Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging team are headed into this weekend’s Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas Motor Speedway with an eye on the future.

Crew chief Jeremy Bullins said the DEX Imaging team plans to spend the remainder of the 2023 season putting themselves in position to dramatically improve their performance next year.

“For our team headed to Texas, we are just trying to learn and look ahead to next year as we continue to work with Harrison and understand what he’s looking for from our cars to find speed,” Bullins said. “Obviously, a year from now we want to be in the Playoffs, so we need to approach this week as an opportunity to learn as much as we can and have some good notes to work from.”

Bullins said that while the results don’t reflect it, he and Burton have made significant gains since Bullins returned to the Wood Brothers No. 21 team where he started his Cup Series career.

Burton has qualified near the back all three weeks, but the team has found speed as the races unfolded, allowing him to work his way into the upper half of the field only to lose positions due to crashes and other issues before the conclusion of the races.

“Bristol was our third race working with Harrison, and while the starting positions or finishing positions won’t show it, we have made a ton of progress during the races,” he said. “We feel like some good finishes are right around the corner if we can get some momentum going before the season ends.”

Practice for the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 is set for Saturday at 11:35 a.m. Central Daylight Time (12:35 Eastern) and will be followed immediately by qualifying.

Sunday’s 267-lap race is scheduled to start just after 2:30 p.m. (3:30 p.m. Eastern) with TV coverage by USA Network.

Stage breaks are planned for Laps 80 and 160.

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.

THE START OF THE ROUND OF 12

Four Team Chevy drivers will continue in the race for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Championship with Texas Motor Speedway set to host the first stop in the Round of 12. The 1.5-mile oval sets up the most diverse trio of tracks in the series’ postseason with NASCAR’s longest oval of Talladega Superspeedway and the 2.28-mile, 17-turn Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course making up the Round of 12.

With the playoff standings reset, Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron regained the top position in the standings with a 25-point cushion over the cutline. The 25-year-old Charlotte native heads to Texas Motor Speedway with added confidence – earning a win and three top-three finishes on 1.5-mile tracks this season. Byron’s teammate Kyle Larson sits fourth in the standings and 12-points above the cutline. Larson’s one win at Texas Motor Speedway came in 2021 – a victory that earned his spot into the Championship Four race that led to his first career title. Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch also enters the next round above the cutline in the sixth position. Despite a disappointing opening round, the Las Vegas native knows how to navigate his way around Texas Motor Speedway – leading the series’ active drivers with four wins at the track. While on the outside looking in, Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain is currently only three-points outside of the playoff picture.

·       Larson Proves to be Championship Contender in Opening Round

Larson’s pursuit in becoming a repeat champion in NASCAR’s premier series started early in the postseason stretch – earning the first ticket into the Round of 12 with a win in the playoff opener at Darlington Raceway. The 31-year-old California native followed up the win with a championship-caliber performance in the next two races – finishing no lower than fourth and earning an average finish of 2.33 in the first three postseason races. With his runner-up finish at Bristol Motor Speedway last weekend, the Team Chevy driver has recorded a series-leading 13 top-five finishes in 29 points-paying races – a percentage of 44.8%.

A look at Team Chevy’s playoff contenders heading into the first race of the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 12 at Texas Motor Speedway:

William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 1st in Playoff Standings; 25-points above the cutline

Victories: 5 (series-leading)

Top-Fives: 10

Top-10s: 15

Laps Led: 877 (series-leading)

Average Finish: 12.5

Stage Wins: 8 (series-leading)

At Texas Motor Speedway:

Top-Fives: 1

Top-10s: 4

Average Finish: 13.5

Of Note:

·       The 2023 season marks Byron’s fifth consecutive appearance in the NCS playoffs.

·       Bryon’s career-best finish in the NCS playoffs came in 2022, finishing the season sixth in the final points standings.

·       Among Byron’s nine career wins in NASCAR’s premier series, five have come at tracks in the playoffs, including each of the final four races.

