5 KYLE LARSON
Age: 31 (July 31, 1992)
Hometown: Elk Grove, California
Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels
Standings: 8th
No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
MICHIGAN MAN: Kyle Larson has a strong NASCAR Cup Series track record at Michigan International Speedway. The 31-year-old earned his first-ever Cup Series victory at the 2-mile track in 2016, a win that was part of a streak of three consecutive triumphs in the Irish Hills (and also the last three Cup wins for Chevrolet at this track). The moderately-banked D-shaped speedway is the winningest venue in the premier series for the 2021 Cup Series champion and he is tied for the second-most wins among active drivers there. In his 14 starts at Michigan, Larson has three victories, six top-five finishes, eight top-10s, led 220 laps and completed 2,570 of his 2,676 laps attempted (96%).
UP FRONT IN THE GREAT LAKE STATE: The Elk Grove, California, native has a streak of three consecutive top-10 finishes at Michigan. That is the third-longest streak among active drivers in the series. In that same span, he has an average finish of 4.33. In the last two Cup Series races at Michigan, Larson has run the most laps in the top five (261) and the second-most laps in the top 10 (330).
BACK & BETTER: Larson knows how to help his organization rebound from tough performances. In two of the last three races where a Hendrick Motorsports driver has not finished in the top 10, a driver from the Rick Hendrick-owned team won the next race. In April, Larson won at Martinsville Speedway after the organization was shutout of the top 10 in the dirt race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Last year, he was victorious at Homestead-Miami Speedway after the organization did not score a top 10 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
2-MILE KYLE: Larson has the third-most wins (five) on 2-mile tracks among active Cup Series drivers. Currently, the Cup Series schedule is home to two 2-mile tracks: Michigan and Auto Club Speedway. In addition to his three Michigan wins, Larson has two victories at Auto Club. His combined win total at the two tracks is tied for 11th-best among all drivers.
FOUR RACES REMAINING: With four races remaining in the 2023 regular season, Larson has earned the No. 5 HendrickCars.com team a spot in the playoffs for the third season in a row. He has won two points-paying races (Richmond Raceway and Martinsville) and the non points-paying All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. He has claimed nine top-five finishes (the most of all drivers), 10 top-10s and three stage wins. Larson has led the third-most laps (622) in 2023, which is a category teammate William Byron (810) leads. He also has run the fourth-most laps in the top-five (2,078) and top 10 (3,285) and has the fifth-best average running position in the top series (12.29). In addition, Larson is tied with Byron for the best average starting position (9.77) this season.
FOUR TIRES FAST: Through 22 races, the No. 5 HendrickCars.com pit crew has the third-fastest four-tire average pit stop time (11.113 seconds). Their four-tire stop of 9.281 seconds on lap 93 at Nashville Superspeedway in June is the fourth-fastest four-tire stop of the season. The No. 5 team’s five-man pit crew consists of Blaine Anderson (front-tire changer), R.J. Barnette (tire carrier), Brandon Harder (fueler), Brandon Johnson (jackman) and Calvin Teague (rear-tire changer). Rod Cox is currently filling in for Teague, who is week-to-week as he rehabs a knee injury.
EXTRACURRICULAR: In addition to his full-time Cup Series schedule, Larson often races dirt during the week. On Tuesday, Larson competed in the High Limit Sprint Car Series race at Kokomo Speedway in Kokomo, Indiana. This is a series that he co-founded with brother-in-law Brad Sweet. The No. 57 sprint car driver finished in second at the checkered flag. For the full High Limit Series schedule, click here.
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9 CHASE ELLIOTT
Age: 27 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: 20th
No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will be available to members of the media at the Michigan International Speedway media center on Saturday, Aug. 5, at 11:45 a.m. local time.
IRISH HILLS NUMBERS: Heading into this weekend, Chase Elliott holds the best all-time average finish (8.00) of NASCAR Cup Series drivers with more than two starts at Michigan International Speedway. He has placed inside the top 10 in 10 of his 12 career Cup starts there – tied with Martinsville Speedway for his most top 10s at a track. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native has also collected three top-five finishes at the Irish Hills track – all of which are runner-up results – and has paced the field for 144 laps.
