5 KYLE LARSON

Age: 31 (July 31, 1992)

Hometown: Elk Grove, California

Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels

Standings: 4th

No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

ROVAL REWIND: Kyle Larson overcame some early adversity at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL to advance in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. The No. 5 HendrickCars.com team started 36th following a practice incident that forced Larson to a backup car. Pitting before the end of the opening stage set him up to gain track position and earn six valuable stage points as he finished fifth in the second stage. In the final stage, Larson maintained a top-15 position and his 13th-place finish got him into the Round of 8 in both the driver and owner playoffs.

THE ROUND OF 8: Larson secured a spot in the Cup Series Round of 8 for the third time in his career. The start of the new round reset the points and the HendrickCars.com driver sits fourth with 4,024 markers, three above the elimination line. Additionally, Larson has won at all the remaining tracks: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (2021), Homestead-Miami Speedway (2022), Martinsville Speedway (2023) and Phoenix Raceway (2021). Larson earned the most points (96) at the two Round of 8 tracks that were run in the spring (Martinsville and Las Vegas) with two top-two finishes.

EYES ON THE PRIZE: The 2021 Cup Series champion is one step closer to contending for his second championship at Phoenix. Larson’s average finish (2.33) in the Round of 16 is the third-best mark all-time in a single round of the playoffs. In the Round of 12, Larson was tied for the second-most stage points (28) behind Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott (37). Throughout the 2023 playoffs, Larson leads all drivers in average running position (7.51), most laps run in the top five (1,038) and most laps run in the top 10 (1,291).

WHAT HAPPENED IN VEGAS: In Larson’s 14 starts at Las Vegas, he has one win, six top-five finishes, 10 top-10s, two stage wins and 314 laps led. The Elk Grove, California, native has scored in the top two in three of his five Las Vegas starts with Hendrick Motorsports. In the spring race, Larson led 63 laps and finished second. In the five races held on 1.5-mile tracks this season, he has earned the fifth-most points (164) with Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron (218) atop the category. Since coming to the 14-time championship-winning organization in 2021, Larson has five wins on 1.5-mile tracks. In fact, his first win for team owner Rick Hendrick came at Las Vegas in 2021.

IN 2023: This season, Larson has led the most laps of all drivers (898) and is in a three-way tie for the most top-five finishes (13). He is also in a six-way tie for the fifth-most top-10 finishes (15). The 31-year-old driver ranks third in the following statistical categories: Average running position (11.38), laps run in the top five (3,222) and laps run in the top 10 (4,814). He also ranks second-best on restarts, based on data from Racing Insights.

FOUR TIRES FAST: The No. 5 HendrickCars.com pit crew has the third-fastest average four-tire pit stop of the season at 11.137 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).

PREPARING FOR THE DOUBLE: In 2024, Larson will attempt the Memorial Day weekend “double” with HendrickCars.com. He is set to compete in 1,100 miles of racing, known as the #Hendrick1100, in less than 24 hours between Charlotte Motor Speedway (Coca-Cola 600) and Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Indianapolis 500). On Thursday, Larson will complete his Rookie Orientation Practice at the 2.5-mile oval and address members of the media to share his experience surrounding his first time behind the wheel of an IndyCar. Check out the paint schemes Larson will run in the #Hendrick1100 here.

JOIN US AT JINYA RAMEN BAR: In Las Vegas for the race this weekend? Larson will be onsite at the Jinya Ramen Bar on 7240 South Rainbow Blvd. on Saturday from 5:30-6:30 p.m. local time to chat with fans, sign merch and fuel up on ramen before Sunday’s race.

HIGH LIMIT CHAMPION: In addition to Larson’s full-time Cup Series schedule, he often takes on dirt racing during the week. On Tuesday, Larson competed in the last High Limit Series race of 2023 at Lincoln Park Speedway in Greencastle, Indiana. Even though his No. 57 sprint car finished third in the race, Larson was crowned the inaugural High Limit Sprint Car Series Champion. The series was founded by Larson and his brother-in-law / World of Outlaws Sprint Car champion Brad Sweet in 2022. Learn more about the series at High Limit Sprint Car Series 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

OWNING IT: Chase Elliott and the No. 9 team have had a successful run thus far in their quest for the 2023 owner championship in the NASCAR Cup Series. Through the first six races of the elimination-style playoffs, they hold the second-best average finish (8.00) and have only finished outside the top 10 once. During the Round of 12, which concluded at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL last weekend, Elliott and the No. 9 squad earned the second-most points (121) – behind Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron – and earned the most stage points (37) in the field. Entering the Round of 8 this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, they’re seeded eighth at 4,002, 19 points below the elimination line to advance to the Championship 4.

SETTING THE STAGE: Last weekend at the Charlotte ROVAL, Elliott earned his 36th stage win after claiming the stage two victory in the 109-lap Cup Series race. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native ranks seventh in this category all-time and is the second-highest Hendrick Motorsports driver on the list, behind teammate Kyle Larson (47).

MILESTONE MOMENT: En route to Elliott’s top-10 finish at the Charlotte ROVAL on Sunday, the five-time National Motorsports Press Association Most Popular Driver led 15 laps, surpassing 5,000 circuits pacing the field in his Cup Series career. Of all past and present Hendrick Motorsports drivers, Elliott has led the third-most laps (5,012) for the organization. Only NASCAR Hall of Famer and team vice chairman Jeff Gordon (24,936) and 2024 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Jimmie Johnson (18,941) have led more.

LET’S GO TO VEGAS: Elliott has 12 Cup Series starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with three top-five finishes, five top-10s and 178 laps led. His best result on the 1.5-mile oval was a runner-up finish in the fall of 2021. With three stage wins at Las Vegas, Elliott is tied for second among active drivers in that statistic. In addition to Elliott’s 12 premier series starts on the desert oval, he has three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts, finishing inside the top five in all of them. This weekend will mark the Hendrick Motorsports driver’s first start at Las Vegas this year. The 27-year-old driver missed the spring Cup Series race due to his leg injury and Josh Berry was tabbed to fill in.