·       While he was eliminated in the Round of Eight last season, it’s projected to be his strongest trio of tracks in the post-season – having found victory lane at all three venues (Las Vegas Motor Speedway – March 2023; Homestead-Miami Speedway – Feb. 2021; Martinsville Speedway – April 2022).

Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 4th in Playoff Standings; 12-points above the cutline

Victories: 3

Top-Fives: 13 (series-leading)

Top-10s: 15

Laps Led: 798

Average Finish: 14.6

Stage Wins: 4

At Texas Motor Speedway:

Wins: 1

Top-Fives: 4

Top-10s: 6

Average Finish: 17.8

Of Note:

·       The 2023 season marks Larson’s seventh appearance in the NCS playoffs.

·       Larson has one NCS Regular Season Championship and one NCS Driver Championship title to his name – both coming in 2021.

·       The 31-year-old California native has made it to the Championship Four once – the season that delivered the Team Chevy driver his first championship title in NASCAR’s top series (2021). In his other playoff appearances, Larson reached the Round of Eight (2019), Round of 12 (2017, 2018 and 2022) and Round of 16 (2016).

·       During the playoff era (2004-present), the 2021 season saw Larson earn a series-leading five post-season victories – tying the record set by NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart in 2011.

·       Larson has found victory lane in two of the three tracks in the Round of 12 – both coming in his title-winning season (Texas Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course).

·       In the first three races of the 2023 NCS playoffs, Larson finished no worse than fourth – earning an average finish of 2.33.

Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1 – 6th in Playoff Standings; eight-points above the cutline

Victories: 3

Top-Fives: 8

Top-10s: 15

Laps Led: 233

Average Finish: 14.0

Stage Wins: 2

At Texas Motor Speedway:

Wins: 4 (series-leading)

Top-Fives: 14

Top-10s: 18

Poles: 1

Average Finish: 11.656

Of Note:

·       In his debut season with Richard Childress Racing and his return to the Bowtie brigade, 2023 marks Busch’s 16th appearance in the NCS playoffs.

·       Busch is one of only two active drivers with multiple championships to his name – taking the title in 2015 and 2019.

·       In Busch’s 63 career wins in NASCAR’s top series, eight of those triumphs have come in the post-season.

·       The 38-year-old Nevada native has made it to the Championship Four on five different occasions – most recently in 2019 en route to his second title.

·       Busch is the series’ most recent winner at one track in the Round of 12, with one of his three wins on the season coming at Talladega Superspeedway in April.

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1 – 9th in Playoff Standings; three-points below the cutline

Victories: 1

Top-Fives: 7

Top-10s: 10

Laps Led: 482

Average Finish: 15.2

Stage Wins: 5

At Texas Motor Speedway:

Average Finish: 225.167

Of Note:

·       The 2023 season marks Chastain’s second appearance in the NCS playoffs.

·       Chastain’s first time competing in the NCS playoffs came in 2022 – going on to advance to the Championship Four and ultimately leading Team Chevy with a runner-up finish in the final points standings.

·       Chastain found his way to victory lane in one track in the Round of 12 – scoring his second win of the 2022 season in the series’ spring appearance at Talladega Superspeedway.

TO THE TOP

One year ago, Richard Childress Racing and Tyler Reddick took Chevrolet to its 16th NASCAR Cup Series win at Texas Motor Speedway – making the Bowtie brand the winningest manufacturer in NASCAR’s top series at the track. Hendrick Motorsports contributed to 10 of those victories, including Chevrolet’s first NCS win at the 1.5-mile oval with Terry Labonte (1999). Seven-time NCS champion Jimmie Johnson is attributed with seven NCS victories at Texas Motor Speedway – a series-leading record that still stands today. 

ALLGAIER CLAIMS FIRST TICKET TO NXS ROUND OF EIGHT

For the second consecutive year, a Team Chevy driver has taken the victory in the opening race of the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoffs. Most recently, it was JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier that was able to accomplish the feat – leading a race-high 110 laps en route to the victory at Bristol Motor Speedway. The win – his third on the season – also delivered the Team Chevy driver the series’ first guaranteed ticket into the Round of Eight. The 37-year-old Illinois native is no stranger to the series’ postseason competition – holding the record as the only driver in series’ history to appear in all eight NXS playoffs since its inception to the series in 2016. Allgaier has made his way to the Championship Four a series-leading five times, most recently last season. 