RUNNER-UP FINISHERS: Elliott is in good company as one of five drivers with the most runner-up finishes at Michigan before their first win at the track. NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon also earned three second-place results before capturing his first win on the Irish Hills oval (1998). Elliott joins Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski and NASCAR Hall of Famer Terry Labonte in having three runner-up results without a win at the Brooklyn, Michigan, venue.
SOLID ON 2-MILERS: On Sunday, Elliott is set to make his 20th Cup start on a 2-mile oval (Auto Club Speedway and Michigan). In his 19 previous Cup Series starts on this track length, Elliott has earned five top-five finishes – including four runner-up efforts – and 14 top-10s. In his most recent start at Auto Club earlier this season, the 27-year-old driver finished stage one in ninth and stage two in seventh before taking the checkered flag in the second position.
BUILDING CONSISTENCY: Over the last seven races in the 2023 season, Elliott holds the best average finish (8.56) and has earned the fourth-most points (215). He has three top-five finishes and four top-10s in that span, with a best finish of third coming at the Chicago Street Course. In addition, the 2020 Cup Series champion has completed 100% of the laps in those seven events, one of only four drivers to do so.
GUSTAFSON AT MICHIGAN: Alan Gustafson is set to call his 35th Michigan Cup Series race from atop the pit box on Sunday, just one day after his 48th birthday. In his previous 34 starts at the venue with five different drivers (Elliott, Gordon, Kyle Busch, Mark Martin and Casey Mears), Gustafson has collected two wins (Martin in 2009 and Gordon in 2014), five top-five finishes, 17 top-10s and 370 laps led. For the 2014 victory, Gustafson’s team started from the pole position. Gordon’s qualifying lap that weekend of 206.558 mph still stands as the fastest-ever qualifying speed that did not occur at a superspeedway.
PLAYOFF OUTLOOK: With just four races left in the regular season, Elliott currently sits 20th in the driver point standings and is 40 points below the provisional cutline to advance to the Cup Series playoffs. Last weekend at Richmond Raceway, the 2020 Cup champion gained 16 points on the cutline and has been impressive on the four tracks coming up on the schedule. In addition to three runner-up results at Michigan, Elliott has a best finish of fourth at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, two wins at Watkins Glen International and two second-place efforts at Daytona International Speedway. A victory would lock the driver of the No. 9 into the postseason. Stage points and strong finishes will also be key over the next four weekends to keep the five-time National Motorsports Press Association Most Popular Driver in the hunt to point his way in.
GET UP AND GO: NAPA Auto Parts is back on board the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 this weekend at Michigan. The Atlanta-based company has been the primary partner for Elliott for all but three of his Cup starts on the 2-mile oval, including all three of his runner-up finishes. Get a look at all the angles of the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet here.
24 WILLIAM BYRON
Age: 25 (Nov. 29, 1997)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Standings: 3rd
No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
EYE ON THE PRIZE: With four races left in the regular season, William Byron is third in the NASCAR Cup Series driver points standings, 43 markers behind the leader. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native is looking for his first Cup Series regular-season championship and the extra 15 playoff points that come with it. To this point, Byron leads the series in wins (four), laps led (810), laps run in the top five (2,688) and stage wins (seven). His 810 laps led mark a new season-high for the 25-year-old driver. In addition, Byron is tied for second in top-five finishes (eight) with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson (nine) leading the way in that category, tied for third in top-10s (11) and has run the third-most laps in the top 10 (3,595). He also has an average running position of 9.53, which is second-best in the field.
MICHIGAN MINUTES: With 10 NASCAR national series starts at Michigan International Speedway under his belt, Byron will be adding one more to his résumé this Sunday. Of those 10 races, eight have come at the Cup level, where he has a track-best starting position of third (August 2019) and a track-best finish of second (in 2021). In fact, of the last five races at the Brooklyn, Michigan, track, Byron has an average finish of 9.60. He has also spent 213 laps running in the top 10 in the last two races there – the fifth-most among active drivers. Byron has one NASCAR Xfinity Series start at the 2-mile D-shaped oval, where he qualified fourth and ended the race in the runner-up position. He also has one NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start, where he started third and finished fourth with crew chief Rudy Fugle on top of the box.
