Circuit of The Americas
Sunday, March 27, 2022
3.41-Mile Road Course
3:30 PM ET
Location: Austin, Texas
TV: Fox logo
Event: NASCAR Cup Series (6 of 36)
Radio: SiriusXM, PRN
5 KYLE LARSON
Age: 29 (July 31, 1992)
Hometown: Elk Grove, California
Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels
Standings: 12th
No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
MAY SHOWERS: In last May’s inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of The Americas, Kyle Larson finished second to Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott after a persistent rain turned into a heavy downpour that ended the race 14 laps short of its scheduled distance of 68 laps. It marked Larson’s third consecutive runner-up finish. The Elk Grove, California, native followed that with three consecutive wins while also winning the $1 million non-points NASCAR All-Star Race during that four-week stretch after COTA.
LONE STAR: Larson won three road course events in 2021, the most ever during a Cup Series season. Victories at Sonoma Raceway in June, Watkins Glen International in August and the Charlotte ROVAL in October were integral during his 10-win championship season.
HOME RACE: For the second consecutive race weekend, Larson and the No. 5 HendrickCars.com team will wear their “home” white uniforms at Circuit of The Americas. Home races occur in markets where there are Hendrick Automotive Group dealerships nearby, and the Austin, Texas, area is home to two of them. Be sure to follow Hendrick Automotive Group’s social media channels and visit HendrickCars.com to view the complete home and away schedule.
NOT HIS FIRST RODEO: Larson has led at least one lap in all five races this year – one of only three drivers to do so. The other two are Ryan Blaney and Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron. Dating back to last year, Larson has led at least one lap in the last 15 Cup Series races – nine more than his previous best. Only two Hendrick Motorsports drivers have posted longer streaks: Jeff Gordon in 1995 (19) and Geoff Bodine in 1986 (17).
ROAD COURSE RINGERS: Only two Hendrick Motorsports drivers have scored more wins on road course than Larson. On serpentine layouts in the Cup Series, the all-time winningest driver is NASCAR Hall of Famer Gordon with nine while current teammate Elliott has crossed the line first on seven occasions.
MULTI-TALENTED: Since the start of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, only eight drivers have posted multiple wins, including all four Hendrick Motorsports teammates. Larson’s 11 victories in that span are equal to the four non-Hendrick Motorsports drivers combined: Martin Truex Jr. (four wins), Ryan Blaney (three), Kyle Busch (two) and Denny Hamlin (two).
TWENTY-SOMETHINGS: The last 11 Cup Series races have all been won by drivers under the age of 30 – the longest streak ever in NASCAR’s top division. Larson is responsible for five of those victories: Auto Club Speedway earlier this year and Phoenix Raceway, Texas Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway and the Charlotte ROVAL in 2021.
9 CHASE ELLIOTT
Age: 26 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: 1st
No. 9 LLumar Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
DEFENDING WINNER: Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 LLumar Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, heads into the weekend as the defending winner of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of The Americas. Last season’s inaugural race at COTA was a wet and wild affair with rain steadily pouring on the track. Elliott was in the lead with 14 laps remaining when the event was paused due to standing water on the track. The race was called shortly thereafter due to the weather with Elliott celebrated as the winner. It was the first of his two victories during the 2021 season and was the milestone 800th win for manufacturer Chevrolet.
FOLLOW THE POINTS LEADER: Early season consistency is paying off for Elliott and the No. 9 team. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native left his home track of Atlanta Motor Speedway atop the Cup Series points standings after leading 29 laps and earning his third top-10 finish of 2022. Going into the sixth points-paying race of the year, he has a seven-point advantage over second-place Joey Logano.
ROAD COURSE KING: At only 26 years old, Elliott has already proven his road-racing prowess. He leads all active drivers with seven victories on road courses and ranks third on NASCAR’s all-time road-course winners list, trailing only Hall of Famers Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart. Elliott’s seven road-course wins have come in the last 14 Cup Series road races (50%).
