Darlington Raceway
Sunday, May 12, 2024
1.366-Mile Oval
3:00 PM ET
Location: Darlington, South Carolina
TV: Fox
Event: NASCAR Cup Series race (13 of 36)
Radio: SiriusXM, PRN
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 Throwback Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Throwback Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will be available to members of the media in the Darlington Raceway media center on Saturday, May 11, at 9:45 a.m. local time.
NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE: Last Sunday at Kansas Speedway, Kyle Larson beat Chris Buescher to the checkered flag by 0.001 seconds – the closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series history. The Elk Grove, California, native led 64 laps en route to his second victory of the season. Larson continues to lead the point standings, now 29 markers ahead.
OUT FRONT: Larson has led at least one lap in nine of 12 races this season for a total of 634 – 28 more laps out front than the nearest competitor. This is the most he has led in a season through 12 events and is 123 more at this point compared to his 2021 season when he set the record for laps led (2,581) during a 36-race Cup Series schedule.
STAGE LEFT: The driver of the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet has six stage victories through 12 races this season, tied for the most all-time through a dozen races. Larson has collected 16 playoff points – 10 via race victories and six through stage wins. He has earned 145 stage points, 30 more than second place in that statistical category.
FIVE FOR 5: Larson leads the series in top-five finishes this year with six – one ahead of Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott and two ahead of teammates William Byron and Alex Bowman, who are part of a seven-way tie for third. Larson has also run the most laps in the top five (2,061), has the second-best average running position (8.50) and the third-best average finish (10.83) in 2024.
RECENTLY: While he is the most recent winner on the circuit, Larson also won the last event held at Darlington Raceway. The 2021 Cup Series champion led 55 laps last September to capture his first Southern 500 victory, marking the 500th NASCAR national series triumph for the Hendrick Motorsports engine department. The win was also Larson’s first at NASCAR’s highest level at the 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval. The 2014 rookie of the year also scored a victory at Darlington in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2023.
SOUTH CAROLINA STATS: In 12 Cup starts at Darlington, Larson has six top-three finishes. His 770 laps led at the track “Too Tough to Tame” are his third-most at any track on the schedule. Additionally, Larson’s average finish (9.42) is the third-best all-time among drivers with more than two starts at the historic track.
STANDBY UPDATE: Last month at Dover Motor Speedway, it was announced Kevin Harvick will be the standby driver for Larson in the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet ZL1 at North Wilkesboro Speedway because of commitments with the Indianapolis 500. Harvick is now scheduled to participate in practice and qualify the No. 5 entry on Friday, May 17.
THROWING IT BACK TO TERRY: During Darlington’s throwback weekend, the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Throwback Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will pay tribute to Terry Labonte’s classic livery that he drove to the 1996 Cup Series championship, which marked the second of 14 premier series titles for team owner Rick Hendrick. Larson is the team’s most recent champion in 2021. Check out all angles of the throwback paint scheme here.
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9 CHASE ELLIOTT
Age: 28 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: 3rd
No. 9 UniFirst Throwback Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
KEEP IT ROLLING: Chase Elliott continues his impressive 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season, highlighted by five top-five finishes in the last six races – including a win at Texas Motor Speedway last month. Elliott’s average finish in those six races is 5.33, the best among the Cup Series field. In the premier series’ most recent race (at Kansas Speedway), the 2020 Cup Series champion started ninth and brought home a third-place result in a wild overtime finish.
STOUT NUMBERS: Through 12 races, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native sits third in the points standings, just 55 markers behind the leader, Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson. Elliott has secured one win (Texas) and his five top-five finishes are second-best in the series behind Larson. He ranks fourth in laps run in the top five (959) and top 10 (2,009). Additionally, Elliott holds the second-best average finish (9.67) – one of only two drivers in the single digits – has the fourth-best average running position (10.90) among series regulars and the sixth-most stage points (80) earned.
DARLINGTON DATA: Sunday marks Elliott’s 15th start at Darlington Raceway in the Cup Series. In his previous 14 races at the 1.366-mile oval, he has collected four top-five finishes, seven top-10s and led 151 laps. Last season, he finished in the top 10 in the spring and fall races, posting his track-best Cup finish of third last May. Outside of the premier series, the six-time National Motorsports Press Association Most Popular Driver Award winner has made three Darlington starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, earning a win at the track during his 2014 rookie season.