·       Where Team Chevy’s NXS playoff contenders stand with two-to-go:

The NXS playoff opener brought mixed results for Team Chevy’s playoff contenders. Kaulig Racing’s Daniel Hemric and Chandler Smith also collected a top-five finish at Bristol Motor Speedway – earning both drivers a spot above the cutline with a double-digit advantage over the cutline. Austin Hill’s race ended early after an incident in the final stage that resulted in a 33rd place finish, but a cushion of playoff points still kept the regular season champion above the cutline in the fourth position. With an 11th place finish, Richard Childress Racing’s Sheldon Creed sits in the eighth position to give the manufacturer five drivers above the cutline heading into race two of the Round of 12 at Texas Motor Speedway.

ECKES LEADS CHEVROLET IN NCTS ROUND OF EIGHT OPENER

Coming off a win at Kansas Speedway one week prior, Team Chevy’s Christian Eckes was trending towards a repeat trip to victory lane at Bristol Motor Speedway. But while navigating through lap traffic in the race’s closing laps, Eckes lost the lead with only five laps remaining – ultimately taking the checkered flag in the runner-up position. Despite the disappointment of coming just short of a guaranteed spot into the Championship Four, the 22-year-old New York native had a strong points day in the opening race of the Round of Eight – sweeping both stages and leading a race-high 150 laps en route to his fourth-straight podium finish in the series’ postseason.

Eckes led a trio of Team Chevy’s NCTS playoff contenders to top-five finishes with GMS Racing’s Grant Enfinger and Niece Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar in the third and fourth-positions, respectively. Strong finishes at the Tennessee half-mile put all three drivers above the playoff cutline with Eckes in second (+29 points), Hocevar in third (+18) and Enfinger in fourth (+14). Nick Sanchez drove his No. 2 Rev Racing Silverado RST to a ninth-place finish, with the series’ rookie now sitting seventh and 22-points below the cutline in the playoff standings.

The NCTS will return to competition at Talladega Superspeedway on September 30, with the Love’s RV Stop 250 marking the second race in the series’ Round of Eight.

 BOWTIE BULLETS:

·       Chevrolet will pace the field in the doubleheader race weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. The Camaro SS 1LE will lead the NASCAR Xfinity Series in Saturday’s Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 and the Camaro ZL1 will lead the NASCAR Cup Series in Sunday’s AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400.

·       Victories by active Chevrolet drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series at Texas Motor Speedway:

Kyle Busch – 4 wins (2020, 2018, 2016, 2013)

Kyle Larson – 1 win (2021)

Austin Dillon – 1 win (2020)

·       Chevrolet has recorded a manufacturer-leading 16 NASCAR Cup Series wins at Texas Motor Speedway, two of which have come in the series’ past two appearances at the track (Tyler Reddick – 2022; Kyle Larson – 2021).

·       Since the debut of the 16-driver playoff field and elimination rounds to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2014, at least five Chevrolet drivers were represented in the playoffs each season.

·       In 29 points-paying NASCAR Cup Series race this season, Chevrolet continues to lead the series in wins (14), top-fives (62), top-10s (123), stage wins (20) and laps led (2,798).

·       Chevrolet leads the series in wins across all three NASCAR national series this season with 14 victories in 29 NASCAR Cup Series races, 14 victories in 27 NASCAR Xfinity Series races and 12 wins in 20 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races.

·       With Kyle Larson’s win in the NASCAR Cup Series playoff opener at Darlington Raceway, Hendrick Motorsports now sits at 299 all-time victories in NASCAR’s premier series – all recorded with Chevrolet.

·       Chevrolet’s series-leading 14 NASCAR Cup Series wins this season have been recorded by drivers from four different Chevrolet teams: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (JTG Daugherty Racing), Kyle Busch (Richard Childress Racing), William Byron and Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports) and Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen (Trackhouse Racing).