GOOD COMPANY: In 19 Cup Series starts on road courses, Elliott has an average finish of 7.89 with seven wins, 11 top-five finishes and 13 top-10s. His average finish is not only the best among active drivers but ranks third all-time among drivers with five or more starts. He trails only NASCAR legends Fireball Roberts and Buck Baker.
2021 ROAD COURSE RECAP: In his seven starts last season on road courses, Elliott earned two wins (COTA and Road America), two runner-up finishes and five total top-five finishes. The Hendrick Motorsports driver also earned two stage wins and led 102 laps. The two race victories brought his career total to seven across five road courses. Elliott is the only driver in the Cup Series history to post wins on five different road courses.
FIRST DUBYA: Elliott’s first career Cup win came in 2018 at the Watkins Glen International road course. The series’ four-time most popular driver started from the third position and led 52 of 90 laps en route to the victory. He is now a Cup Series champion (2020) with 13 points-paying race wins.
AG’S WINNING ROAD: On Sunday, No. 9 crew chief Alan Gustafson will call his 41st road-course race from a top the pit box. In those starts, he’s led his teams to seven wins – all with Elliott – along with 14 top-five finishes and 20 top-10s.
LLUMAR COLORS: LLumar, a brand of automotive window tint and paint protection film manufactured by Eastman, will have its colors carried on the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 this weekend at COTA. It’s the first of two races that the brand will serve as primary partner during the 2022 season. Following Sunday’s race, LLumar will be back on board Elliott’s No. 9 at Martinsville Speedway in April. LLumar was the primary partner last year at COTA when Elliott captured the inaugural win at the track.
A SHOC UNVEIL: On Wednesday, A SHOC Energy unveiled a new paint scheme for the 2022 season. Bold fiery red, yellow and orange colors add to the updated look of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Fans will get their first glimpse of the new paint scheme on the track at Richmond Raceway in April and again at Daytona International Speedway in August.
24 WILLIAM BYRON
Age: 24 (Nov. 29, 1997)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Standings: 4th
No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
DOUBLE THREAT: Pulling double duty this past weekend, William Byron started off Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway behind the wheel of his No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for NASCAR Cup Series practice. He then flew to North Carolina to compete in Saturday night’s Easter Bunny 150 at Hickory Motor Speedway, where he dominated the race in the No. 24 entry for Wilson Motorsports and captured his third super late model win of 2022. Byron flew back to Atlanta for Sunday’s Cup race where he led a personal-best 111 laps, including the one that mattered most, to secure his third career Cup Series win and his first at the newly configured venue.
LEADING THE CHARGE: So far in 2022, only three drivers have led laps in all five Cup Series events: Byron, Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney. Byron has led the second-most laps of the three drivers (148). The streak of five consecutive races with laps led is the second-longest of Byron’s Cup career. In 2019, he led laps in seven consecutive races.
BATTING A THOUSAND: With his 111 laps led Sunday at Atlanta, Byron has surpassed 1,000 laps led during his time in the Cup Series. Currently with 1,007, he’s led more laps at the elite Cup level than he did in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series combined.
RACKING UP POINTS: So far in 2022, Byron has captured two stage wins, both coming in stage one in the last two races. His pair of stage wins are tied for the most this season with three others. This year, the driver of the No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has collected the most Cup Series stage points (55) and playoff points (seven).
THE TWO-FOUR: With Byron’s win at Atlanta, he now has three in the Cup Series in the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. Combined with Jeff Gordon, who won 93 times with the iconic car number, the No. 24 now has 96 total points-paying victories in the Cup Series. The 96 wins at the highest level of competition are the fourth-most by a car number and are approaching the mark of the No. 3 (100 wins) and the No. 2 (101 wins).