1.5-MILERS: Elliott will make his 77th start on a 1.5-mile track this Sunday at Las Vegas. In his previous 76 races on that track length, he’s led 1,041 laps. The 2020 Cup Series champion has two career victories on mile-and-a-half ovals – Kansas Speedway (2018) and Charlotte Motor Speedway (2020). Along with his two wins, Elliott has collected 22 top-five finishes – eight of which are runner-up results – and 38 top-10s on 1.5-milers. Note: Races at Atlanta Motor Speedway since its 2022 reprofiling are excluded in this count of 1.5-mile tracks.

BETTIN’ ON ALAN: This weekend, No. 9 crew chief Alan Gustafson will call his 25th Las Vegas premier series race atop the pit box. Across his previous 24 Cup Series races with six different drivers (Kyle Busch, Casey Mears, Mark Martin, Gordon, Elliott and Berry) at the 1.5-mile oval, Gustafson has garnered six top-five finishes, 10 top-10s and 187 laps led.

LLUMAR RETURNS: LLumar, a trusted 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 Las Vegas. It’s the final race that the brand is serving as primary partner during the 2023 season. Earlier this season, Elliott drove the LLumar Chevrolet to a third-place finish at Darlington Raceway in May, fourth place at Daytona International Speedway in August and seventh place at Talladega Superspeedway in October. 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 Chevrolet 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 Relay Payments Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Relay Payments Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will be available to members of the media at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway media center on Saturday, Oct. 14, at 8:50 a.m. local time.

MOVING ON: For the second straight season, William Byron has reached the Round of 8 of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. He secured his spot by winning at Texas Motor Speedway in the Round of 12 opener and followed that up with runner-up finishes at Talladega Superspeedway and the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL. Byron’s Round of 12 average finish (1.67) ranks second-best in the history of the elimination-style playoff system. In fact, in the first six races of this year’s playoffs, Byron’s average finish (5.50) is the fourth-best all-time since the inception of this championship format. Of note, Byron has a win at all four tracks (Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2023, Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2021, Martinsville Speedway in 2022 and Phoenix Raceway in 2023) that are hosting the final four races of the season

CAREER SEASON: Heading into the next round, Byron continues to add to his already impressive 2023 season stats. After 32 races, Byron leads the series in wins (six), stage wins (eight), stage points (273), playoff points (41), race points (1,054), average finishing position (11.47) and top-10 finishes (18). He is tied for the most top-five finishes (13) with two other drivers, including Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson. He also has led a single-season career-best 895 laps – second to Larson (898). In addition, Byron ranks second for the season in average running position (10.32), laps run in the top five (3,387) and laps run in the top 10 (4,861).

1.5-MILE MOMENTUM: Byron is no stranger to success on mile-and-a-half tracks during his Cup Series career. Since the start of 2021 (not counting races on Atlanta Motor Speedway after its reprofiling for 2022), he has three wins, two runner-up finishes, eight top-fives and 14 top-10s in 21 races on 1.5-mile tracks. In fact, in the five races on that track length this season, Byron leads the series in wins (two, one each at Las Vegas and Texas), average finish (4.40) and points (218).

LUCKY IN LAS VEGAS: When the No. 24 Relay Payments Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 unloads for Sunday’s race at Las Vegas, it will mark Byron’s 12th Cup Series start at the 1.5-mile speedway. This time, Byron returns as the defending winner from this year’s spring race. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native has two stage wins at Las Vegas – tied for the fourth-most – which both came in the March race after he led 176 laps before going on to collect the checkered flag.

VIVA LAS RUDY: Returning to Las Vegas for the sixth time with the Cup Series, crew chief Rudy Fugle is confident heading to a venue that he has had success at before. In his five Cup Series showings, Fugle has one win coming earlier this season, two top-five finishes, three top-10s and an average finish of 9.00. The Livonia, New York, native has called the shots for 11 additional national series races at the track with 10 of those coming in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. He has collected one win (March 2019), four top-five finishes, six top-10s, three pole awards and 238 laps led in those Truck Series events. With Byron in the Truck Series in 2016, the duo qualified 10th and raced to a fifth-place finish at the 1.5-mile venue.

PIT ROAD PROWESS: Through 32 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 11.020 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).

WELCOME RELAY PAYMENTS: Earlier this year, Hendrick Motorsports announced a new partnership with Relay Payments, the fintech company modernizing payments for the transportation, logistics and supply chain industries. Founded in 2019, Relay’s mission is to help digitally transform the logistics industry. The company offers a digital payment network designed to increase efficiencies, reduce fraud, improve driver satisfaction and eliminate operational headaches. Relay Payments debuted their primary paint scheme at Bristol Motor Speedway during the Round of 16. Earlier this week, Relay Payments unveiled their inverse scheme for the playoff race at Las Vegas. For a closer look at Byron’s No. 24 Relay Payments Chevy, 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

ROVAL MASTER: Last Sunday, Alex Bowman notched his fifth consecutive top-10 result at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL. The eighth-place result for the driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 gives him an average finish at the ROVAL of 6.40, which is the best of all active drivers at the 2.32-mile road course. The top-10 finish also marked Bowman’s 10th of the season, giving him six straight years with double-digit top-10s.

STACKING THE DECK: This weekend, Bowman will return to Las Vegas Motor Speedway with the NASCAR Cup Series. Last time he took on the 1.5-mile venue, the Tucson, Arizona, native started 11th as the defending winner of the spring race and finished third in the second stage before following his Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron and Kyle Larson across the finish line. In fact, over his last two races there (he missed the fall 2022 race due to injury), Bowman has the top average finish at Las Vegas in the Next Gen era (2022–present) at 2.00. Over his last five starts at Las Vegas, Bowman has a win (March 2022) and three top-five finishes.

BOWMAN ON 1.5-MILERS: Bowman has proven to have speed at tracks 1.5 miles in length. In 55 Cup Series starts on that track length with Hendrick Motorsports, he has two wins (Las Vegas and Chicagoland Speedway), 12 top-five finishes, 25 top-10s and five stage wins. In four races on 1.5-mile tracks in 2023, Bowman has one top-five finish, two top-10s and the second-best average finish (9.25) in the series behind Byron’s (4.40) mark. Note: Races at Atlanta Motor Speedway since its 2022 reprofiling are excluded in this count of 1.5-mile tracks.