·       Chevrolet drivers have recorded 20 of the 58 NASCAR Cup Series stage wins this season: William Byron (eight; series-leading), Ross Chastain (five), Kyle Larson (four), Kyle Busch (two) and Chase Elliott (one).

·       Chevrolet continues to sit atop the manufacturer points standings in all three NASCAR national series, leading by 62 points in the NASCAR Cup Series, 78 points in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and 67 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 847 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title of winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history. 

 FOR THE FANS:

·       Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at Texas Motor Speedway.

·       Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles at the Team Chevy Racing Display including: Camaro 1LZ 1SE, Bolt EUV 2LZ, 2024 Equinox 1LZ, Silverado 1500 Crew High Country 3LZ, 2024 Silverado 2500 3LZ, Suburban High Country, Corvette 3LT, Colorado ZR2.

·       Fans can also view Chase Elliott’s No. 9 Camaro ZL1 show car. 

Team Chevy Driver Appearances at the Display:

Saturday, September 23

·       Daniel Hemric: 11:45 a.m.

·       Sam Mayer: 12 p.m.

·       Jeremy Clements: 12:15 p.m.

Sunday, September 24

·       Erik Jones: 10 a.m.

·       AJ Allmendinger: 11:15 a.m.

·       Daniel Suarez: 11:30 a.m.

Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation:

·       Saturday, September 23: 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. 

·       Sunday, September 24: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

TUNE IN:

NASCAR Cup Series: AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400

Sunday, September 24, at 3:30 p.m. ET

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

NASCAR Xfinity Series: Andy’s Frozen Custard 300

Saturday, September 23, 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

How do you approach Texas with it being the first race in Round 2 of the Playoffs?

“It’s preservation at Texas. Don’t do anything to take ourselves out. Since the repave at Texas I’ve struggled at places like that. Super high grip tracks where you have all of this grip until you overstep. I’m pretty good at overstepping and catching it but at Texas it’s so tough to catch. So I just need to stay under my limit as to what I perceive is 100 percent effort.”

Where do you rank Round 2 of the Playoffs to the other rounds?

“Last year, I felt like Round 2 was our toughest round because of all of the different types of tracks and then we had an issue at the Charlotte Roval. Key to all of this is to not take ourselves out.”

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1

Larson on racing at Texas Motor Speedway:

“Looking ahead to Talladega (Super Speedway) it’s a little crazy and there is typically a lot of crashes. So, you put a lot of pressure on this race this weekend, or at least I do, to do a good job. I like Texas (Motor Speedway). Our HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevy team won there a couple years ago (2021). So, we hope to do that again and have another good day.”

CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1

Daniels on racing at Texas Motor Speedway:

“Going into Texas (Motor Speedway) this weekend, we have some strong runs behind us from the last couple of weeks which is good to have that little bit of wind in our sail and momentum behind us. We’ve had this layout of the Texas (Motor Speedway) race track since 2017 and it is such a tough place for an intermediate (track). The two ends are so different with not a lot of banking and a tight radius in (turns) one and two and then a lot of banking and a bigger radius in (turns) three and four. So, it’s a tough place. Our mindset is to get a good solid car on the track and execute a good race to make sure we are there at the end.”

KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 3CHI CAMARO ZL1

Last year the No. 8 team at Richard Childress Racing was eliminated from the Playoffs but rallied back to win one week later at Texas Motor Speedway. How impressive was that accomplishment?

“I thought it was pretty cool how the 8 team was able to rally, rebound, have a really fast car and be able to win that race. It’d be cool if you’re eliminated and you win you could put yourself back in, but the rules are the rules. I’d say last year’s elimination in the first round for myself and my old team as well as the 8 car getting eliminated in the first round was quite disappointing. It’s a tough situation but then you got to move on and go into the next week. But just being able to score a win late in the year is always important because it lends itself to a strong finish to the season.”

You have raced on a couple of different designs of the track at Texas. Do you like this configuration? How different is it from when you first started?

