5 KYLE LARSON
Age: 31 (July 31, 1992)
Hometown: Elk Grove, California
Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels
Standings: 1st
No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
POLE STRING: Last Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway, Kyle Larson won his third consecutive NASCAR Cup Series pole position and the 250th for Hendrick Motorsports in NASCAR’s premier series. The 31-year-old driver will look to become the first driver since 2004 to win four straight this Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway. If he accomplishes that feat, Larson will join Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon in winning four poles in a row for the organization.
OUT FRONT: Larson has led at least one lap in seven of the nine races this season for a total of 531 – 136 more laps out front than the nearest competitor. His laps led in 2024 are the most ever by the Elk Grove, California, native through nine races in a season. Larson’s 531 laps led are the most by a Hendrick Motorsports driver at this point in a year since Gordon led 538 at the same point in 2007. When Larson set the Cup Series record for most laps led (2,581) during a 36-race schedule in 2021, he paced the field only 379 times through nine events.
STAGE RIGHT: The driver of the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has won the first stage in the last three Cup races. In fact, Larson’s five stage victories are tops this season. With his win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March, the 2021 Cup Series champion has earned 10 playoff points toward the 2024 playoffs.
5 IN FIVE: Larson has run the most laps in the top five this season (1,514) and is tied for the most top-five finishes (four). He has also been atop the point standings after four different races in 2024. If he retains the lead after Sunday’s race at Talladega, Larson will become the first driver this year to lead the standings after three consecutive races.
POINTS MADE: Since the debut of the Next Gen car in 2022, Larson has earned the fourth-most points at the Alabama track (124). In the first Next Gen event at the 2.66-mile track, he led 32 laps (his most at a drafting-style track) and finished a career-best fourth at the facility.
HENDRICKCARS.COM IS HOME: This Sunday’s race at Talladega is a home race for the HENDRICKCARS.COM team. The Birmingham/Hoover, Alabama, area has 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, 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 available to the public. This week’s Alabama-themed hat will be revealed Thursday and can be seen here.
WE’RE HIRING: Hendrick Automotive Group is hiring more than 300 technicians at its dealerships throughout the country. Positions are open for all skill levels and offer tuition and training reimbursement. Interested people can apply at HENDRICKCARS.COM.
9 CHASE ELLIOTT
Age: 28 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: 4th
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 in the Talladega Superspeedway media center on Saturday, April 20, at 7:55 a.m. local time.
TEXAS TRIUMPH: Chase Elliott scored his first NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season last Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, snapping a 42-race winless streak. After starting 24th, the team’s strategy to gain track position in the first stage worked out when the yellow flag waved while Elliott was leading during the cycle of green-flag pit stops. Elliott ended stage one in seventh and followed that up with a 10th-place result in stage two. In the final stage, the 28-year-old driver managed to hold off his competitors through double overtime to claim his 19th career premier series victory (third on the Hendrick Motorsports wins list) and his first at Texas. It was also the Dawsonville, Georgia, native’s first win with Hooters as the primary partner on the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
SOMETHING’S COOKING: So far in the 2024 season, Elliott has one win (Texas), three top-five finishes and four top-10s – all coming in the last five races. He is tied with Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron for the second-best average finish (10.33), has the fourth-best average running position (10.61) and has spent the fourth-most laps inside the top five (874) and the top 10 (1,521). Elliott has led 126 laps this season, including the record-extending 80,000th for Hendrick Motorsports. He currently sits fourth in the Cup Series point standings, only 32 markers behind the leader.
KEEP THE STREAK ALIVE: After scoring a fifth-place finish at Richmond Raceway, a third-place result at Martinsville Speedway and a victory at Texas, Elliott is riding a streak of three consecutive top-five finishes. His most recent streak of three straight top-five results came last summer at Sonoma Raceway, Nashville Superspeedway and the Chicago Street Course. Elliott’s longest streak of five top fives in his Cup Series career has occurred twice (2019 and 2022).
NEXT GEN NUMBERS: Since the debut of the Next Gen Cup Series car in 2022, Elliott has the best average finish among his competitors (12.45) and is tied for the fourth-most wins (six) following his victory at Texas.
CUT TO THE CHASE: Elliott has a strong history on drafting-style tracks in the Cup Series. Across 37 starts on tracks of that type (Atlanta Motor Speedway since its reprofiling in 2022, Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway), he has three victories, nine top-five finishes, 15 top-10s, five pole positions and 506 laps led. In addition to his points-paying triumphs at Atlanta (2022) and Talladega (2019 and 2022), Elliott has two DAYTONA 500 qualifying race wins (2017 and 2018).