SIMILAR TRACK STATS: In 58 Cup starts on tracks measuring 1 to 1.37 miles in length (Darlington, Dover Motor Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Phoenix Raceway and WWT Raceway), Elliott has four wins. His first came at Dover in 2018, followed by his championship-winning performance at Phoenix in 2020. His two most recent victories on a track in this length range came in 2022, with wins at Dover and Nashville. Accompanying his quartet of triumphs are 23 top-five finishes, 30 top-10s and 1,246 laps led.
AG IN SC: On Sunday, Alan Gustafson will call his 25th Darlington race in his 20th season as a Cup Series crew chief. In his previous 24 starts at the track with five different drivers (Kyle Busch, Casey Mears, Elliott and NASCAR Hall of Famers Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin), Gustafson has accumulated one win (2009 with Martin), six top-five finishes, 11 top-10s and 222 laps led.
NEXT GEN NUMBERS: Since the introduction of the Next Gen car in 2022, Elliott has earned six wins, placing him in a three-way tie for the fourth-most victories. In that span, he holds the best average finish (12.26).
FAST FIVE: Last month 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, which has remained the same since 2018, posted the best average four-tire pit stop time at Kansas (9.743 seconds) and currently holds the fastest average four-tire pit stop time (10.651 seconds) this 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).
FITTING THROWBACK: This weekend, Elliott will run a special throwback scheme at Darlington in celebration of Hendrick Motorsports’ 40th anniversary and the 10th anniversary of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s 2014 DAYTONA 500 victory. Elliott’s No. 9 UniFirst Throwback Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will don a special livery inspired by Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet with the same red, white and blue scheme with gold accents. Check out all the angles of the throwback look here.
SUPPORT THE CAUSE: In conjunction with NASCAR’s Official Throwback Weekend, the Chase Elliott Foundation will auction off the Earnhardt Jr.-inspired skeleton gloves Elliott will wear in Sunday’s race at Darlington. All proceeds raised will be donated to the National Guard Relief Foundation. No. 9 team partner UniFirst is joining the cause and will match the donations raised dollar-for-dollar up to $25,000. Elliott’s gloves will be available via charity auction on The NASCAR Foundation eBay Auction Page, starting on Thursday, May 9, at 9 p.m. ET.
24 WILLIAM BYRON
Age: 26 (Nov. 29, 1997)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Standings: 7th
No. 24 Axalta Throwback Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Axalta Throwback Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will be available to members of the media in the Darlington Raceway media center on Saturday, May 11, at 9:30 a.m. local time.
24 IN ‘24: William Byron’s 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season has been impressive. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native is tied for the series lead in wins (three), is in a seven-way tie for third in top-five finishes (four) with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman and a four-way tie (also with Bowman) for the most top-10s (seven). He’s spent the sixth-most laps (1,554) in the top 10. Byron is also fourth in average finishing position among series regulars (13.00) and sits seventh in the Cup Series points standings after 12 races.
NEXT GEN DUO: Since the Next Gen Cup Series car was introduced in 2022, Byron and crew chief Rudy Fugle have a series-leading 11 wins. The duo is ahead of teammates Kyle Larson (nine wins) and crew chief Cliff Daniels (eight wins). Byron also has the second-best average finish (13.23) in the Next Gen car behind teammate Chase Elliott. Fugle and Byron rank fourth for the most wins by an active driver and crew chief pairing with 12 victories.
SIMILAR IN SIZE: This Sunday’s race at Darlington Raceway will mark Byron’s 46th start on tracks 1 to 1.37 miles in length (Darlington, Dover Motor Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Phoenix Raceway and WWT Raceway). In his previous 45 starts, the 26-year-old driver has collected two pole awards, two wins (Darlington and Phoenix in 2023), 10 top-five finishes, 19 top-10s and 571 laps led.
DARLINGTON DEETS: With 11 previous Cup Series starts at Darlington, Byron is looking to continue his success at the 1.366-mile track. In last season’s spring race, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native won after starting fourth and leading seven laps for the No. 24 Chevrolet’s 100th Cup Series victory. In the last seven races at the South Carolina track, Byron has four top-five finishes and five top-10s. Over the four Next Gen races at Darlington, he has the best average running position (6.18), best average finish (6.50) and leads the field in laps run in the top five (898) and top 10 (1,083).
DOUBLE DUTY: Byron is pulling double duty at Darlington this weekend. In addition to Sunday’s Cup Series race, he’ll drive the No. 17 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet Camaro for Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series on Saturday afternoon. This is the second of four Xfinity starts for Byron this season and the third of 10 races for the No. 17 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevy.