“Texas went through a reconfiguration and a repave a few years ago. I would say this configuration is definitely the most challenging from a driver’s perspective and from a crew chief’s perspective on how to get both ends of the racetrack to feel similar or to feel good, so that makes it tough on all of us. When I first started, Texas had a lot of grip and was really fast and then right before the repave there it was kind of worn out and you’d slide around a little bit more. You could move around the racetrack, though, which was really cool. You could run low, you run middle, you could run high, and it was pretty fun how the place spread out. Now it seems like there’s one particular groove that you want to run in Turns 1 and 2 and one particular groove that you want to run in 3 and 4, so it’s really tough to make speed and make passes. The mile-and-a-half package has been really good this year and I’m excited about getting to Texas.”

AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 ACTION INDUSTRIES CAMARO ZL1

“Texas is one of the more challenging mile and a half race tracks that we go to with both ends of the race track being completely different. I had a lot of fun in the All-Star race there last year. It’s a tough racetrack, probably one of the fastest we go to. I think we can go there and build off the speed we’ve had at mile and a half tracks this year. It’ll be a fun, hot, slick race and I am looking forward to the challenge.”

ERIK JONES, NO. 43 VSEVERYBODY.COM CAMARO ZL1

“Texas has been good to me in a few different series. I’ve been able to win a whole bunch of races there through trucks and Xfinity, but I’ve never closed one out in the Cup Series. We have been close a couple of times. It’s a unique place since the repave; it’s become challenging to race, and there is a bit more groove on the bottom. You have to have track position and be upfront. It does have some of the same old Texas tendencies that the track had before the repave, so you can look back at some of those notes, but overall, it’s a pretty unique place.”

 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: 14

Poles: 8

Laps Led: 2,798

Top-five finishes: 62

Top-10 finishes: 123

Stage wins: 20

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

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

·       Kyle Larson – 4 (Phoenix), (Bristol Dirt), (Pocono), (Kansas)

·       Chase Elliott – 1 (Talladega)

·       Kyle Busch – 2 (WWTR), (Sonoma)

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:

Total Chevrolet race wins: 847 (1949 to date)

Poles won to date: 742

Laps led to date: 248, 342

Top-five finishes to date: 4,283

Top-10 finishes to date: 8,835

Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:

         General Motors: 1,181

         Chevrolet: 847

         Pontiac: 154

         Oldsmobile: 115

         Buick: 65

         Ford: 826                                                          

         Ford: 726

         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.

Chris Buescher, driver of the No. 17 Ford Mustang for RFK Racing, met with the media on Wednesday as a part of a NASCAR-hosted Zoom meeting to discuss the Playoffs, the upcoming round at Texas Motor Speedway and more.

CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang – YOU ARE HEADING BACK TO YOUR HOME STATE OF TEXAS AND TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY, WHAT IS YOUR OUTLOOK FOR THIS WEEKEND? “Yeah, it has been a big change year over year and especially two years over to now. Certainly, it is impressive to see the progression and the change and the success that we have had which has been huge. I haven’t made it this far through a playoff round before so it has been a while since we have been able to participate in the playoffs. I am proud that we did a good job and pretty comfortably made it into the next round. We didn’t expect it to be very difficult for us. I felt like with where we are at right now, we have been really fast at a lot of really good race tracks for us. Kansas, the tire going down there at the end of that race certainly put us in a hole that we didn’t expect to be in and made it a little more stressful for the beginning of Bristol. I think I talked to some of you that qualifying may not have been as good as we wanted but I knew we had a fast race car and were able to work our way up there pretty quick and stay up there in the top five. I am really happy with where we are at. Going back to Texas, we had a tire blowout there last year as well but I think we are mostly beyond that and as we head into a race track that historically hasn’t been my best but we were very fast there last year and I am excited to head back to it. We have been able to get significantly better there. The All-Star race we were a whole lot better than we have been in the past. I feel like we are on the right track here and obviously, it is always a little more exciting to go back to a home track where we have thousands of laps on every other surface there as well as the big track. It is fun to return back and I am just looking for that win on the big track now.”