OH SO CLOSE: Sunday will mark Fugle’s third Cup Series event at Michigan. In his previous Cup Series starts, the Livonia, New York, native has a track-best finish of second coming with Byron in 2021. Aside from those two Cup Series starts, Fugle has eight other starts in the Irish Hills, with seven coming in the Truck Series. In those truck starts, he has six top-five finishes and six top-10s. To further break it down, Fugle has finished second on three occasions, third once, and in the fourth position two times, with his only finish outside of the top four coming in 2019. This weekend, he hopes to continue his success by capturing his first checkered flag at the Michigan venue.
PIT ROAD PROWESS: After 22 races in the 2023 season, the No. 24 pit crew remains in the top spot with the fastest average four-tire pit stop time of 10.991 seconds. The No. 24 pit crew consists of Spencer Bishop (jackman), Jeff Cordero (front-tire changer), Orane Ossowski (rear-tire changer), Ryan Patton (tire carrier) and Landon Walker (fueler).
LIBERTY U IS BACK: For back-to-back weekends, Byron will sport his Liberty University paint scheme. Featuring a white base with navy flames and red accents, the Liberty University No. 24 will be sure to stand out on track. Liberty University has a long history with Byron starting back in 2014 in the late model ranks. Liberty University has been Training Champions for Christ since it was founded in 1971. Located in the mountains of Central Virginia, Liberty is a liberal arts institution with 17 colleges and schools that offers more than 600 degree programs from the certificate to the doctoral level, on campus and online. Working on an undergraduate degree in strategic communication, Byron is now in his junior year at Liberty University through its online program. For a better look at Byron’s Liberty University paint scheme, click here.
48 Alex Bowman
Age: 30 (April 25, 1993)
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Resides: Concord, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Blake Harris
Standings: 21st
No. 48 Ally X Detroit Pistons Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
POINT ME IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION: With just four points-paying races left in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series regular season, Alex Bowman is currently ranked 21st. The driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is 42 points below the provisional cutoff line. As it stands now, Bowman needs to gain an average of 11 points per event on the cutline to make the postseason. The 30-year-old driver has made five straight playoffs since joining Hendrick Motorsports full time in 2018.
MICHIGAN ON MY MIND: This Sunday, Bowman will take on Michigan International Speedway for the 14th time in his Cup Series career. He has three top-10 finishes and the Tucson, Arizona, native has an upward trend in his results over the last few races at the 2-mile D-shaped track, including his track-best finish of ninth in 2022. In addition, he won at fellow 2-miler, Auto Club Speedway, in 2020.
HORSEPOWER AND HOOPS: This weekend, the No. 48 Ally Chevy will don the iconic red, white and blue colors of the NBA’s Detroit Pistons. Ally, who is a partner of the No. 48 team and the Pistons, brought their worlds together for this Sunday’s race. Click here to check out all the angles of the fresh look for Michigan.
PISTONS VISIT: On Friday at the Henry Ford Detroit Pistons Performance Center, Bowman, crew chief Blake Harris and Ally influencer and Super Bowl champion Bernard Pollard will visit the Pistons facility. There, they will do basketball drills, play A-L-L-Y (Ally’s version of H-O-R-S-E) and then talk about what it means to have the NBA world crossover with NASCAR. The trio will start the tour at 4:00 p.m. local and be available for interviews from 5:45 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. local. To RSVP to this event, please email jarneson@hmsracing.com.
ALLY’S BACKYARD: Michigan is what the full season primary sponsor of Bowman and the No. 48 team consider to be its home track. Ally Financial is based in Detroit, approximately 78 miles east of the venue. Ally Detroit Center, formerly One Detroit Center, is a skyscraper located in the downtown area overlooking the Detroit Financial District. The 43-story tower is the tallest office building in the city and the second-tallest building in the state.