MCSWAIN MANIA: For Byron’s Xfinity Series races in 2024, the lead engineer on his No. 24 Cup Series team, Brandon McSwain, will climb on top of the pit box as the crew chief. In their first start at Phoenix, the No. 17 Chevy was in the top 10 before being collected in an on-track incident. The duo previously worked together in the Xfinity Series when McSwain was a race engineer at Hendrick Motorsports affiliate JR Motorsports, amassing four wins in Byron’s 2017 championship campaign. They have one Xfinity Series start at Darlington together, where Byron started sixth and finished fifth.
THE FUGLE FILES: When the Cup Series returns to Darlington, it will mark the seventh trip to the South Carolina track for crew chief Fugle at the top level of NASCAR. In his past six Cup Series starts, Fugle and the No. 24 team have collected one win, three top-five finishes, four top-10s and 81 laps led. Before his Cup Series career, Fugle had only three previous starts at Darlington – two in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and one in the Xfinity Series.
THROWIN’ IT BACK: Axalta unveiled Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet throwback look last week. Paying tribute to team vice chairman Jeff Gordon, the No. 24 Axalta Chevy will don the iconic “Firestorm” paint scheme that Gordon ran during the 2009 season. For a closer look at the scheme, click here.
PIT ROAD PROWESS: After 12 races in the 2024 season, the No. 24 pit crew continues their success from last year. The five-person crew ranks third for the fastest average four-tire pit stop (10.971 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).
SOUTH CAROLINA STATE OF MIND: While the fueler on the No. 24 team hails from North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, Walker also has significant ties to the southernmost Carolina state, having played football at Clemson University. The former college offensive tackle earned a scholarship to Clemson in 2007 after being named an All-American offensive lineman in his hometown at East Wilkes High School. While playing at Clemson, Walker recorded 3,131 snaps with 49 starts at tackle through four seasons at the University. In 2011, Walker was named team captain, the same season Clemson went on to win the Atlantic Coast Conference championship. The college football standout was recruited by Hendrick Motorsports in 2012 and earned a position as the starting fueler for the former No. 5 (now No. 24) team in 2015.
48 ALEX BOWMAN
Age: 31 (April 25, 1993)
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Resides: Concord, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Blake Harris
Standings: 9th
No. 48 Ally Throwback Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
SUNFLOWER STATE STATS: Alex Bowman scored a seventh-place finish upon taking the checkered flag last Sunday at Kansas Speedway. His result in “The Sunflower State” marks his seventh top-10 in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season and his fourth in a row at the 1.5-mile track. The 31-year-old driver has now finished within the top 10 (nine) in over half of his 17 starts at the Kansas City, Kansas, venue.
TALKING TOP 10S: Bowman’s seven top-10 finishes place him in a four-way tie for the series lead along with Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron. The Tucson, Arizona, native’s three straight top-10s are tied for the longest active streak of all drivers in the sport’s top series. If Bowman scores a top-10 result this weekend at Darlington Raceway, he will match his longest top-10 streak at four races, which he has accomplished on five previous occasions. With six top-10 finishes through the last eight races, Bowman and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott have the most top-10s during this span.
HIGHLY RANKED: After 12 races this season, Bowman ranks ninth in the Cup Series points standings, 131 points behind the leader, teammate Kyle Larson. He has claimed four top-five finishes this season, placing him in a seven-way tie for third that includes teammate Byron. The driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 holds the fifth-best average finish (13.08) this season, just behind teammates Byron (13.00), Larson (10.83) and Elliott (9.67).
DARLINGTON DOWNLOAD: Bowman will return to “The Lady in Black” for his 13th Cup Series start at the South Carolina venue this weekend. Sunday’s race will mark his sixth start at the track with Ally as the No. 48 team’s primary partner. At Darlington, Bowman has secured three top-10 finishes, with a best finish of second in May of 2020. In addition, he has completed 97.6% of his laps attempted and led 42 laps at the 1.366-mile track.
LEGENDARY SCHEME: For NASCAR’s Official Throwback Weekend, Bowman will sport the No. 48 Ally Throwback Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. The legendary blue and yellow scheme pays tribute to the No. 48 Chevy’s early seasons with the NASCAR Hall of Famer duo of Jimmie Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus. The scheme celebrates this iconic car number’s past and the success that followed as part of Hendrick Motorsports’ 40th anniversary in the sport’s premier series.
PIT CREW POWER: Entering the 13th race of the season, the Ally Racing pit crew has the seventh-fastest average four-tire stop (11.088 seconds). The No. 48 over-the-wall 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).
