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
TALKIN’ TEXAS: Kyle Larson started 11th in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway in the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. In stage two, he scored his fifth stage win of the season and now has 24 playoff points. While battling for the lead with 19 laps to go, Larson was involved in an on-track incident that brought an end to his race. He is now eighth in the NASCAR Cup Series driver point standings, two points above the elimination line with two more races in the Round of 12. Larson’s 99 laps led at Texas moved him to the series lead (897) in that statistical category this season. In addition, his stage win moved him to second all-time with 47 stage wins.
PUSHIN’ THROUGH THE PLAYOFFS: In the Round of 16, Larson earned the best average finish all-time in the opening round of the elimination playoffs and the second-best average finish through the first three playoff races all-time (2.33). During the playoffs, the 31-year-old driver has the most laps run in the top five (976) and is second in laps led (273), average running position (6.66) and most laps run in the top 10 (1,130).
THE ROAD TO PHOENIX: The 2021 Cup Series champion is no stranger to navigating the championship road to Phoenix Raceway. Larson has earned a spot in the Cup Series playoffs seven times and won at five of the remaining six playoff tracks. With victories at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Martinsville Speedway and Phoenix, Talladega Superspeedway is the only track remaining at which the driver of the No. 5 has yet to win.
TURNING TO TALLADEGA: This weekend, the Elk Grove, California, driver returns to Talladega. In his 17 Cup Series starts at the 2.66-mile track, Larson has led 53 laps, with 40 of those circuits out front coming in his last three runs there. His best finish at a drafting track came at Talladega in April 2022 when he earned a fourth-place result.
IN 2023: This season, Larson leads the way in top-five finishes (13) and is in a five-way tie for the third-most top-10s (15). He’s also third in average running position (11.38) and laps run in the top five (3,160). In addition, he has the second-most laps run in the top 10 (4,653). Larson ranks second-best on restarts, based on data from Racing Insights.
FAST TIMES ON PIT ROAD: The No. 5 HendrickCars.com pit crew now has the second-fastest average four-tire pit stop time of the season at 11.110 seconds. The group has two of the nine fastest four-tire pit stops this year. The 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).
HENDRICKCARS.COM IS HOME: This Sunday’s race at Talladega marks the 14th home race for the HendrickCars.com team this season. The Birmingham/Hoover, Alabama area is home to three Hendrick Automotive Group dealerships. Respectively, the No. 5 driver and crew can be found in their white firesuits this weekend. For every HendrickCars.com home race this season (15 total), there is a unique hat released the week of the race and only available for sale on the trackside merchandise haulers or available to win on HendrickCars.com. Less than 100 of each limited-edition hat will be made available to the public. This week’s Alabama-themed hat will be revealed Thursday and can be seen here.
WIN A CHEVROLET COLORADO Z71: Want to drive Larson’s 2023 Chevrolet Colorado truck? One lucky winner will win his ride. Fans can donate now to enter a drawing for a chance to take home the Z71 Crew Cab 4WD package with custom features and styling. This special sweepstakes raises funding for the Kyle Larson Foundation’s “DRIVE FOR 5” campaign that supports youth, families and communities in need. The campaign is nearing its fundraising goal of $500,000. Click here to check out this sweet custom ride and enter to win today. The drawing closes on Sunday, Dec. 3, and the winner will be chosen on Monday, Dec. 11.
9 CHASE ELLIOTT
Age: 27 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: 17th
No. 9 LLumar Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
RELIVING THE MOMENT: Chase Elliott heads to Talladega Superspeedway as the defending winner of the fall NASCAR Cup Series race. The driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 led a total of 10 laps that day. He finished third in the first stage and won stage two before ultimately taking the lead again on the final lap to capture his 18th career Cup Series win. It was Elliott’s fifth victory of the season and his second series win on the high banks of Talladega, making it the fourth track at which he has earned multiple Cup victories. The win locked him into the Round of 8 in the Cup Series playoffs. Elliott eventually went on to advance to the Championship 4 for the third consecutive season, ultimately finishing fourth in the series standings.