SAVE THEM ALL: Bowman and primary partner Ally are teaming up this year to bring back the Best Friends Animal Society donation effort. This week, the duo will make charitable contributions to the Animal Aid of Branch County, which serves the local community in Coldwater, Michigan. Bowman and Ally will donate $4,800 to Best Friends and the Animal Aid of Branch County. Ally will increase its donation to $10,000 if the No. 48 team wins on Sunday.
HENDRICK
MOTORSPORTS /
Hendrick Motorsports
| 2023 | All-Time | Michigan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Races | 22 | 1,331 | 76 |
| Wins | 6** | 297* | 8 |
| Poles | 6* | 245* | 11* |
| Top 5 | 26* | 1,216* | 54 |
| Top 10 | 38 | 2,083* | 110* |
| Laps Led | 1,539* | 78,856* | 2,658* |
| Stage Wins | 11* | 90 | 1 |
*Most **Most (tie)
CLOSING IN ON 300: Hendrick Motorsports is just three points-paying victories away from its milestone 300th win in the NASCAR Cup Series. Twenty drivers have combined to reach the organization’s current total of 297, which is the most Cup Series wins by any team. With six points-paying victories in 2023, the team has posted its 36th multi-win season in the Cup Series while maintaining a streak of at least two per season for the past 30 years. The organization has gone to victory lane at more racetracks (31) than any other active team.
MILESTONE MOMENTS: In addition to 300 Cup Series wins, Hendrick Motorsports is approaching several other major milestones. With 245 pole awards, the team is just five away from 250 at the Cup level. In addition, Hendrick Motorsports engines have recorded 496 NASCAR national series victories and need just four more to reach 500.
CALL TO THE HALL: The seven-time championship-winning duo of crew chief Chad Knaus and driver Jimmie Johnson are going into the NASCAR Hall of Fame together as part of the Class of 2024. The pairing made the No. 48 Chevrolet one of NASCAR’s most iconic numbers. They won an unprecedented five titles in a row from 2006 to 2010 as well as championships in 2013 and 2016. Johnson earned 83 victories for the team. After earning 82 triumphs atop the pit box, Knaus transitioned to his current role as vice president of competition following the 2020 season. The duo will be inducted on Jan. 19, 2024.
BLOW OUT THE CANDLES: As Hendrick Motorsports competes at Michigan International Speedway, two executives are celebrating birthdays this weekend. On Friday, team vice chairman Jeff Gordon turns 52. On Saturday, Knaus also turns 52 and No. 9 crew chief Alan Gustafson turns 48.
MICHIGAN MOJO: The Rick Hendrick-owned organization has won eight times and led a series-best 2,658 laps at Michigan. Five drivers have victories at the Irish Hills track – that mark is tied with three other teams for the most different number of drivers to win for an organization at this venue. Gordon has the most wins for the team at three, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. with two. Ricky Rudd, Mark Martin and Johnson each won once for the squad at the 2-mile track.
ON THIS DATE: Sunday’s race is set to take place on Aug. 6. In two of the last three Cup Series races held on that date, Hendrick Motorsports has been victorious. Gordon won in 1994 and Johnson won in 2006, with both triumphs coming at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
2-MILE POWER: On the current Cup Series schedule, there are two 2-mile tracks: Michigan and Auto Club Speedway in California. As an organization, Hendrick Motorsports has 20 wins combined at these tracks – which is tied for the most victories at both venues.
TOP OF THE BOARD: In the Next Gen car era (2022-present), Hendrick Motorsports has won 17 races, which is five more than any other team. During that span, all four drivers in its lineup – William Byron (six), Kyle Larson (five), Chase Elliott (five) and Alex Bowman (one) – have notched victories.
HIGH FIVE: With 26 top-five finishes in 2023, the Concord, North Carolina-based team leads all organizations in that statistical category. Larson has the most top-five results (nine) of all drivers in the series and Byron (eight) is tied for second. Elliott (five), Bowman (three) and Josh Berry (one) have also recorded top fives this season.