THE BOYS ARE BACK: The No. 48 pit crew currently ranks 10th in the Cup Series for the fastest four-tire average pit stop, clocking in at 11.431 seconds. The five-person over-the-wall crew consists of Andrew Bridgeforth (rear-tire changer), Jacob Conley (fueler), Brandon Grier (tire carrier), Allen Holman (jackman), and Donnie Tasser (front-tire changer).

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.

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 SPCA of Northern Nevada, which serves the local community in Reno, Nevada. Bowman and Ally will donate $4,800 to Best Friends and SPCA of Northern Nevada. Ally will increase its donation to $10,000 if the No. 48 team wins on Sunday.

SHINING BRIGHT IN THE DAYTIME: For the race at Las Vegas, 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	Las Vegas
Races	32	1,341	31
Wins	9*	300*	8*
Poles	6	245*	2
Top 5	38*	1,228*	31*
Top 10	61*	2,106*	52*
Laps Led	2,007	79,324*	2,090*
Stage Wins	15	94	8*

*Most **Most (tie)

PLAYOFF LOWDOWN: For the fourth straight season, Hendrick Motorsports has two drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 8. This is also the 10th straight season that the team has had at least one driver reach this point in the playoffs. William Byron and Kyle Larson remain in the playoff field. In addition, the Nos. 5, 9 and 24 teams are battling for the owner championship. This year’s playoffs have seen the organization triumph in the opening races in the Round of 16 (Larson at Darlington Raceway) and the Round of 12 (Byron at Texas Motor Speedway).

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 has a half dozen wins in the 2023 season.

FABULOUS FINISHERS: This year’s playoffs have seen both Byron and Larson move into the top five for the best average finish in one round. In the Round of 12, Byron’s average finish of 1.67 ranks second-best in the elimination era (2014-present), while Larson’s Round of 16 mark of 2.33 is third on the list.

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 each.

PLAY ON EIGHT: With wins in the last three spring races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports has tallied eight wins at the 1.5-mile track. That mark leads all Cup Series teams. Johnson’s four victories are a team high, while Bowman, Byron, Gordon and Larson each have one win. The five drivers to win at the Nevada venue are also the most by one team.

TRIP SWEEP: In this year’s spring race, Byron, Larson and Bowman took the top three spots in finishing order. The trio combined to lead 241 of the 271 laps in the event. It also marked the fourth time (with 2005, 2007 and the spring race of 2022 being the others) that the team took at least the top-two spots in a race at Las Vegas.

STAGE SAVANTS: Over the last seven races at Las Vegas (dating back to 2020), Hendrick Motorsports has earned eight of the 14 stage wins. Elliott has three, Larson and Byron have two each and Bowman picked up one.

WEST SUCCESS: Of the last 16 races on the West Coast, eight have resulted in victories for Hendrick Motorsports. Larson has four wins, while Byron has two and Bowman and Elliott have one each. On this year’s three-race western swing following the DAYTONA 500, Byron won two of the three races (Las Vegas and Phoenix Raceway). The team’s 43 wins on the West Coast are the most in the series.

MILE-AND-A-HALF MUSCLE: So far in 2023, there have been five races on 1.5-mile tracks (two at Kansas Speedway and one each at Las Vegas, Texas and Charlotte Motor Speedway). Byron (4.40) has the best average finish in those events and Bowman has the second-best mark (9.25, although he has run in only four of those races). Across those five races, the team has two wins, eight top-five finishes, 10 top-11s, one pole position and 692 laps led. When it comes to points earned on 1.5-mile tracks this year, Byron ranks first (218) and Larson is fifth (164). In the Next Gen car on 1.5-mile tracks, Hendrick Motorsports has the most victories with four. Byron’s victory at Texas in September is the most recent of those triumphs.

STUDYING THE TRENDS: In the last 10 Cup Series races, the organization has had at least one 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 International Speedway (Elliott), Darlington (Larson and Byron), Kansas (Larson), Bristol Motor Speedway (Larson), Texas (Byron), Talladega Superspeedway (Byron) and the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL (Byron).

QUOTABLE /

Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his outlook for the Round of 8: “I’m looking forward to the next round. It has some good tracks (Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway and Martinsville Speedway) for us. We really hope to have a solid next few races that can advance us into the Championship 4 and then I feel like we could have a really good shot at Phoenix (Raceway). Thank you to everyone at Hendrick Motorsports. It’s the best organization in NASCAR and I’m very grateful to be at such a great place.”

Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: “The No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM team is headed to (Las) Vegas (Motor Speedway) looking for a really solid weekend. Our intermediate package has been close lately and the Hendrick Motorsports cars have had speed. Our team has been doing a really good job on pit road and a lot of things have been coming together. Our focus is making sure that we put the good things that we have together to execute a good race. You’re never out of it as long as you are able to execute and put the right things in the right place at the right time.”

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on how the team has improved throughout the course of the season and in the owner playoffs: “I think we’ve been working in the right direction and I’ve been pushing in the right direction. We’ve been putting together some good races and we’ve been executing some good events, which is a good thing. So, I definitely feel like we have improved throughout the year. Looking back on it, I don’t think being out and my injury is the reason for that. As I learn more about my season and myself and how things have unfolded, I feel like my struggles and the things I’ve fought through this year I was starting to fight through last year, too. I kind of picked up where I left off last season, and I was going to have those things to work through regardless. Obviously, that was another bump in the road that I would have rather not gone through. We’re working through it and trying to stay in the fight. We’ll keep doing that each week and try to make that happen.”

Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the toughness of the Round of 8 and overcoming a 19-point deficit in the owner standings: “This round is the hardest. You know, it’s tough. This is the group of cars that should be racing for a championship, right? So, they’re all good, they’re all fast and they all have good pit crews. It’s going to be hard to gain points on people because you’re going have to finish in the top four every stage, every race to get to where you need to be. But it’s fun. I think that’s what you want to be doing and I enjoy the challenge. Last year was a little different. We had a huge points advantage and, really, kind of sliding performance. This year we have a points deficit and we’re improving performance. I would really take this over the other because our performance is escalating and if you have that, if you have good performance on track, you can overcome 19 points.”

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his mindset for the Round of 8: “This round is going to be hard, that’s for sure. The points difference from us to third is only a little bit and you have to assume that there are going to be winners from outside the top four. That means you need to stay in one of the top two points positions. Winning a race is vital, but obviously that’s not easy at the (NASCAR) Cup (Series) level. Getting that win is the best way to ensure you’re moving on to the next round. Hopefully, we can do that but either way the goal remains the same.”

Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on what he expects at Las Vegas: “Like we expected, the Next Gen car has evolved since the spring race at Las Vegas (Motor Speedway) earlier this year. While we have notes from that race, it’s more so about what we have learned late summer, early playoffs at Kansas (Speedway) and Texas (Motor Speedway) that will help us the most this weekend. We’ve been working on the Vegas car for a couple weeks now. I feel like we’re in a pretty good spot with it. Obviously, we won’t know until we unload for practice, but I think we’ve done all the preparation we can to this point.”

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his outlook heading to Las Vegas: “I like Las Vegas (Motor Speedway). I feel like it is a good mile-and-a-half track for me, especially having a win there. Having an average finish of 2.0 in my starts there in the Next Gen car obviously makes me feel really confident. Hendrick Motorsports has a good intermediate program, so I think we will have a competitive No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 this weekend. Looking ahead in general, I feel confident because I have run well there in the past.”

Blake Harris, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his expectations for this Sunday’s race at Las Vegas: “We are coming off a top-10 finish last weekend at the (Charlotte Motor Speedway) ROVAL and looking ahead to the next four races, Alex (Bowman) has won at two of them in the past. Our year has been filled with ups and downs, but we have a few weeks to create some momentum to close this year out and bring that into 2024. Our team has worked really hard to keep pushing hard and learning how to be even better for next season. Going to tracks where Alex and the team have had success bodes well for us, not only as the No. 48 team, but as an organization as a whole. We have great notes across the four teammates and we will continue to make more notes, get better and be in contention for wins.”

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Chris Buescher Media Availability | Thursday, October 12, 2023

Chris Buescher, driver of the No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang, is one of two Ford drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 8. This is his second playoff appearance and marks the first time he has advanced this far. Buescher spoke about the accomplishment and what lies ahead this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway when he addressed reporters yesterday.

CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang – IS THERE ANY ADVICE YOU’VE GOTTEN IN REGARDS TO THIS ROUND VERSUS THE PREVIOUS ONE? “No, nothing really different. I’ve gotten a lot of congratulations and a lot of keep it ups. That’s pretty much been it. I think for us we’ve been in a good spot through every single round that if we can keep that up, we’re gonna be right there at the opportunity to make that final cut. Nothing really new. I think at this point we’ve probably worn out our welcome from a lot of people that would have given advice before now probably aren’t going to at this point as we’ve been able to get this far, so in a lot of ways we’re keeping with the status quo. What we know has gotten us to this point. Again, we’ve been in a good spot through every cut off through to the playoffs thus far and I think we’re very capable of making it into this next one. We certainly have that long shot ability to go to Phoenix and be a contender for this thing.”

DO YOU THINK PEOPLE ARE TAKING YOUR TEAM SERIOUSLY FOR THE TITLE NOW? “To your point, it’s hard to think about what others have on their mind, but where I’m at, yeah, we probably made it hard for them not to and I’m proud of that. I’m proud of this organization for that and what we’ve been able to accomplish has been huge. I think we’re realistically contenders to make it to the next round. Are we a favorite to win it? That’s probably a little bit hard to say and I feel like we’ve got some more work to do for us to feel that way, but I certainly feel like we’re capable of making this thing. Given the right circumstances and just a few little tweaks along the way, very capable of making a run in Phoenix. To me, I think we’re not a point where we can be ignored anymore. We’ve made it a long way this season. We’ve outrun a lot of what were considered favorites from the get-go on the year and we’ve done that and outrun them very consistently through the second half of the season and even a little more so, so, to me, like I said I don’t know what everyone else is feeling, but I would say you’re gonna have a hard time finding somebody that’s not aware that we’re in this round and that we have an opportunity to make it to the next one.”

DO YOU TAKE STOCK OF THE SEVEN OTHER DRIVERS INVOLVED AND WHERE YOU STACK UP AGAINST THEM? “I haven’t really yet. It’s still more focused on what we can do, what we can control. It’s more of our own game. This is our decisions to me. This is our speed to find. Most of the situations that are ahead of us really just need to be what we can control and what we can do as a group to be fast, to be able to make that next round, win races, whatever that may be and I haven’t really taken that time to step back and look at strong or weak spots for the other teams that are in this final round. Honestly, if you asked me right now I don’t think I could honestly give you the other seven that are in it accurately. I could get most of them, but it’s not to that point where we’re sitting here thinking about the others, at least I’m not at this point and on that note, when you asked about what others are thinking about us at this point in the season and where we’re at, if they’re like us, then they may not be thinking about it at all. I think for our fans, for our sport – on that side of things – that’s certainly a place where we can’t be ignored.”

IS THERE A TIME YOU MIGHT LOOK MORE CLOSELY? “Yeah, maybe. Right now it’s a short week getting ready for Vegas, too. It’s all systems go to try and get out the door and get out to the west coast, so maybe that’s some of it. We’ll probably get out of Vegas and get a little bit more of a read on how that weekend went. We’ll look at the two tracks we have ahead of us, figure out where we feel we stand on those and then maybe put it in perspective where the cars that we’re racing, see which ones of those had a good weekend, a bad weekend and what tracks will suit them well going forward. Again, it’s really up to us. It’s up to us to have good days, strong points days for stages, for setting up the win. It’s our battle to win and it’s our battle to lose and worrying about others really isn’t going to change that. You just need to be aware of it.”

