last Race: 32nd (Atlanta)
Crew Chief: Adam Wall
Standings: 4th

• Through 20 NASCAR O’Reilly Series starts in 2026, Corey Day has earned 14 top-10 finishes and six top-five results while posting an average starting position of 9.1.
• NOAPS is off this week and will return at 4 p.m. ET on July 25 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
• The Clovis, California, native will return to his racing roots this week, competing in a sprint car at Eldora Speedway.

Hendrick Motorsports
 

*Most
**Tied for most

• The NASCAR Cup Series returns to North Wilkesboro Speedway for a points-paying race for the first time since 1996. Terry Labonte (spring) and Jeff Gordon (fall) swept the last two such events at the track as part of Hendrick Motorsports’ four victories there. The venue hosted the NASCAR All-Star Race from 2023-2025 with Kyle Larson claiming victory the first time around.
• Hendrick Motorsports heads to the famed 0.625-mile oval having won four of the last seven races on short tracks (William Byron two, Chase Elliott one, Larson one).
• The Hendrick Motorsports engine department enters the weekend with 575 victories across all three national NASCAR touring series, including 16 of 21 events in the NASCAR O’Reilly Series this season.
• Hendrick Motorsports remains the Cup Series’ all-time standard bearer in wins (322), poles (259), top-five finishes (1,342), top 10s (2,292), laps led (86,420) and championships (15).

QUOTABLE
 
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet, on North Wilkesboro Speedway: “[North Wilkesboro] is close to home; it’s basically a home race for all of us, so I look forward to it. I really believe it’s probably the best short track we have on our schedule.

“I guess turns one and two are a little more downhill, a little shapier and more diamond-like because the momentum is carrying you into the corner. Then turns three and four are more about following the radius. I think that uniqueness is what makes it fun because your car doesn’t quite handle perfectly there, and it’s got progressive banking. So, it’s a cool track with a lot of history, and I’m just excited that it’s on the schedule. It was great when it was just the All-Star Race, but now to have a points-paying race at North Wilkesboro is pretty amazing.

“I feel like it’s one of the racier short tracks and one of the easier ones to pass on. Not that it’s easy, but it’s easier than most. So, I think it should be a great race. I hope the crowd enjoys it, and we can find ourselves toward the front.”

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet, on having a points race back at North Wilkesboro Speedway: “It’s a great stop on our schedule. Really, really happy to have it back. Happy to see a racetrack saved that was likely going away. And I think it’ll be really cool for the people around that area, and also those that are going to travel in, to watch a race there. Great environment, great vibe. So, I’m looking forward to it.”

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet, on a points race at North Wilkesboro Speedway: “It will be interesting to see how this weekend’s race will play out. The last three years this has been the All-Star Race, so we’ve had different formats that dictate strategy, different tires, and things like that. This will be a straightforward weekend though, so we’ll have to see how things play out when it comes to that part of our notebook. I feel like our performance has improved the last few weeks, so I’m optimistic.”

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet, on North Wilkesboro Speedway: “North Wilkesboro has a lot of history which always makes it an exciting track to go to. This year, with it being a points race, it’s a little different than it was as the All-Star Race. Our approach on the Ally 48 team remains the same – our goal is to get the best finishes we can and continue building on our program.”

Corey Day, driver of the No. 17 Chevrolet, on resetting over the off week: “The last few weeks have been pretty tough for us on the track, so I’m looking forward to using the off week to reset and get back in a sprint car. Hopefully, we can put together a few good nights at Eldora, build some confidence and come back ready to get after it at Indianapolis [Motor Speedway].”