QUOTABLE /
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the significance Michigan International Speedway has had in his career: “Our team is looking forward to running at Michigan (International Speedway) this weekend. My first ever NASCAR Cup Series win was at Michigan, so it’s certainly a special place to me. With only two 2-mile tracks on the schedule, our team is looking for redemption following Fontana (Auto Club Speedway). I’ve had two solid top-10 finishes with the No. 5 team in my last two starts, so I hope to be able to repeat that. The team has been putting in hard work at the shop to build a fast HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevy, so I’m eager to hit the track and give it our best.”
Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on racing at Michigan: “We are definitely looking forward to Michigan (International Speedway). It’s a super fast track. Lots of wide-open throttle time but your car also has to handle good. It’s (Michigan) got it’s own unique challenges but we have a lot of confidence in our engine shop. They have been giving us great engines and obviously that has a big impact at this track. We’ve got to do a good job of putting a good car under Kyle (Larson) and let him do his thing. Hopefully, we can go have a nice solid (race) day.”
Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on racing at Michigan: “Michigan (International Speedway) is an important race on the schedule with it being close to Detroit. It’s also a part of the country I really enjoy during the summer months and I’m looking forward to going up there. It would be great to go there this weekend, get a win for Team Chevy and lock ourselves into the playoffs.”
Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on what the team can take from the strong run at Auto Club Speedway to use at Michigan this weekend: “Yeah, we had a really good run. Fontana’s so rough. The track surfaces are so different. The shapes are similar, but the surface is different. I do think there’s some things that we can use as general guidelines, but you can’t fine tune it because the surfaces are just so much different. It does make me optimistic that we can have the same success this weekend.”
Gustafson, on what it takes to run well at Michigan: “Michigan, it’s an interesting balance between, it’s fast but your car still has to handle well and drive good, and you’re just on the throttle for so long. So, having the car secure enough to run a lot of throttle through the corners is really the key.”
William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his motivation for this weekend at Michigan: “We’ve had a couple weeks now that we haven’t gotten the result we’ve wanted. I think going to Michigan (International Speedway) is going to turn that around for us. It’s a big and fast track and we’ve always had speed there. We did a tire test there earlier this year there and it went really well. We’re not going to let the last couple weeks define our team though. We’re going to show that we’ve put those races behind us and move on to the next week. That’s what is great about our team. You can’t get us down.”
Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on what he expects at Michigan: “Michigan (International Speedway) is a track I’ve always liked. I think we’re going to be pretty prepared for this weekend’s race. We had speed at Michigan last year and we were able to do the tire test in May with the new tire we’ll be running. With that combination of notes, I think we’re going to unload in a good place. We’ve also been good on the intermediate tracks this season, which is a bit of added confidence in what we’re doing. I think track position is going to be key, even though it’s a wide track with multiple lanes. It’s really going to come down to your pit strategy and when within your pit window do you stop for fuel.”
Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his mindset heading to Michigan: “We have been getting better at Michigan (International Speedway) and I feel like it is one of my better tracks, especially getting my career-best result last year. We have had fast cars the last few weeks and Blake (Harris) had a great strategy in Pocono that just got taken away from us. I feel like we have a good shot every weekend with Hendrick Motorsports, but I am really confident in our team and what we can accomplish this weekend.”
Blake Harris, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his mindset with four races left in the regular season: “We have to win and this team is plenty capable of competing at every track we have left. Alex (Bowman) has a lot of talent and we all believe in him and his abilities. Our team is working hard to get the setups right and take notes from other places to fine tune every detail we can. Our pit crew is putting in the work to continue to have fast stops. I am really optimistic about our chances in these last few races.”
Harris, on his perspective of the paint scheme: “It is really cool to see Ally lean into their partnerships in multiple sports. The NBA and NASCAR aren’t worlds that would normally overlap, so to have the ability to do this crossover, go to their facility and see what goes on behind the scenes is something that I am really looking forward to. It’s a fun way to kick off our weekend in Michigan.”