WHAT WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE IN PAST YEARS OF HOW YOU RACED PLAYOFF DRIVERS WHEN YOU WEREN’T STILL IN IT AND HOW DOES THAT CARRY OVER NOW THAT YOU’RE ONE OF EIGHT LEFT. WHAT ARE YOU EXPECTATIONS OF THOSE NON-PLAYOFF DRIVERS NOW? “My answer has always been, unfortunately, we haven’t been in the playoffs very often and not at this point, which means I’ve had this question on the other side of it. To me, the answer was we don’t pull the other 30 race cars off track when we get down to the Round of 8. We’re all still on track, so I don’t think there’s any scenario where you should expect cars that aren’t in the playoffs to lay over for you. I just don’t think that’s realistic. We weren’t about to do that the last several years and I don’t feel like anybody did that at the Roval for us because we had a yellow spoiler on the car, and you don’t expect it. We’re all still racing the same group of cars every week. We’ll all race the same group of cars in Phoenix. Now, there’s a level of respect that can go with that. Not saying that you have a nose inside by six inches and claiming you have a spot and dive-bombing somebody, really it’s not any different than it should be any week, but it should be taken with a little bit more awareness of who you’re racing around and be realistic to it. We’ve tried to do that and tried to be smart. It’s worked out well for us. I feel like my reputation in our group is pretty well understood that we’re not gonna be that car that’s going to be interfering an excessive amount when the playoffs are on the line and certainly hope that can come around and help us in this scenario. The cliff notes of it is don’t expect anybody to lay over, but you expect to have a level of respect that we’ve earned to get to this point and I just want to have good hard, clean racing through the end of this season.”

HOW EASY IS IT AT THIS POINT NOT TO LOOK AHEAD? A MONTH FROM NOW YOU COULD BE THE CHAMPION? AFTER ALL, THESE RACES AREN’T LIKE ANY OTHER RACE. “They are in the simplest terms, but, you’re right, there’s a lot riding on them. I’ve not been a part of a championship run with a playoff scenario. Both the ARCA and Xfinity championships were a traditional run through the end of the year, which meant that we were able to have strong years, win races, build up a big points gap and get to that final race and really had it pretty easy, knowing that it was mid-teens was all we had to finish. There were no stages at that time. It was a much simpler form – just as hard, but a much simpler form of understanding when you got down to the last couple of races, so, yeah, in that regard I am very new to this. I’ve watched it unfold year over year and we’re glad to be a part of it this go-round. I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing to say it right now, but we’re driving off the hood pin. I’ve talked about that being very bad for a lot of different scenarios through the years and I’ve criticized drivers that I’ve watched run straight into accidents because they were doing it during a race, but what I mean by that is we’re very focused on what’s immediately ahead of us. I have not thought about Phoenix whatsoever at this point. I’ve thought about Vegas and I’ve given a little bit of thought to Homestead, but it’s very much what’s immediately out front of us, how do we make this weekend the best to set us up for the next one because whatever happens this weekend can dictate what needs to happen next. It’s a little different in that sense that you wouldn’t look at that. In 2015 when we raced for the Xfinity championship it was ‘all right, where are we at now and where do we need to be when we get to Homestead.’ So it’s a lot different, but, for us, it’s not changing our approach to the weeks. I understand there’s a lot more on the line, but it’s not changing what we need to accomplish during a race weekend.”

WE HAVE A CHANGING OF THE GUARD IN THESE PLAYOFFS. HOW HAVE YOU SEEN THAT CHANGE THE DYNAMIC OF RACING IN GENERAL? “I feel like one of the old guys. I guess Byron will do that to all of us, but I don’t know that it’s changed much from where we’re at. You definitely have drivers that have been here a lot, some of them a little bit older and some of them that are still around in the low 30’s that have been a part of this and have been champions. It’s a little bit different, but in a lot of ways it doesn’t feel very much so. It’s just the same drivers you’re racing with every week. It’s the same people you’re trying to outrun. We talk about seasons and about Byron having six wins this year. He’s one of the youngest in the field. We’re aware of that. We’ve been racing against him all season long. It doesn’t really hit us any differently now that we’re in the end of the season, so there is an experience gap here in who has been here, and I should be on the higher end of that with my age just off of that number, but haven’t been here at this level before, so you kind of watch it unfold and learn along the way as well.”

HAS THE NEW CAR HELP BUILD DIVERSITY AMONG THE DRIVERS BECAUSE IT’S NOT JUST THE SAME NAMES WE’VE GOTTEN USED TO THROUGH THE YEARS? “Yeah, it certainly feels like it. The old car, that general chassis race car had been around so long that drivers that had 20 years in our sport had 20 years of experience in that exact platform or were very similar in that platform, so it mattered a lot. They were around in the unlimited testing days. They were around in full practice weekends. They saw a lot more track time than a lot of us younger drivers did. Since I’ve been here it’s been a much more expedited schedule week in and week out, so the new car did hit a big reset on that. It was a completely different platform for all of us to where the amount of experience you had at this level mattered to a certain degree, but as long as you had a couple years to understand the dynamics of it and the racetracks that we’re going to, it was so new that the amount of laps you had at a Las Vegas Motor Speedway didn’t matter as much because the cars were so much different. I think that’s why you’ve seen it even out so much. You’ve seen it even out because organizations were able to catch up. RFK being one of them that was able to make a huge leap to catch up to the rest of the field that we had gotten behind through the years. That created a lot of movement throughout the ranks, so the car itself probably changed a lot of that, aside from the fact that you’ve had a lot of really talented drivers coming up and really talented drivers that have been around a long time retiring at the same time. It was easier for a lot of drivers with less experience to fill those gaps rather quickly.”