THE GENERAL MANAGER AND VICE PRESIDENT OF TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY WAS PRETTY OPEN WITH REGARDS TO THE RECONFIGURE AND CHANGES TO THE TRACK. AS A DRIVER, IS THERE ANYTHING, IN PARTICULAR, YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE CHANGED AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY MOVING FORWARD RELATIVE TO THE TRACK ITSELF? “Yeah, the reconfiguration in its current state is not very old but we have seen it time and time again where new asphalt takes a long time to make decent racing. It is very difficult to get it to age appropriately to where it is not a one-groove race track. Turn 1 and 2 is extremely wide when you are talking in terms of pure asphalt but there is no banking change up the hill so essentially you have four or five lanes of race track that are completely unusable. We are limited to two lanes around Texas Motor Speedway right now and this is only because of the introduction of the PJ-1. It has been a tough race track to get the racing back to where we want it. It is a very sensitive race track but that is not abnormal when we talk about mile-and-a-half tracks but we seem to have found something that has gotten it racier than what it has been in the past. I think of some of my favorite race tracks and I am always a proponent of progressive banking. If it is going to be as wide as it is, you have to have some incentive to try to use those outermost lanes. The amount of distance that you would add trying to go up there at Texas, there has to be a significant amount of banking to make that happen. I don’t know. I haven’t heard the comments and don’t know how small or drastic the changes are that were discussed but I certainly feel like there are things that would cost a ton of money to do to try to make it right. It isn’t my money sitting here, so I can have a bunch of opinions but I don’t have the answer. I have a few things that I feel like you could do to try and fix what we’ve got and there are always options to chop it down and rebuild it.”

YOUR WALK-UP MUSIC AT BRISTOL, ‘COUNTRY CLUBBIN’, WHY DO YOU LOVE THAT SONG SO MUCH? “I was just trying to be a little goofy with it and having a good time. I have been listening to a lot of Paul (Cauthen) lately and thought it would be fun to have a good time with the lyrics because they crack me up when I am riding around. I have been in my truck a lot lately so I figured it would be perfect for Bristol.”

YOU HAVEN’T BEEN IN THE ROUND OF 12 BEFORE BUT A LOT OF FOLKS AT ROUSH HAVE. WHAT IS THE BIGGEST PIECE OF ADVICE THEY HAVE GIVEN YOU? “A lot of people have and I think the biggest piece of advice has been that it doesn’t get any easier. This is going to be a challenge throughout the whole thing. We have been very competitive and come a long way. I feel like we have some very good tracks ahead of us and I feel like at Texas we were very fast last year and Brad (Keselowski) got a pole there and did very well in the race. Talladega obviously we will be fast. Then the Roval has been very good to us as well. I look at this round, and know we have good tracks, it is just a matter of putting together good races and staying after what we have been up to. It is going to be very challenging. The first round, I won’t say we thought it would be easy but certainly didn’t feel like it was going to be a real challenge for us. Then Kansas really threw a curve ball at us and got us way less comfortable than we wanted to be heading into Bristol. Anything like that can happen, and we know that, but I think that is what the advice has been. Just know that you are going to stay after it and no part of this is going to get any easier along the way.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT WHERE YOU GUYS ARE AT WITH QUALIFYING AND IS THERE TIME FOR IT TO GET BETTER? “That is a fair question. I am not the strongest qualifier. It has never been my biggest quality. I have a lot to figure out there. I have certainly been trying to study it a lot more to try to get it better. I think that we have been a little better this year, off and on, maybe not consistently better, but we have had some things last year that probably led to a little better fire-off speed but hurt us in long run in the races. We have figured out how to get much better for the duration of the race. Maybe some of that has come at the expense of a little bit of fire-off speed. In the grand scheme of things we have elevated our program but to try to fire off for that one or two laps has been tough still. We are trying to study it. I don’t have the answer. I know from a personal side of things it is probably one of my weaker spots so I am trying to figure out how to be stronger in that regard. Stage points can certainly add up quick and it is hard to do anything within certain scenarios. There have been some times this year where our group has certainly had a bad qualifying effort and left us very upset at the end of it, but there have also been days where it has helped us and we aren’t mad about it when it helps. You have to take them both and just understand it is a part of it. You have to study hard on it and figure out what it is. I have a computer sitting right here next to me and I was just watching qualifying videos before we dialed in here. So we are into it trying to find those little bits.”