ROAD RESULTS: The 19-turn Circuit of The Americas made its debut on the Cup Series schedule last year. In the 2021 event, drivers battled rain for the entire weekend, but that didn’t stop Byron from being fastest overall in practice. He went on to qualify fifth before running up front early in the race. He was caught up in an on-track incident but was able to rally back through the field to 11th before the race was called early due to weather conditions. In his Cup Series career, Byron has made 15 starts on road courses, collecting three pole awards and five top-10 results while leading 122 laps. He also has two stage wins on road courses – tied for the fourth most all-time.
COMING FOR THE TOP SPOT: Going into Sunday’s race at COTA, Byron has secured the pole position in three of the last six road-course events where qualifying has been held. He’s earned the top starting spot at the Charlotte ROVAL in 2019, Road America last June and the Indianapolis Road Course in August.
ROAD-READY RUDY: Just like the rest of the field, crew chief Rudy Fugle called his first Cup Series race at the Circuit of The Americas last season. After showing speed throughout the weekend, he led the No. 24 team in repairs after an on-track incident that allowed Byron to rally to an 11th-place finish. In total, the duo has seven road-course starts together in the Cup Series. Aside from his Cup-level road course experience in 2021, Fugle has seven other road races under his belt – all coming in the Camping World Truck Series. In those seven starts, the Livonia, New York, native has one win (Erik Jones in 2015), three top-five finishes and five top-10s. One of his truck starts was with Byron in 2016 when the duo raced to a 10th-place finish at Canadian Motorsports Park.
RAPTOR® TOUGH: Unveiled earlier today, Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will sport the RAPTOR® brand this weekend at the Circuit of The Americas. After debuting last season, RAPTOR® will return in 2022 for multiple races with Byron and the No. 24 team. RAPTOR® is a durable protective coating and bed liner that is designed to tolerate the toughest climatic conditions and can be applied to a wide range of substrates from steel, wood, concrete and plaster to plastics and composites. Resistant to common fuels, U.V., scratches, and stains, RAPTOR® is available at local paint distributors, auto parts stores and can be purchased from online retailers like Amazon. For a better look at Byron’s new No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, click here.
48 Alex Bowman
Age: 28 (April 25, 1993)
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Resides: Concord, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Greg Ives
Standings: 9th
No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
ATL RECAP: On Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Alex Bowman tallied a top-10 finish and continued his climb up the NASCAR Cup Series standings. The 28-year-old driver finished the first stage in seventh and the second stage in 19th en route to a 10th-place result. He fought back from losing a laps due to a pit road penalty and is now ninth in points, just 31 back of leader and teammate Chase Elliott.
UP FRONT: Since the start of the 2018 season, Bowman has eight top-10 finishes on road courses – tied for the fifth-most in the Cup Series. In 2021, the 28-year-old driver placed eighth after leading three laps in the rain-shortened race at Circuit of The Americas. He also notched a ninth-place finish at Sonoma Raceway and a 10th-place result at the Charlotte ROVAL.
RACK ‘EM UP: Bowman accumulated 187 points across seven road course starts in 2021, ranking him as the 10th in points scored in Cup Series road races.
TURNING LEFT: Bowman has 15 starts on road courses in his Cup Series career. In those races, he has amassed one runner-up finish, two top-fives, eight top-10s, and an average result of 11.5. His most recent finish on a road course was the Charlotte ROVAL where he placed 10th.
IVES ON THE ROAD: On Sunday at COTA, Greg Ives will make his 22nd road-course start as a Cup Series crew chief. The Bark River, Michigan, native has two top-five finishes and 10 top-10s from atop the pit box.
HOMETOWN HERO: Parker Winebrenner, aerodynamics engineer for the No. 48 Ally Racing team, will return to his home state this weekend at COTA. A native of Houston, Weinbrenner began working with Ives and Bowman just before the duo’s first win at Chicagoland Speedway in 2019. His motor sports career started when he worked on a Trans Am TA2 Chevrolet Camaro test car in January 2018. Winebrenner went on to work for Napoleon Motorsports and helped in the Pirelli World Challenge Series, which both competed at COTA, before making his way to Hendrick Motorsports.