WAS THERE A MOMENT DURING THE SEASON THAT YOU THOUGHT A DEEP PLAYOFF RUN WAS POSSIBLE? “Last year really. It started last year for us. I was pretty confident where we got to at the end of the season that if we could improve upon where we ended we would have a very good shot at this. It was set as a goal for our entire company at the beginning of the year was to take both of our cars deep into the playoffs. Again, there was certainly an expectation for us. I think that we figured we were capable of this very early on. Our west coast swing was a little rocky to start the season, but it didn’t take but about four, five or maybe six weeks to start finding some momentum and get in a decent place. We got to a point where we were two-and-a-half months into the season and really started feeling like we were in the hunt, so it came up pretty quickly for us this season. It wasn’t always probably apparent to a casual fan, but we measure our weekends so many different ways internally that we could certainly see the progression and the opportunity ahead of us and finally being able to really grab those wins later in the season cemented it for everybody in the industry to see, but I would say very early on we figured we would have this opportunity and it would just be a matter of having a solid season and being smart along the way. This is not coming as a surprise to us whatsoever. We’re thrilled to be here and happy to be halfway there on our goals for the season and our expectations, but we’ve got work to do yet. We’re not done.”

WHAT HAS CONTRIBUTED MOST TO THE SUCCESS YOU’VE BEEN ABLE TO PUT TOGETHER? “We don’t have time for that and I probably don’t even have all of the answers. There has been so much that’s changed. We talked a little bit about it with the new car, with Brad coming over and into the ownership side of RFK with all of our ownership group investing and injecting a lot into this thing, realizing that the opportunity was here and to really make a big recovery and make a big splash. There’s countless tools that we have that we haven’t had before, countless people that we’ve been able to get, people that we’ve been able to put in stronger roles for their strengths and really be able to utilize them in better ways. There are dozens of things and I’m not even behind the scenes in enough of it to tell you. If you asked Brad, he could get down into the weeds of it, but I will say that it’s no one thing and all these little things have certainly built up and added to the success, so that we can be having this conversation right here and right now. It’s a lot of different things and a lot of small things and a lot of big things.”

TEAM CHEVY RACE ADVANCE
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas, Nevada
October 14-15, 2023

AND THEN THERE WERE EIGHT..

Coming off yet another weekend sweep by the Bowtie brand, the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) will make the trek out west to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the first race of the Round of Eight. A win by a Team Chevy playoff driver at the 1.5-mile Nevada oval would guarantee his spot in the Championship Four and the opportunity to compete for the coveted title in their respective series.

The checkered flag at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course last weekend determined the eight drivers in each series that remain in title contention. In NASCAR’s premier series, Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron and Kyle Larson will represent Chevrolet in the Round of Eight as the pair inches closer to competing for the manufacturer’s 34th NCS driver’s championship title. In the NXS, JR Motorsports’ Sam Mayer turned a must-win situation into a ticket into the next round with his third win of the season. Five drivers from three Chevrolet teams have advanced into the Round of Eight with Mayer joined by his JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier; the pair of Richard Childress teammates Austin Hill and Sheldon Creed; and Kaulig Racing’s Chandler Smith.

 
DEFENDING IN THE DESERT

NASCAR’s most recent visit to Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March saw a Chevrolet-powered machine in victory lane across all three national series.

In the NASCAR Cup Series, William Byron picked up his first of a now series-leading six wins on the season at the Nevada oval – delivering Hendrick Motorsports its third consecutive triumph in the series’ spring appearance at the track. The 25-year-old North Carolina native led the Chevrolet organization to a podium sweep with Byron leading playoff contender Kyle Larson in second and Alex Bowman in third. The win marked Chevrolet’s 11th victory in the series’ 31 race history at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Austin Hill made a late-race charge in his No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Camaro SS – ultimately taking the lead as the field approached the white flag to claim his second triumph of the season. The victory marked Chevrolet’s series-leading 16th NXS victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway – four of which have come in the series’ past five appearances at the track. All five Team Chevy NXS playoff contenders are returning to the track with the momentum from top-10 finishes in the March event.

In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS), Kyle Busch put Chevrolet back in victory lane at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the first time since 2015 – driving his No. 51 Silverado RST to a nearly five second lead en route to the Bowtie brand’s 10th all-time NCTS win at the track. The dominating performance led to a monumental victory for Kyle Busch Motorsports – marking the organization’s first victory since it began competing under the Chevrolet banner at the beginning of the season.

 
BYRON, LARSON SET FOR STRONG TRIO OF TRACKS

With the playoff standings reset, William Byron maintained the top position after a nearly perfect showing in the Round of 12. In arguably the most diverse and unpredictable round of the postseason, Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 team posted a series-best average finish of 1.67 after their series-leading sixth victory of the season at Texas Motor Speedway and a pair of runner-up finishes at Talladega Superspeedway and the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.

The 25-year-old North Carolina native enters the penultimate playoff round with an extra boost with the Team Chevy driver returning to Las Vegas Motor Speedway as the series’ most recent winner. In addition, with back-to-back intermediate ovals, Byron has already proven to be an early favorite with an average finish of 4.40 on 1.50-mile tracks this season with results that include two wins and four top-five finishes.

Byron’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson also finds himself reseeded in the top-four of the points standings. Larson is one of only two former series champions that remain in title contention, and despite an up-and-down second round, the 31-year-old California native has demonstrated that he’s more than capable of becoming a repeat champion in NASCAR’s top series. Larson opened up the postseason with a win at Darlington Raceway, going on to post an average finish of 2.33 in the opening round.

During his tenure at Hendrick Motorsports, Larson has one win and three top-two finishes in five starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 team are also the series’ most recent winners at two of the three tracks in this round with a win at Homestead-Miami Speedway in October 2022 and a win at Martinsville Speedway in April 2023.