WORTH FIGHTING FOR: Last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, the No. 9 team made headway in its quest for the owner championship. After entering the Round of 12 at Texas in the 12th position, Elliott and the No. 9 group earned points in each stage, propelling them to ninth in the owner playoff standings. They are now just two points below the elimination line with two races remaining before the owner playoff field is narrowed down to eight.
CUT TO THE CHASE: Elliott has a history of being strong on drafting-style tracks in the Cup Series. Across his last 16 Cup starts on tracks of that type (Atlanta Motor Speedway since 2022, Daytona International Speedway and Talladega), the driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has two victories – second only to teammate William Byron – and two runner-up finishes, which are tied for second-most. His impressive six top-five finishes and average finish of 11.25 in that span are tops in each category. The 27-year-old driver’s 10 top-10 results and five stage wins are tied for best in the series, while Elliott’s 269 laps led are the third-best mark across those 16 races. In his Cup Series career, he has three wins on drafting-style tracks: Talladega in 2019 and 2022 and Atlanta in 2022.
‘DEGA NUMBERS: This weekend, Elliott will make his 16th Talladega Cup Series start. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native has two victories on the 2.66-mile superspeedway – most recently last October – and has collected five top-five finishes and seven top-10s across his 15 starts at the track. Elliott has the best average finish (14.07) at Talladega among active full-time drivers, which is also fourth-best on the all-time list of drivers with at least six Cup starts at the Alabama track. In the spring race, Elliott won the first stage and finished second in stage two, leading 18 laps en route to a 12th-place finish.
PART OF THE LEGACY: Hendrick Motorsports achieved its 300th Cup Series victory last weekend. Elliott is one of 20 drivers to score wins for the organization. His 18 Cup victories are the third-most by a driver for Hendrick Motorsports – trailing only NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon and 2024 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Jimmie Johnson. While on the topic of milestones, Elliott is only 11 circuits away from 5,000 laps led in his Cup Series career. His 4,989 laps pacing the field are third-best among all Hendrick Motorsports drivers, behind only Gordon and Johnson.
FOUR TIRES FAST: The No. 9 pit crew had the fastest four-tire pit stop of the race last weekend at Texas with a time of 9.409 seconds. The over-the-wall squad currently holds the eighth-best average four-tire pit stop time of 11.306 seconds. The 2021 Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew award-winning group is comprised of Chad Avrit (rear-tire changer), Jared Erspamer (tire carrier), John Gianninoto (fueler), Nick O’Dell (front-tire changer) and T.J. Semke (jackman).
LLUMAR RETURNS: LLumar, a brand of automotive window tint and paint protection film manufactured by Eastman Performance Films, LLC, will have its colors carried on the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 this weekend at Talladega. It’s the third of four races that the brand is serving as a primary partner during the 2023 season. Following this Sunday’s race, LLumar will be back onboard Elliott’s No. 9 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Oct. 15. Earlier this season, Elliott drove the LLumar Throwback Chevrolet to a third-place finish at Darlington Raceway and a fourth-place result at Daytona. In June, it was announced that LLumar extended its sponsorship of Hendrick Motorsports, Elliott and the No. 9 team through 2026. Get a look at the 2023 No. 9 LLumar Chevy here.
24 WILLIAM BYRON
Age: 25 (Nov. 29, 1997)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Standings: 1st
No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
TEXAS-SIZED WIN: After qualifying 18th at Texas Motor Speedway for last Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race, William Byron and the No. 24 team went to work making up track position. Utilizing pit strategy, Byron finished stage one in fourth to secure stage points. As the race went on, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native continued to improve and ultimately found himself in a prime position with under 10 laps to go. Restarting third with six laps remaining, Byron made a three-wide pass to take the lead and never looked back. Sunday’s victory was his first in both the playoffs and at Texas. It also marked his 10th win at the highest level of racing and his series-best sixth of the 2023 season. On top of those accomplishments, Byron’s triumph secured the 300th win for Hendrick Motorsports.