‘DEGA NUMBERS: This weekend, Elliott will make his 17th Talladega Cup Series start. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native has two victories on the 2.66-mile superspeedway – most recently in October of 2022 – and has collected five top-five finishes and eight top-10s across his 16 premier series starts at the track. This track is one of four where he has multiple Cup Series victories. Elliott’s average finish (13.63) ranks fourth on the all-time list of drivers with at least six Cup Series starts at Talladega. Additionally, at the Alabama track, he has earned the most overall points (189) in the Next Gen car, the most stage points (107) in the last 10 races and the third-most stage points (118) among active drivers.
MOVING ON UP: Following Sunday’s victory at Texas, No. 9 crew chief Alan Gustafson has 39 Cup Series wins to his credit. He’s second in active crew chief wins behind Rodney Childers (40). Of Gustafson’s 39 triumphs, 19 have come with Elliott, 11 with Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon, five with Hall of Famer Mark Martin and four with Kyle Busch.
DYNAMIC DUO: Elliott and Gustafson are in their ninth season together and are currently the longest active driver and crew chief combo in the Cup Series garage. The duo is ranked second among active pairings with 19 points-paying victories. Gustafson and Elliott earned their first Cup Series title in 2020 and the team captured the regular-season championship in 2022.
FOUR TIRES FAST: On lap 84 at Texas, the No. 9 pit crew laid down the fastest four-tire pit stop (9.076 seconds) of the 2024 season, according to data from Racing Insights. The over-the-wall squad has remained the same since 2018 and currently holds the fastest average four-tire pit stop time (10.724 seconds) on the season. 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).
GET UP AND GO: NAPA Auto Parts, the Atlanta-based company that has been a primary partner of Elliott in all nine of his full-time seasons at Hendrick Motorsports, will be on board the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 this weekend at Talladega. This will mark the 12th time the brand has served as the primary sponsor of the Elliott at the Alabama track in the Cup Series. NAPA was on board in October of 2022 when Elliott and the No. 9 team scored their most recent Talladega victory. Get a look at all the angles of the 2024 NAPA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 here.
24 WILLIAM BYRON
Age: 26 (Nov. 29, 1997)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Standings: 5th
No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
TEXAS THREE-STEP: Returning to Texas Motor Speedway as the defending winner of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series event last fall, William Byron started the race weekend by qualifying sixth. The driver of the No. 24 collected a ninth-place finish in stage one. Employing pit strategy in the second stage, Byron crossed the line in 13th before being propelled into the top 10 running order during the stage break. Early in the final stage, Byron advanced into the top five and maintained that position throughout the closing laps, enduring multiple cautions and two overtime attempts before crossing the finish line in third.
24 IN ‘24: Byron’s 2024 Cup Series season has been nothing short of impressive while setting new personal-best marks through nine races in wins (three), average starting position (9.33) and average finish (10.33). He’s also matched his personal-best marks through a quarter of the season in poles (one) and top-five finishes (four). The Charlotte, North Carolina, native leads the series in wins and is tied for first in top-five finishes with two competitors, including Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson and is in a two-way tie for the lead in top-10s (six). Byron is also tied for second with teammate Chase Elliott in average finish among series regulars (10.33), has led the sixth-most laps (149) and ranks seventh in laps run in the top 10 (1,305). He sits fifth in the 2024 Cup Series points standings.
NEXT GEN DUO: Since the introduction of the Next Gen Cup Series car in 2022, Byron and crew chief Rudy Fugle lead the series with 11 wins. The duo leads teammates Larson (eight wins) and crew chief Cliff Daniels (seven wins). Byron also has the second-best average finish (12.94) in the Next Gen car behind teammate Elliott and holds the most wins on drafting tracks – three wins out of 14 starts. In that span, Byron (three) and Elliott (two) are the only repeat winners on drafting-style tracks.
DRAFT DAY: When it comes to drafting-style tracks (Daytona International Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway since its reprofiling in 2022), Byron typically runs upfront. He has four wins on this type of track – the 2024 DAYTONA 500, his first Cup Series victory at Daytona in August of 2020 and two at Atlanta (March of 2022 and July of 2023). Byron also scored a victory in a DAYTONA 500 qualifying race in 2020. He has led 230 laps at drafting tracks since the start of the 2022 season.