TRUCKIN’ IN TEXAS: On Saturday, Bowman will strap into the No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado for Spire Motorsports in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. HendrickCars.com will serve as the team’s primary sponsor while Ally, Bowman’s full-time sponsor in the Cup Series, will be showcased on the truck’s decklid and lower-rear quarter panels.
THREE OF FIVE: Through five NASCAR Cup Series races thus far in 2022, Hendrick Motorsports has posted three wins – each with a different driver. It is the first time since 1956 (Carl Kiekhafer Racing) that a team has earned three victories with three drivers in the first five races of a season. The earliest a single organization has ever won with four different drivers is race No. 12, which was accomplished in 2017 by Hendrick Motorsports and in 2016 by Joe Gibbs Racing.
ROAD SHOW: Hendrick Motorsports has won 25 points-paying races on road courses, nearly twice the total of any other team in NASCAR Cup Series history. Since the organization was founded in 1984, it has won 29% of the 85 road-course events it has competed in with a record-setting seven different drivers. JGR is the next-best team on road courses with 13 victories.
THE HIGH ROAD: In addition to its 25 victories, Hendrick Motorsports holds the road-course records for Cup Series pole positions (21), stage wins (12), top-five finishes (74), top-10s (130) and laps led (2,020). It has led 828 more laps on road courses than any other team.
TWENTY AND 21: Since the beginning of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, Hendrick Motorsports has won 20 points-paying races. During that period, all other teams combined have posted 21 victories.
THE BIG THREE-OH: Hendrick Motorsports has led in each of the last 30 points-paying NASCAR Cup Series races. The team holds the all-time record for the most consecutive Cup races led at 74, which occurred between 2007 and 2009. It also holds the series’ second-longest streak of 55 that happened from 1995 to 1997.
SPEAKING OF 30: Drivers under the age of 30 have won the last 11 Cup Series races dating back to last season – something that has never occurred in NASCAR history. Eight of the 11 races have been won by Hendrick Motorsports, which in 2021 became the first team to ever record victories with four different drivers under 30 years old in a single season.
HIGH MILEAGE: Since Hendrick Motorsports was founded in 1984, it has led a record 98,932.113 miles in points-paying Cup Series races. The team is less than 1,068 miles from hitting 100,000 led at NASCAR’s top level. Last season, Hendrick Motorsports led 5,662.77 miles. Through four races in 2022, it has led 474.64 miles, including 217.14 Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
QUOTABLE /
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the dry conditions expected this weekend at COTA: “It will be like a new track for us. Last year, I felt like it was dry for only a couple laps during the entire weekend. We’re definitely looking forward to it because the Hendrick Motorsports road course program has been strong.”
Larson on the first road course race for the Next Gen car: “I drove it in a test the day after the (Charlotte) ROVAL (race). It was good to have an immediate comparison between the two generations of cars, but a lot of changes and updates (to the car) have occurred since then.”
Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on returning to COTA: “The entire field had only two laps in dry conditions last year, and that was during qualifying. We don’t have many data points to draw from. We will be able to pull a little from the ROVAL, but so much has changed since then. The general characteristics of the car haven’t really changed, but physical parts, pieces, components and rules are way different.”
Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on racing at COTA with the Next Gen car: “COTA is our first road course race with this car. I don’t think anybody has really driven it a lot on road courses. We had the test at Charlotte there early on, but it seemed like every team was kind of rotating drivers through. So I don’t think any of us got a ton of time with it, but you know these cars, really a lot of the design pieces come from a road race background – some of the things they (NASCAR) see on the IMSA side of things. I really think they’re probably going to suit road racing well. I think they’ll be fine, and I don’t know that the race will look a ton different, honestly. I think the cars will drive fine. Certainly, getting used to those small things that are going to be a little bit different and the shifting and the brakes (will be important). Just how they act at some of those different style of corners. I think it will be fine.”
Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the first road course race with the Next Gen car: “I’m excited to do it. I personally didn’t go over to Charlotte (to the test). We were in the middle of a championship battle, so we were focused on that. This will be my first time to work with the car at a road course and start that process. There are certainly a lot of unknowns and a lot of things that we’ve got to understand and adapt. And even from the ROVAL test, the cars and configurations have changed from then, so, yeah, a lot to learn. It’s exciting. This car, on paper, is really well suited to perform at a road course, so I think it will be a lot of fun. The car should be really good and it should be very competitive. We’ll do our best to get as much of an advantage as possible. I’m looking forward to it. I’ve always loved road racing, and it’s a fun challenge. COTA is a great track. It’s got everything. It has fast corners and slow corners and long, sweeping corners, and quick transition corners, and braking zones and elevation changes. The track has every component you could imagine, so it makes it a lot of fun to go out there and race.”
William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on what his Atlanta win means to him: “This one was a tough win to get. It was really a hybrid between Daytona and a mile-and-a-half. We had to make a lot of adjustments going into Sunday, and I’m really proud of my team to improve on what we had in practice by a significant amount to allow us to be competitive. It’s great to get a win so early, in just the fifth race of the season. With this new car you don’t what can happen, and it’s nice to have that win already. Now we can really be aggressive.”
Byron on his thoughts for this weekend at the Circuit of The Americas: “I think it’s going to be crazy. You talk about last year and we were really good in practice in the rain. Unfortunately, we got damage in the race and had a hard time coming back from it. I think this year is going to be a totally different beast. In terms of the No. 24 team, I think we’ve had really good speed on the road courses, but we haven’t’ gotten the win yet at that kind of track. We need to work hard this weekend and hopefully by Sunday we have a good idea of what we have and we can compete for that win. I’m excited for it. I don’t think it will be as unpredictable as last year, but at the same time it’s the first time on a road course with the Next Gen car in competition. It will be a good challenge.”
Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on what the Atlanta win means for the team: “The win at Atlanta was huge. To be able to get a win so early in the season, it not only is an extra boost of confidence, but it opens up the door for what we can do in races moving forward. Last year we won early and were consistent, but we didn’t capitalize on wins or playoff points. This year, we’re looking to change that. With one win already, we can now be aggressive and chase those playoff points to put us in a better position in the playoffs.”
Fugle on his approach for this weekend at COTA: “This weekend should be interesting to say the least, and a bit of a question mark to be honest. There’s not many notes from last year that can correlate to this weekend with the way the weather is looking right now. Last year we had nothing but rain. This weekend looks warm and sunny. It’s definitely going to take a few laps to get adjusted. With such limited time in practice, too, this year, the hope is to get a couple clean laps in the session to give us an idea of what adjustments to make for not only qualifying but for the race on Sunday. It’s going to be a learning curve for sure though.”
Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on driving in the Truck Series ahead of the Cup Series race: “I am excited to have an opportunity to drive the No. 7 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Silverado for Spire Motorsports ahead of Sunday’s race. I think any time you can get behind the wheel of a different race car and make laps, it only makes you a better driver. I like putting myself in uncomfortable situations so when I get into my Cup car, I am more relaxed and see things a little bit slower. The ability to slow the race down helps me make better decisions in the moment and ultimately be more competitive and race for more wins.”
Greg Ives, crew chief of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his expectations for Sunday’s race at COTA: “I’m excited to get to Austin and take another swing at COTA. Obviously, with last year’s race ending short because of the rain, we didn’t get a good base of what the track is like. We finished eighth last year, so hopefully we can improve on that and take home another win this season.”
Ives on Bowman driving a truck on Saturday: “To have Alex get in the truck race will help him get some experience in dry conditions and see how the track evolves as the race progresses. He’s a racer at heart, so I know he is excited for another opportunity to get strapped into a new race car and compete with the best in the series.”