A look at Team Chevy’s playoff contenders heading into race one of the NASCAR Cup Series Round of Eight at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:

William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 1st in Playoff Standings; 20 points above the cutline

Victories: 6 (series-leading)

Poles: 3

Top-Fives: 13

Top-10s: 18

Laps Led: 895

Average Finish: 11.5

Stage Wins: 8 (series-leading)

At Las Vegas Motor Speedway:

Wins: 1

Top-Fives: 2

Top-10s: 4

Average Finish: 16.273

Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 4th in Playoff Standings; three points above the cutline

Victories: 3

Poles: 2

Top-Fives: 13 (series-leading)

Top-10s: 15

Laps Led: 898 (series-leading)

Average Finish: 15.1

Stage Wins: 5

At Las Vegas Motor Speedway:

Wins: 1

Top-Fives: 6

Top-10s: 10

Average Finish: 10.5

 
TALLYING PODIUM SWEEPS

The Team Chevy one-two-three finish courtesy of AJ Allmendinger, William Byron and Kyle Busch at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course marked the manufacturer’s sixth podium sweep of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season. Chevrolet was first able to accomplish the feat in only the second points-paying race of the season at Auto Club Speedway, going on to reciprocate the podium sweep the following weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The manufacturer hit a season-high finish in the series’ debut on the Chicago Street Course with drivers from four different Chevrolet teams taking the Camaro ZL1 to a sweep of the top-five.

KAULIG RACING MAKES FIVE TRIUMPHANT CHEVROLET TEAMS

AJ Allmendinger became the first driver to score a playoff upset this season – claiming his third career NASCAR Cup Series win at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. The 41-year-old California native became the seventh different Chevrolet driver to reach victory lane in NASCAR’s top series this season. In only the organization’s second season in the series, Kaulig Racing is the fifth different Chevrolet organization to contribute to the manufacturer’s series-leading 16 NCS wins this season, continuing to prove the strength across the Bowtie brigade.

MAYER CAPITALIZES ON MUST-WIN

Entering the Round of 12 elimination race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course below the playoff cutline, JR Motorsports’ Sam Mayer was faced with a must-win situation in order to keep his title hopes alive. Unphased by the pressure-packed weekend, the 20-year-old put his No. 1 Camaro SS on the pole – going on to lead 50 of the 67 laps completed to earn the victory and the final position in the Round of Eight. The walk-off win marked Mayer’s third career NXS victory – each recorded on a different road course this season. With 29 NXS races complete, Chevrolet now sits at 15 victories – more than its two OEM competitors combined.

LOOKING BACK ONE YEAR AGO

One year ago at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, JR Motorsports’ Josh Berry drove Chevrolet to a memorable trip to victory lane. The win marked Chevrolet’s 500th all-time NASCAR Xfinity Series win, with the milestone victory also clinching the manufacturer’s sixth consecutive – and 24th all-time – NXS manufacturer’s championship. Returning to the Nevada oval one year later, Chevrolet is trending towards keeping its title streak alive with the manufacturer heading into the weekend with an 81-point lead in the series’ manufacturer points standings.

 
BOWTIE BULLETS:

· Active Chevrolet drivers with a NASCAR Cup Series win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:

William Byron – 1 (March 2023)

Alex Bowman – 1 (March 2022)

Kyle Larson – 1 (March 2021)

Kyle Busch – 1 (March 2009)

· Chevrolet’s two NASCAR Cup Series playoff contenders are the series’ most recent winners at each of the four tracks remaining on the postseason schedule:

William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1

Las Vegas Motor Speedway (March 2023)
Phoenix Raceway (March 2023)

Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1

Homestead-Miami Speedway (October 2022)
Martinsville Speedway (April 2023)

· In 31 NASCAR Cup Series races held at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Chevrolet has recorded 11 victories. Hendrick Motorsports leads the series in wins at the track with eight, recorded among five drivers: Jeff Gordon (2001), Jimmie Johnson (2005, 2006, 2007, 2010), Kyle Larson (2021), Alex Bowman (2022), William Byron (2023).

· In 32 points-paying NASCAR Cup Series race this season, Chevrolet continues to lead the series in wins (16), top-fives (69), top-10s (136), stage wins (22) and laps led (3,038).

· Chevrolet leads the series in wins across all three NASCAR national series this season with 16 victories in 32 NASCAR Cup Series races, 15 victories in 29 NASCAR Xfinity Series races and 12 wins in 21 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races – all with a winning percentage of at least 50 percent.

· Chevrolet’s series-leading 16 NASCAR Cup Series wins this season have been recorded by seven drivers from five different Chevrolet teams: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (JTG Daugherty Racing), Kyle Busch (Richard Childress Racing), William Byron and Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports), Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen (Trackhouse Racing) and AJ Allmendinger (Kaulig Racing).

· Chevrolet drivers have recorded 22 of the 64 NASCAR Cup Series stage wins this season: William Byron (eight; series-leading), Ross Chastain (five), Kyle Larson (five), Kyle Busch (two) and Chase Elliott (two).

· Chevrolet continues to sit atop the manufacturer points standings in all three NASCAR national series, leading by 76 points in the NASCAR Cup Series, 81 points in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and 60 points in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

· Chevrolet has swept the Manufacturer Championships across all three NASCAR national series in a single season four different times (2012, 2005, 1998, 1996).

· With its 41 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer’s Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver’s Championships, and 849 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title of winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.

 
TUNE IN:

NASCAR Cup Series: South Point 400

Sunday, October 15, at 2:30 p.m. ET

(NBC, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

NASCAR Xfinity Series: Alsco Uniforms 302

Saturday, October 14, at 3:30 p.m. ET

(USA Network, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

 
QUOTABLE QUOTES:

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1

Now that you’re not in the playoffs, how do you approach the remaining races?

“The prep is the same every week whether or not we are in the playoffs. Everyone works hard every week to put the best prepared car out there, the engineers and Phil (Surgen) work hard on the setup and I continue the work with all of the different things I do. So even though we aren’t in the playoffs, we’re all still working very hard to finish out the season strong and go for wins.”

Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1

Larson on racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:

“I’m looking forward to the next Round (of 8). It has some good tracks (Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway and Martinsville Speedway) for us. We really hope to have a solid next few races that can advance us into the Championship 4 and then I feel like we could have a really good shot at Phoenix (Raceway). Thank you to everyone at Hendrick Motorsports. It’s the best organization in NASCAR and I’m very grateful to be at such a great place.”