WHAT’S IN A NUMBER?: With his win at Texas, Byron continues to extend the history of the No. 24. The iconic car number is now third on the all-time list with 103 Cup Series wins, trailing only the No. 43 (200 wins) and the No. 11 (231 wins). Byron’s six wins in the No. 24 in the 2023 season are also tied for the sixth-most wins in a single season with the number. Team vice chairman and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon accounts for 93 wins in the No. 24.
NEXT GEN DUO: Since the introduction of the Next Gen Cup Series car in 2022, Byron and crew chief Rudy Fugle have now collected eight wins together. Not only is that the most by a driver but it is also the most by a crew chief in the same time period – two more than anyone else.
KEEP IT ROLLIN’: Heading into the second race in the Round of 12, Byron’s win locked him into the next round of the playoffs and he continues to lead the driver point standings. After 30 races, Byron leads the series in wins (six) and stage wins (eight). His 883 laps led are a single-season career-best for the 25-year-old driver and rank second on the year to Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson (897). Byron’s 11 top-five finishes are the third-most in the sport’s top division, while his 16 top-10s are tied for the most. In addition, Byron ranks second in both average running position (10.40) and laps run in the top five (3,252) while he ranks third in laps run in the top 10 (4,639).
DRAFT DAY: When it comes to tracks that involve drafting, Byron is normally running up front. He has three wins on these types of tracks – his first Cup Series win at Daytona International Speedway in August 2020 and at the re-configured Atlanta Motor Speedway in March 2022 and in July of this season. The two Atlanta wins came with the Next Gen car, which ties Byron with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott for the most drafting wins by a driver in the Next Gen car. Since the start of the 2022 season, he also has led the most laps (214) at drafting tracks of any driver.
TALLADEGA TELL-ALL: Byron will be making his 12th Cup Series start at the 2.66-mile oval when the No. 24 team hits the track Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway. In his previous 11 starts, Byron has led 96 laps and earned a track-best finish of second coming in April 2021. In addition to that runner-up finish, Byron has two stage wins at Talladega, including winning stage two in the spring 2022 race.
DIGGIN’ DEGA: When the Cup Series heads to the Alabama-based track this weekend, it will mark Fugle’s sixth race at the venue as a Cup Series crew chief. In his first five Cup Series starts, Fugle and the No. 24 team have a track-best result of second in the spring race of the 2021 season. Aside from those five races, the Livonia, New York, native has eight other national series starts at the 2.66-mile track already under his belt with seven of those coming in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. In those Truck Series races, Fugle has accumulated three top-five finishes and five top-10s. One of those previous starts was with Byron, in 2016, where the duo started eighth and raced to a 10th-place result.
PIT ROAD PROWESS: After 30 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 10.988 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).
AT IT AGAIN WITH AXALTA: For the fifth time in the 2023 season, Axalta will be back onboard Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. This is Axalta’s 31st year of partnership with Hendrick Motorsports. The company has been a primary partner for two of Byron’s wins this year – the May victory at Darlington Raceway and the July triumph at Atlanta.
WELCOME HP: On Wednesday, Hendrick Motorsports announced its expanded partnership with HP Inc. While HP Inc. joined Hendrick Motorsports in October 2022, the new agreement includes primary sponsorship with Byron and the No. 24 Chevrolet for the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL race next weekend plus two primary races with the team each season from 2024-2026. HP takes pride in providing innovative, high-performance solutions that empower high-performance and data-driven teams. For a better look at Byron’s No. 24 Z HP Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, click here.