DARLINGTON DOGS: Bowman and Ally are going on their fourth consecutive year supporting Best Friends Animal Society and their vast network of partners. This weekend’s beneficiary of the pair’s $4,800 donation is Darlington County Humane Society, just a five-minute drive from the track. The shelter is a non-profit organization with the mission of promoting the humane care of dogs and cats in Darlington County and it has cared for over 3,000 animals. Visit the shelter this race weekend and view their dogs and cats available for adoption here.
Hendrick Motorsports
| 2024 | All-Time | Darlington | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Races | 12 | 1,357 | 66 |
| Wins | 6* | 307* | 16* |
| Poles | 4* | 250* | 8 |
| Top 5 | 19* | 1,251* | 56* |
| Top 10 | 26* | 2,138* | 92* |
| Laps Led | 956 | 80,713* | 3,734* |
| Stage Wins | 7 | 105 | 3 |
*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 (307), poles (250), laps led (80,713) and championships (14). With its results at Kansas Speedway, the team reached over 1,250 top-five finishes to mark the first time that an organization has reached that milestone.
HENDRICK HOMECOMING: On May 24 and 25, Hendrick Motorsports will hold “Hendrick Homecoming.” The free fan event, taking place over the same weekend as the Coca-Cola 600 and Indianapolis 500, will celebrate the organization’s 40th anniversary and feature autograph sessions with past and present drivers, games, displays, giveaways and more. For more information on the schedule of appearances (as they are announced) and how fans can register to enter the raffle for autograph sessions, click here.
WINNING TRIO: In 2024, William Byron (three wins), Kyle Larson (two wins) and Chase Elliott (one win) have tallied six wins through the first 12 races of the season for Hendrick Motorsports. The Concord, North Carolina, based squad has won at least six races in a year in 19 of the last 24 seasons. The six-victory start to this year is the team’s second-best mark at this point in a season, with 2007’s nine wins through 12 races as the best start to a campaign in organizational history.
BY A WHISKER: Larson’s win at Kansas resulted in the closest finish in Cup Series history (0.001 seconds). In fact, Hendrick Motorsports has won two of the three closest finishes in the sport’s top series with the other taking place in Jimmie Johnson’s win by 0.002 seconds on April 17, 2011, at Talladega Superspeedway.
DON’T WAIT, VOTE NOW: Darlington Raceway’s annual “Best in Show” Throwback Paint Scheme Fan Vote has officially launched! Fans can vote for their favorite scheme here. Voting concludes at 10 a.m. ET on the morning of the race, May 12, 2024. The official rules can be found here.
ON TOP AT DARLINGTON: The company’s 16 Cup Series wins at Darlington are the most all-time by a team. Team vice chairman Jeff Gordon’s seven wins account for nearly half of the total. Johnson posted three wins at the 1.366-mile track, including the organization’s 200th Cup Series win in 2012. Byron, Larson, Terry Labonte, Mark Martin, Tim Richmond and Ricky Rudd each tallied one trip to victory lane for the team at the track “Too Tough to Tame.” On 12 occasions, Hendrick Motorsports has won the Southern 500. With Byron’s spring victory and Larson’s playoff win in 2023, the team swept the premier series events at the South Carolina track for the first time since 2004. Larson’s win also marked the 500th national series win for the Hendrick Motorsports engine department.
SPRING REWIND: In last year’s spring race at Darlington, Byron won to notch the 100th victory for the iconic No. 24, while Elliott finished third. Larson was battling for the lead with less than 15 laps to go in regulation before contact with another competitor took him out of contention. Bowman missed this race due to injury.
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 (10.651 seconds), followed by the No. 24 pit crew in third (10.971 seconds), the No. 5 pit crew in fourth (10.996 seconds) and the No. 48 pit crew is seventh (11.088 seconds).
XFINITY RIDES AGAIN: The organization’s third of its 10 NASCAR Xfinity Series races in 2024 will occur on Saturday at Darlington. Byron will be behind the wheel of the No. 17 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet Camaro in his second of four starts for the team. No. 24 lead engineer Brandon McSwain will be back atop the pit box (as he will be for all of Byron’s Xfinity starts). In addition to Byron, Larson (two starts, already made one at Circuit of The Americas), Elliott (two starts), Alex Bowman (one race) and Boris Said (one race) are also scheduled to drive the car. 2014 Xfinity Series champion crew chief Greg Ives will call the shots for the non-Byron races.