Cliff Daniels, Crew Chief, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1

Daniels on racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:

“The No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM team is headed to (Las) Vegas (Motor Speedway) looking for a really solid weekend. Our intermediate package has been close lately and the Hendrick Motorsports cars have had speed. Our team has been doing a really good job on pit road and a lot of things have been coming together. Our focus is making sure that we put the good things that we have together to execute a good race. You’re never out of it as long as you are able to execute and put the right things in the right place at the right time.”

AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Nutrien Ag Solutions Camaro ZL1

“Las Vegas is your traditional mile and a half racetrack. Both ends are a little bit different, it’s a very smooth racetrack through (turns) three and four, a little bit of bumps through (turns) one and two. We’ve had good speed there and ran near the front, earning a top-10 finish in the fall race last year. I think we can go there, be competitive and keep building on the speed that we’ve had in our cars. We have the potential to have a strong finish to the year and Vegas is one of those races I have circled as an opportunity to run upfront and put ourselves in position to have a solid run.”

Carson Hocevar, No. 42 Sunseeker Resorts Camaro ZL1

“I like running at Las Vegas. We’ve been quick there and have had some speed in the truck. With that race being at the start of the year for us in the Truck Series, it’s been a tougher race balance wise to try and win the race or go for stage points. It’s always a fun track, one that you can move around a little bit. The Cup cars look like they can be a lot of fun there. Luke (Lambert) and this No. 42 group feel pretty confident about going back to Vegas after their spring outing, the post-work they’ve done, and everything that the team has put together on their mile-and-a-half package. We’re all excited to go there and excited to get to work.”

Erik Jones, No. 43 Allegiant Camaro ZL1

“I am really looking forward to Vegas. Our mile-and-a-half stuff has been really good most of the year, but especially in the last half of the season. Texas was a good day for us with a lot of speed, but unfortunately, it didn’t work out for us in the end. I think our Vegas car has been given a lot of extra effort and preparation to make sure that we are bringing a really good piece. So, I am excited to get out there and see it play out. I like the track a lot as well, so I am really looking forward to Vegas.”

Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Camaro ZL1

“We certainly deserved a top-10 and maybe a top-five at Charlotte. But you forget about last week and focus on this week. We have four races remaining in the season and we want to win as badly now as we did when the season started in Daytona.

We have run better the last three races and I expect that to continue Sunday. There is a lot of racing left in 2023.”

 
Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics

Manufacturers Championships:

Total (1949-2022): 41

First title for Chevrolet: 1958

Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)

Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022

Drivers Championships:

Total (1949-2021): 33

First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)

Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)

Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021)

Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021

Event Victories:

Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)

2023 STATISTICS:

Wins: 16

Poles: 8

Laps Led: 3,038

Top-five finishes: 69

Top-10 finishes: 138

Stage wins: 22

· Ross Chastain – 5 (Daytona), (Auto Club x2), (Dover), (Darlington)

· William Byron – 8 (Las Vegas x2), (Phoenix), (COTA), (Richmond), (Dover), (Charlotte), (Watkins Glen)

· Kyle Larson – 5 (Phoenix), (Bristol Dirt), (Pocono), (Kansas), (Texas)

· Chase Elliott – 2 (Talladega), (Charlotte RC)

· Kyle Busch – 2 (WWTR), (Sonoma)

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:

Total Chevrolet race wins: 849 (1949 to date)

Poles won to date: 742

Laps led to date: 248,582

Top-five finishes to date: 4,290

Top-10 finishes to date: 8,850

Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:

       General Motors: 1,183

       Chevrolet: 849

       Pontiac: 154

       Oldsmobile: 115

       Buick: 65



       Ford: 827                                                           

       Ford: 727

       Mercury: 96

       Lincoln: 4



       Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467

       Dodge: 217

       Plymouth: 191

       Chrysler: 59



       Toyota: 179

 

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging team are looking at Sunday’s South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway as an opportunity to work on building a stronger intermediate-track program.

Crew chief Jeremy Bullins said he’s excited to get to Las Vegas and continue the learning process with Burton as they try to end 2023 on a strong note.

“It’s one of my favorite intermediates on the schedule, with the bumps and character the track has, and the fact that you have multiple lanes you can use to find speed depending on how your car drives,” he said, adding that he and Burton have developed some chemistry together since he rejoined the No. 21 team prior to the Sept. 3 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. “I feel like we have learned a lot so far about what Harrison is looking for in the intermediate-track setups, and hopefully we can make the right decisions on the car.

“I feel like we are really making some progress with Harrison in the few weeks we’ve worked with him and just need some solid results to close out our season.

“This is a great opportunity for us to do that over the next couple of weeks.”

Practice for the South Point 400 is set for Saturday at 9:35 a.m. (12:35 p.m. Eastern Time) followed by qualifying at 10:20 (1:20 p.m. Eastern), with TV coverage on USA Network.

Sunday’s 267-lap race is scheduled to start just after 11:30 a.m. (2:30 p.m. Eastern) with TV coverage on NBC.

Stage breaks are planned for Laps 80 and 165.

About DEX Imaging
DEX Imaging is the digital document imaging division of Staples, the world’s largest business solutions provider. DEX sells and services the broadest selection of copiers, printers and data management solutions, such as HP, Konica Minolta, Canon, Kyocera and numerous others.

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES:
Reducing Operating Costs
Reducing Paper Consumption
Increasing Productivity

DEX Imaging has been the recipient of virtually every industry award since the company’s inception, including the JD Power & Associates Award for Best Customer Experience, the prestigious ProTech Service award by Konica Minolta, the Diamond Premier Dealer Award by Kyocera, and the Elite DEALER Award by ‘ENX’ magazine. Other accolades include being named ‘Best Place to Work’ by numerous business journals in the markets DEX serves.

Wood Brothers Racing
Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glenn Wood. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team and one of the winningest teams in NASCAR history. Since its founding, the team won 99 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last seven decades) and 120 poles in NASCAR’s top-tier series. Fielding only Ford products for its entire history, the Wood Brothers own the longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer. Glenn’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Ford Mustang driven by Harrison Burton in the famous No. 21 racer.