48 Alex Bowman
Age: 30 (April 25, 1993)
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Resides: Concord, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Blake Harris
Standings: 20th
No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
DOWNRIGHT FAST IN ‘DEGA: While Alex Bowman shows speed at every drafting-style track that the NASCAR Cup Series competes at, he has yet to get to victory lane. His best superspeedway finish in his Cup Series career came at Talladega Superspeedway in April 2019. In that race, Bowman finished second in both stages and led seven circuits en route to his runner-up finish behind teammate Chase Elliott. The 30-year-old driver is one of four active drivers along with his teammate, William Byron, to finish second but not yet win at the Alabama venue. In 15 starts at Talladega, Bowman has one top-five finish and four top-10s. This spring, he finished second in the opening stage before a 13th-place result.
DOING WELL IN THE DRAFT: Bowman has two top-10 finishes on drafting tracks in 2023. In the season-opening DAYTONA 500, he finished fifth and backed that up with a sixth-place run in the summer race at the “World Center of Racing.”
THAT’S MY CREW CHIEF: Blake Harris, the crew chief of the No. 48 Ally Racing team, will make his fourth start atop the pit box at Talladega this Sunday. In two races at this track in 2022, Harris led the No. 34 team to one top-five finish and two top-10s, finishing eighth in April and third in October. In Harris’ first superspeedway race with Bowman – the 2023 DAYTONA 500 – the duo won the pole and finished fifth.
SET FOR THE RESTART: The Tucson, Arizona, native ranks as the fifth-best driver on restarts in 2023, according to data from Racing Insights. That mark is the second-best among the Hendrick Motorsports quartet, as teammate Kyle Larson is second in this statistical category.
FUELING FUTURES: Ally will host its annual Fueling Futures event on the campus of Hendrick Motorsports on Wednesday, Oct. 4. The primary partner of the No. 48 team has created four individual “pit stops” for students from Charlotte’s Garinger High School and Harding University High School, providing a behind-the-scenes look at various job opportunities within the racing industry, including engineering, marketing, financial education and pit crew. After completing each pit stop, the group will come together for a Q&A with Bowman. The driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will also be available to the media that day. To RSVP to attend the event, members of the media can email jarneson@hmsracing.com for further details.
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 Kitty Kat Haven & Rescue, which serves the local community in Hoover, Alabama. Bowman and Ally will donate $4,800 to Best Friends and Kitty Kat Haven & Rescue. Ally will increase its donation to $10,000 if the No. 48 team wins on Sunday.
SHINING BRIGHT IN THE DAYTIME: During Sunday’s race at Talladega, the No. 48 Ally Chevy will adorn its “day” scheme. This scheme hosts a white base with bright plum, grapefruit and seafoam stripes down the sides. Check out all the angles of the ride here.
HENDRICK
MOTORSPORTS /
| 2023 | All-Time | Talladega | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Races | 30 | 1,339 | 79 |
| Wins | 9* | 300* | 14* |
| Poles | 6 | 245* | 13* |
| Top 5 | 36* | 1,226* | 63* |
| Top 10 | 56* | 2,101* | 97* |
| Laps Led | 1,958 | 79,275* | 3,048* |
| Stage Wins | 14 | 93 | 5* |
*Most **Most (tie)
300 WINS REACHED: With William Byron’s win at Texas Motor Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports has become the first team to reach 300 NASCAR Cup Series victories. Twenty drivers have combined to reach this total across 31 different racetracks. With nine 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. To see a full breakdown of the win total by driver, track, car number and more, click here.
PLAYOFF LOWDOWN: For the 10th straight season, Hendrick Motorsports has at least two drivers in the Round of 12. Byron and Kyle Larson remain in the playoff field. In addition, the Nos. 5, 9 and 24 teams are battling for the owner championship. Byron’s victory at Texas locks him into the Round of 8 and marks the 10th straight season that the organization has had at least one driver in the Round of 8.