EDGE OF SEVENTEEN: The last time that the No. 17 was on track at COTA, Larson scored the organization’s first Xfinity Series win in 15 years. Since returning to the series in a part-time capacity in 2022, Hendrick Motorsports has made 12 starts. In those races, the team has four pole positions, one win, three runner-up results, seven top-five finishes and eight top-10s. The No. 17 carries special significance to the Hendrick Motorsports family as it is the same number Ricky Hendrick drove and won with in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. In its history, Hendrick Motorsports has earned one Xfinity Series championship (2003) and 27 race wins in the series.
QUOTABLE /
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the throwback scheme and what he loves about racing at Darlington Raceway: “We’ve been trying to run this paint scheme ever since I joined Hendrick Motorsports and I am glad we are finally getting to run it. It’s such an iconic paint scheme and it’s cool that Terry (Labonte) will be in Darlington and see it on the track once again. I love racing at Darlington because we are right up against the wall. I was finally able to get to victory lane in a (NASCAR) Cup (Series) car last year. It was such a cool night to celebrate a Southern 500 victory with the team. Hopefully, we can battle for the win again on Sunday.”
Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his childhood memories of the original version (driven by Terry Labonte) of the team’s throwback scheme: “I had so many Matchbox cars of that car. I loved it. I played with it with my Dale Earnhardt and my Jeff Gordon cars. I was in love with those things. Back then, I would always be glued to the television every Sunday. I was a huge fan and I just really liked watching it. I kept all my Matchbox cars from when I was a kid and my son, who is two, now has all of my Matchbox cars. So that car surfaces about once a week. He’ll dig it out of the pile out of all of my old cars and that one will come about. He will yell, ‘hey dad, 5 car’ and he’ll play with it for a little while.”
Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on racing at Darlington: “We have had some really good runs there, have had a couple opportunities to win and it just hasn’t gone our way for whatever reason. So, we just need to get up in the mix. I feel like it had become a place that we really struggled at the last year and a half or so. I did think that we were way better last fall. I thought we made some really nice gains from where we had been there in the past couple years.”
Elliott on what makes Darlington such a tough track: “It’s a tough place. This race, being a hundred miles shorter than the (Southern) 500, is a little different, but still a tough racetrack and a place that’s just – these cars are so fragile with the way the suspension components are, even now that they’ve changed them a lot. You just can’t afford to hit the wall very hard. You end up bending something and it can ruin your day. That risk versus reward and the fine line of when to push and how hard to push is important there.”
Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on what he likes about competing at Darlington: “I enjoy going to Darlington (Raceway). The two ends of the race track are different, which is cool and makes it fun. I really like the racing surface. In our last race there in the fall, we were pretty decent. We weren’t exactly where we wanted to be but we were making strides. That makes me excited to head back this weekend to see the progress we’ve made since then.”
William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on racing at Darlington: “There’s nothing like getting ready for Darlington (Raceway). Throwback weekend is really fun. We have a really cool-looking Axalta Chevy with the black base and the bright flames like Jeff (Gordon)’s 2009 scheme. It’s always exciting to go to that track and compete. That place is so nostalgic and the fans really show up. There’s just something about that track that has clicked for me and I hope we have a strong showing there again.”
Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the challenges of Darlington: “There’s some race tracks you walk in and you have a good feeling about being there and Darlington (Raceway) is one of them. It’s always a tough week but an exciting one when you’re getting ready to go to Darlington. The track will change quite a bit throughout the race and you’ll run up close to the wall for most of the event. You’ll probably get a little damage on your car here or there with lots of pit stops. Even in the playoff race there last year, there were some pit calls made that have never been made at Darlington. We’ll have to study those, which probably adds another day of race strategy studying that we don’t have to do for most other tracks. It’s just a really tough track and race.”
Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the challenges of Darlington and his throwback scheme for Sunday: “Darlington (Raceway) is such a tough place to put an entire day together. The race is long and you kind of have to run that place in a high-risk space for the entire day. It’s hard to do that for that long without mentally making a mistake or kind of overstepping the boundaries and hurting your race car. It’s a tough place for sure, but a challenge that I look forward to tackling this weekend with the Ally Racing team. We’re running a special throwback on our team’s Chevy this weekend, too. It will be cool to run the scheme from Jimmie (Johnson)’s rookie year in 2002. Jimmie has always been a great Ally and is a large piece of the history and success behind the No. 48.”
Blake Harris, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on preparing for Darlington: “With running the Ally throwback scheme this weekend, it would be great to get the No. 48 back in victory lane. Darlington (Raceway) is a tough track and honestly, I feel like our team has some unfinished business there from last fall. We crashed there in the late stages while we were right there around the top five. So, I’m looking forward to getting back to competing at ‘The Lady in Black’ with Alex (Bowman).”