TALLADEGA TELL-ALL: Byron will be making his 13th Cup Series start at the 2.66-mile oval when the No. 24 team hits the track this weekend. In his previous 12 starts, Byron has finished a track-best second twice (including last fall) – the most of any drivers entered that has yet to score a win – with 108 laps led (ninth-most of drivers without a win at Talladega). He has the third-best active top-10 streak (two) at the Alabama venue. Since 2022, Byron has scored the third-most points (154) at Talladega. In the past 10 races there, he has earned the second-most stage points (80) and he has the fifth-most stage points (82) across all his starts.
DIGGIN’ DEGA: Fugle is set to call his seventh race at Talladega as a crew chief in the Cup Series. In his first six premier series starts, He has two runner-up results that bookend his time to date in the Cup Series (April of 2021 and October of 2023). Aside from those six races, the Livonia, New York, native has eight national series starts at the 2.66-mile track already under his belt, with seven coming in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. Fugle has accumulated three top-five finishes and five top-10s in those Truck Series races. One of those truck starts was with Byron in 2016, where the duo started eighth and raced to a 10th-place result.
PIT ROAD PROWESS: After nine races in the 2024 season, the No. 24 pit crew continues their success from last year. The five-person crew ranks third in average four-tire pit stop time (10.874 seconds). They also clocked the seventh-fastest four-tire pit stop (9.475 seconds) of the 2024 season on lap 139 last weekend at Texas. 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: Byron will sport Liberty University on board his No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for the second weekend in a row. 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 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 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: 14th
No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
SUPERSPEEDWAY SUMMARY: The NASCAR Cup Series returns to superspeedway racing this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. Earlier this year, Alex Bowman scored a runner-up result in the season’s first drafting-style race in the sport’s prestigious DAYTONA 500, finishing just behind race winner and Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron. Bowman has two top 10s in his last four races on drafting-style tracks. He has two runner-up finishes across 37 starts at the drafting track trio of Talladega, Daytona International Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway since its reprofiling in 2022.
TURNING TO TALLADEGA: The 30-year-old driver scored a second-place finish at Talladega in April of 2019, which marks his best finish at the 2.66-mile track. He is one of only four active Cup Series drivers, along with teammate Byron, to finish second without scoring a win at this venue. In his 16 Cup Series starts at the Alabama venue, he has secured four top-10 finishes and led 67 laps. All of Bowman’s top-10 results have come in the spring race. The Tucson, Arizona, native ranks sixth at Talladega in stage points earned all-time (65) and stage points scored over the last 10 races (63).
HITTING 75: Blake Harris, crew chief of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will call the shots for his 75th race atop the box in the sport’s premier series this Sunday. The 37-year-old Maypearl, Texas, native has led four drivers in his Cup Series career and has been paired with Bowman for the majority of his races. Across 38 races together, Harris and Bowman have secured six top-five finishes, 12 top-10s and led 87 laps.
FINANCE FUN WITH THE NO. 48 TEAM: April is Financial Literacy Month. The No. 48 team’s primary partner and online banking company, Ally, knows that financial behaviors are learned early. On Tuesday, Bowman, his pit crew and Ally volunteers visited University Meadows Elementary School in Charlotte, North Carolina, to read “Adventures With Money” books and play Jeopardy games about financial literacy with kids in their local community. Last week, Ally held its largest reading day event at Clara Love Elementary School near Texas Motor Speedway with Bowman and over 70 volunteers to reach over 900 students. These readings are two of many that Ally will lead nationwide this year, educating thousands of students on the importance of financial knowledge and implementation.
FAST FIVE: Away from the classroom, the Ally Racing pit crew ranks seventh on pit road for the fastest average four-tire stop (11.196 seconds) this season. The five-person crew is composed of Andrew Bridgeforth (rear-tire changer), Jacob Conley (fueler), Brandon Grier (tire carrier), Allen Holman (jackman) and Donnie Tasser (front-tire changer).
LIVE FROM THE DRIVER’S SEAT: Join Bowman with views from his driver’s seat this weekend as the Cup Series field reaches speeds of over 180 mph. Fans can ride along by tuning into NASCAR’s in-car camera on the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Visit nascar.com/drive to experience the race from a driver’s perspective.
IN THE FAN ZONE: On Sunday, Bowman will be joined by Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson in the fan zone at Talladega at 11:10 a.m. CT in the Ally activation area for a joint appearance. Ally and Hendrick Automotive Group have teamed together to celebrate Hendrick Motorsports’ 40th anniversary by giving away a 40th Anniversary Edition Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE through the Ally “Win Your Wheels fueled by HendrickCars.com” sweepstakes. NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports and No. 48 fans can enter to win at Ally.com/sweepstakes/nascar. The sweepstakes will end on Sept. 20, 2024.