CHAMPIONSHIP COUNT: The Rick Hendrick-owned team has a series-best 14 Cup Series championships. NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2024 inductee Jimmie Johnson accounts for half of those with seven (2006-10, 2013 and 2016). NASCAR Hall of Famer and team vice chairman Jeff Gordon racked up four titles (1995, 1997-98 and 2001). NASCAR Hall of Famer Terry Labonte (1996), Chase Elliott (2020) and Larson (2021) each have one championship for the team. Nine of those titles have come in the playoff era (2004-present).
GOOD SIGN: In six of the last seven occurrences where a Hendrick Motorsports driver has won at least six races, that driver has gone on to win the title (Johnson in 2007-10 and 2013 and Larson in 2021). Byron now has half a dozen wins in the 2023 season.
RECORD SETTERS: Hendrick Motorsports has posted a series-best 57 wins in the playoffs, which is 21 more than the closest team. Johnson has the most with 29 victories. Among the current driver lineup, Elliott and Larson top the board with seven wins apiece in the playoffs followed by Byron and Alex Bowman with one.
VICTORY FORMATION: Gordon’s six wins at Talladega Superspeedway top the board for the organization followed by Johnson and Elliott’s two triumphs each. Labonte, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ken Schrader and Brian Vickers each have one victory at Talladega while driving for the organization. The seven drivers to win at this track are the most for one team.
DRAFTING DARLINGS: The Concord, North Carolina-based team has 32 wins on drafting tracks, which is the highest total in the series. The drafting tracks on the circuit are 2.66-mile Talladega, 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway and 1.54-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway (since its reprofiling for the 2022 season). In addition to its 14 victories at Talladega, the team has 15 wins at Daytona and three triumphs at Atlanta.
NEXT GEN NUMBERS: Byron and Elliott are tied for the most wins (two) on drafting tracks in the Next Gen car. Byron was victorious at Atlanta in March 2022 and July 2023. Elliott scored wins at Atlanta in July 2022 and Talladega in October 2022. Those victories have all occurred in the last 10 races on drafting tracks.
STUDYING THE TRENDS: In each of the last eight 2023 Cup Series races, Hendrick Motorsports has had a driver finish in the top five. Those top fives came at Michigan International Speedway (Larson), the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course (Elliott and Bowman), Watkins Glen International (Byron), Daytona (Elliott), Darlington Raceway (Larson and Byron), Kansas Speedway (Larson), Bristol Motor Speedway (Larson) and Texas (Byron).
TWO MORE XFINITY RACES ADDED: Hendrick Motorsports will enter two additional 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series races this season with its No. 17 Chevrolet Camaro. Veteran road racer Boris Said will drive in the Oct. 7 Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL event while Rajah Caruth will be in the seat at the season-ending race at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 4. Both will be sponsored by HENDRICKCARS.COM. The No. 17 entry has made five starts in the Xfinity Series this year, with a combined three top-five finishes, four top-10s and one pole position.
QUOTABLE /
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on racing at Talladega Superspeedway: “I’m just trying to do good every weekend. Texas (Motor Speedway) didn’t pan out the way the No. 5 team necessarily wanted, but our race cars have been crazy fast. I’m just trying to get through Talladega with some decent track position and hopefully, we can get a win at Talladega (Superspeedway).”
Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on how the No. 5 team approaches superspeedway races: “We’ve had a very similar strategy at all of the superspeedway races this year. We’re trying to do what’s right as far as keeping our car upfront. Obviously, we try to avoid trouble the best we can, which can certainly be tough to do at these plate races. I feel like we always have fast cars and Kyle (Larson) always does a great job at trying to get our car upfront and in position. You certainly have to execute a good race. If we do all the things that we can control right and put ourselves in position, with a healthy dose of luck, hopefully, we’ll have a good finish coming our way soon.”
Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the key to racing at Talladega: “Talladega (Superspeedway) is just about some good timing and good fortune. I mean, you can certainly make better or worse decisions at certain times. I do think there is a bit of a method to the madness. You see certain drivers that run really well there. They might not get it right all the time, but they get it right more than others. That being said, there must be a way to better your odds at least. A lot of it is just feel and what you’re seeing, what you’re feeling with what everybody else around you is doing. A big thing with plate racing is just staying on offense. You see those that are on offense that are really good pushers. Those guys tend to find themselves at the front of those races more than not. That’s a hard thing to do because you have to have your car driving like you want it to. You’ve got to be able to have the opportunity to push and make pace that way. The people who have the ability to be on offense are going to find themselves in a good spot more times than not.”
Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the team’s outlook for Talladega: “We want to win. We want to try to qualify a little better to get a little bit of a pit selection. It’s been hurting us a little bit in recent speedway races. So, we’re working on that. We’ve had a pretty good race setup there for the last couple races, so looking forward to building on that. And certainly, I think Hendrick Motorsports’ speedway game has been pretty good. The collaboration between the team cars has been really good, so I’m looking forward to building on that. The Chevrolets, in general, have worked well together. I think we have an opportunity to win and do good. We’ve had really solid runs here lately. The finish at Texas (Motor Speedway) was super disappointing, but I think we were in position to win there, which was great. We want to do the same thing again this week. Try to put ourselves in position when it matters and see what happens.”
William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on how he approaches the rest of the Round of 12: “Our focus has changed some now for this round of the playoffs. We now can go to Talladega (Superspeedway) and focus on helping our teammates, the Nos. 5 and 9. We just need to make our way up front and find our teammates to help them get to the next round as well. If we have an opportunity to get playoff points in the process, great, but our priority will be to help our teammates. Same thing at the (Charlotte Motor Speedway) ROVAL. We can’t help as much there, but we can possibly get more playoff points to help for the next round. Otherwise, we’re focused on Las Vegas (Motor Speedway) and working towards that round.”
Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on what it means to get Hendrick Motorsports’ 300th win: “You think about the last few weeks with 500 engine shop wins across the top three series and then to get 300 Cup Series wins, those are some amazing accomplishments for Hendrick Motorsports. Mr. Hendrick is such a great leader and he is so good to all of us. He cares and he is so passionate about the sport. The fact that we (No. 24 team) were able to do it was huge. From day one when I got to Hendrick Motorsports, you walk by tables and meeting rooms that have picture books with all the photos of the wins and milestones. To be able to get him to 300 wins and to be the car that did it is huge. We get to sign our name next to that forever.”
Fugle on the mindset of the No. 24 team: “I didn’t realize that people thought we were struggling. We think we can win any race. Whether it’s practice, qualifying or the race. We have the car, the driver and the pit crew to win any session. Sometimes we get off here and there but we have the capability. If you give us a shot, we have the knowledge and the speed to win every session. There’s not a race we can’t win. We’re going to keep growing, though, to be a little bit more consistent in the top five. But we’re in the Round of 8, we have 41 playoff points and we can start getting ready for Las Vegas (Motor Speedway). Take that however you want to take it but we’re going to keep working hard.”
Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his mindset heading to Talladega this weekend: “We had a good No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the spring race at Talladega (Superspeedway) and I think Blake (Harris) and I learned a lot about what I need in my set up to help us for this weekend. Our crew has done a lot of work looking at SMT data and leaning on our teammates at Hendrick Motorsports. I feel like we are very prepared to go compete this weekend. Blake and I have talked a ton this week and we already know that having a clean race car at the end is super important. We are going to do our best to unload in Alabama as close as we can get to having the car right, make some good adjustments and try to go execute a clean race. Hopefully, that will be enough to be competitive.”
Blake Harris, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on what it will take to win at Talladega: “I think Talladega (Superspeedway) has a lot of different challenges. Obviously, having a fast No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is important, but trying to give Alex (Bowman) a car that can handle well in traffic will also be key. We have good superspeedway notes and feel confident we can be in contention if we stay out of trouble. We have great teammates to work with throughout the race and it will take all of us to pull off a win this weekend.”