ALABAMA BEST FRIENDS: Bowman and Ally are in their fourth year supporting Best Friends Animal Society and their vast network of partners. Since the beginning of the 2022 season, the pair has been committed to a combined weekly donation of $4,800 to a Best Friends network partner local to each weekend’s race. This weekend’s beneficiary is Kitty Kat Haven & Rescue, located in Hoover, Alabama. About a 50-minute drive from the track, the shelter has a mission to save abandoned, stray and injured cats and kittens. Take a look at their cats and kittens up for adoption here.
HENDRICK
MOTORSPORTS /
2024 | All-Time | Talladega | |
---|---|---|---|
Races | 9 | 1,354 | 80 |
Wins | 5* | 306* | 14* |
Poles | 4* | 250* | 13* |
Top 5 | 14* | 1,246* | 64* |
Top 10 | 18** | 2,130* | 99* |
Laps Led | 812 | 80,569* | 3,082* |
Stage Wins | 6 | 104 | 5** |
*Most **Most (tie)
FABULOUS 40: In 2024, Hendrick Motorsports is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Among the categories that the organization holds the NASCAR Cup Series record for are all-time wins (306), poles (250), laps led (80,569) and championships (14). With Chase Elliott’s win at Texas Motor Speedway, the team has won at least five races a year in 22 of the last 24 seasons. It is also the second time the team has won at least five of the first nine races in a season (2007 was the other occurrence).
FROM THE POLE: Hendrick Motorsports is the first team to reach 250 pole positions in the Cup Series. The milestone was hit last Saturday with Kyle Larson’s pole at Texas, his third in a row and the team’s fourth consecutive top starting spot in the 2024 season. Across 31 tracks, 20 drivers have won poles for the squad including all four of the team’s current drivers. Team vice chairman Jeff Gordon’s 81 pole positions are the most by a driver in the organization’s history and Daytona International Speedway tops the track list at 23 pole positions.
WINNING TRIO: With five wins among Elliott, Larson and William Byron in 2024, the Rick Hendrick-owned team has had three of its drivers win within the first nine races. The organization also achieved this in 2007 (six wins), 2009 (three wins), 2021 (three wins) and 2022 (four wins). Hendrick Motorsports accounts for five of the 10 instances where a team has seen three of its drivers win in the opening nine races.
TALLYING TOP FIVES: In the last five races in the 2024 season, at least two drivers from the squad have finished in the top five. At Texas, Elliott finished first and Byron placed third. At Martinsville Speedway, it was the Byron-Larson-Elliott trio in a 1-2-3 finish. At Richmond Raceway, Larson placed third and Elliott was fifth. Byron won and Alex Bowman was fourth at Circuit of The Americas (COTA). Bowman and Larson finished fourth and fifth at Bristol Motor Speedway, respectively. This is the organization’s longest streak since a seven-race stretch from Darlington Raceway to Pocono Raceway in the 2021 season.
PIT POWER: Based on Racing Insights data, all four Hendrick Motorsports pit crews rank in the top seven among Cup Series teams for the fastest average four-tire pit stop. The No. 9 pit crew tops the board (10.724 seconds), followed by the No. 24 pit crew in third (10.874 seconds) and the No. 5 pit crew in fourth (10.890 seconds). The No. 48 pit crew is seventh (11.196 seconds).
VICTORY FORMATION: Gordon’s six wins at Talladega Superspeedway top the organization’s list, followed by Jimmie Johnson and Elliott’s two triumphs each. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Terry Labonte, 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 33 wins on drafting tracks, which is the highest total in the series and 13 more than the next-best teams. The drafting tracks on the circuit are 2.66-mile Talladega, 2.5-mile Daytona 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 16 wins at Daytona and three triumphs at Atlanta.
NEXT GEN NOTES: Since the debut of the Next Gen car in 2022, Byron has the most wins (three) on drafting tracks and Elliott ranks second (with two). They are the only drivers with multiple victories on that track type in NASCAR’s current stock car used in Cup Series competition. In addition to winning this year’s DAYTONA 500, Byron went to victory lane at Atlanta in March of 2022 and July of 2023. Elliott scored wins at Atlanta in July of 2022 and Talladega in October of 2022.
TO THE POINTS: Over the past four races at Talladega (all in the Next Gen era), Hendrick Motorsports has three of the top four drivers in points scored. Elliott leads all drivers (189 points) by 33 markers, Byron ranks third (154) and Larson is fourth (124).
SETTING THE STAGE: In the last 10 races at Talladega (dating back to 2019), all four of the team’s drivers are in the top seven in stage points earned. Elliott ranks first (107), Byron is second (80), Bowman is sixth (63) and Larson is seventh (55).
QUOTABLE /
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his outlook heading to Talladega Superspeedway: “We always seem to have a fast HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevy at the drafting-style tracks with good execution of pit stops, working well with our teammates and having good strategy during the race. We just need to avoid the trouble we seem to get collected in and be there at the end of the race.”
Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on preparing for Talladega: “The five team is looking forward to Talladega (Superspeedway), even though our speedway finishing record does not show success for us. At speedways, we always feel like we have a very competitive car capable of running up front, getting some good stage finishes and just executing. Typically, we do the green-flag pit cycles and it’s always fun trying to pit with our teammates and the other Chevrolets. There’s a lot of strategic moves. At the end of the race, it’s always a toss up to how that’s going to go. Unfortunately, a lot of times for us, it doesn’t go well, but our luck is going to turn one of these days. Hopefully, when it does, we’re in a position to have a great day.”
Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his mindset for superspeedway racing: “Superspeedway racing is one of those things that, I don’t know that we all love to do it all the time, but it’s something that I’ve tried to embrace and I’ve tried to try to get better at and put time into. I think it’s easy to look at those events and just kind of skip over them and be like, ah, you know, it’s just a superspeedway race. But they do offer a race win and they offer a lot of points and all those things are still on the line. So, I’ve tried to put emphasis on them. I enjoy going over there (to Talladega Superspeedway). It’s close to home for me.”
Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the opportunities to score points at Talladega: “There’s obviously three laps that pay points, so you’re going to want to be as high as you can get for all three of those. You want to get as many stage points as you can. You want to finish as high as you can and ultimately win stages and win the race. Everybody’s going to try to do the same thing and there’s going to be some different ways to get there. It could depend on how you qualify or where you start, how your car is and what opportunities you have. I don’t think there’s a set roadmap to success, but certainly everybody’s going to try to get as many points as they can.”
William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on how he approaches the final laps at Talladega: “I don’t think you can really think about when a wreck is going to happen. If Branden (Lines, spotter) says there’s a wreck about to happen or happening, then obviously the urgency goes up to get an inch more or two. It’s really about listening to what he says. He has such a great vision for what is happening and then seeing what the field is doing out the corner of his eye. I try not to think too much about it otherwise and rely on him to tell me. I just race like we’re coming all the way back to the checkered flag. If the caution comes out before that, it’s really just subjective and you deal with whatever happens. If you make a move too early, though, banking on a caution, you could finish somewhere like 10th because you lost momentum.”
Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on how to approach racing at Talladega: “We probably have two or three plans that we try to work off of based on what happens. If you have caution-free stages, you’re trying to position yourself for that green-flag pit stop and where you are in the field at that point. No one wants to have fuel saving in a superspeedway race but that’s part of it though sometimes. Depending on how you’re starting a stage, whether you’re in the front or the back, it’s part of it. If you get a caution at the wrong time, fuel savings may not matter but you may not have track position and are stuck in the back. So many things play into it. It’s about give and take. You have to play out all the scenarios and give the driver as many tactics and strategies to put ourselves in the best position to manage the stages and win the race.”
Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the team’s outlook heading to Talladega: “Things certainly didn’t go as planned last weekend Texas (Motor Speedway), but our team turns to Talladega (Superspeedway) hungry for a strong finish. Our Ally Racing team has certainly seen some good finishes this season and we’re ready to get back on track and compete for another (one). At Daytona (International Speedway), we were really close to a win and that’s what we want. Our No. 48 team has shown we have what it takes to perform well. We just need all the pieces to come together. You never know what’s going to happen at these superspeedways, but hopefully, we can work as a team to come out good at the end of it Sunday.”
Blake Harris, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the team’s approach to superspeedway races: “I think the superspeedway races have been kind of solid for us, even last year when things weren’t going so well. As a company, I feel like Hendrick Motorsports is able to run well working together amongst our teammates at drafting tracks. Our No. 48 Ally Racing team expects to bring another fast Chevy to Talladega (Superspeedway), just like we did at Daytona (International Speedway).”