HOW BIG OF AN ISSUE IS THIS COMPARED TO OTHER THINGS YOU ARE FOCUSED ON OR STUDYING FOR THIS ROUND? “It is pretty high up there as a priority to try to figure out how to get our qualifying better because it opens up opportunities for our group on top of the box. It opens up clean air and at a place like Texas, that is a big conversation. Even Bristol, the first stage we really thought we would be able to drive forward, and through whatever reasons it was a complete bottom-feeder race track for an entire stage and we couldn’t make any headway. I felt like we gave away a few that we were pretty positive we would be able to get to the top 10 had it been the same conditions as last year. So, it is pretty high up there because we realize it can affect a lot of our day.”

ANY FAMILY OR FRIENDS STILL LEFT IN PROSPER (TX) AND ARE YOU EXPECTING ANY AT THE TRACK THIS WEEKEND? “Not a whole lot, not from Prosper anyway. My younger sister is still in Texas, so she is coming out and I have a handful of friends that are actually closer to the race track that are going to come hang out with us for the weekend. Yeah, it always gets a little busier when we go to Texas and I get to catch up a little bit and hang out for the Xfinity race and get together to watch it. We don’t have much downtime on weekends but we will get to hang out with some friends that are camping there as well. I have some options. The weekend goes quick and I have to stay focused on our job at hand too, on Sunday, and kicking off this round in a good way.”

YOU HAVE HAD GOOD FINISHES AT THE ROVAL THE LAST FEW YEARS, DESPITE STARTING OUTSIDE THE TOP 15. WHAT IS THE KEY TO NAVIGATING THAT RACE DESPITE NOT AN IDEAL STARTING SPOT? “The Roval is tricky. There are a lot of areas to get yourself in trouble. There is very little run-off. It is a very unique road course when we talk about how you go about setting up for it. We can be very good in certain areas that can be good passing zones but can give up some overall lap time in order to do that. I feel like we have studied it enough to be confident that the tradeoff is worth it and we should be able to defend the areas that may not be the best passing zones but may cost some speed at the expense of being able to roll forward and not get stuck wherever we are at in the running order. That is the gist of it, basically. We try to set it up for the right areas to make passes and understanding that the raw speed, you can give up a little bit.”

THE ROUND OF 12 HAS A SUPERSPEEDWAY AND THE ROVAL COMING UP. IS THIS GOING TO BE THE MOST UNPREDICTABLE OR MOST STRESSFUL ROUND IN THE PLAYOFFS? “I don’t think so. The way I see it, the superspeedway races always have a certain amount of unpredictability but where I am at is I know RFK will be bringing fast Fords to that race. I know we will be in contention to win it, assuming we can survive the chaos. But I think we have seen that same chaos at a lot of different tracks throughout the year. Bristol last year was a train wreck when you talk about cars falling out and having issues. I promise you after losing out on a bunch of points at Kansas, it was on my mind going into Bristol, knowing we would be fast but that there was an array of issues that popped up last year and took really good cars and ruined their days and their playoffs. I don’t know that any of these races coming up have me any more stressed out than the Bristol race had me going into it. If we can go to Texas and have a good day and have a rough Talladega, then yeah, the Roval will be more stressful. I don’t get too caught up in worrying about it. Martinsville can be very rough. Even Texas last year had a lot of issues too. I don’t know that there is any one round that looks worse over another. I am excited for this round because I know we will be fast at all these race tracks and if we can control that part of it and take care of ourselves then it shouldn’t be that stressful on us.”

CAN THIS BE AN OPPORTUNITY ROUND FOR THE 17 TEAM THEN CONSIDERING HOW WELL YOU RUN AT SUPERSPEEDWAYS AND ROAD COURSES? “Yeah, I think that is just it. I think that is what is going to make it maybe a little less stressful for us than some others. That can change in a heartbeat with one bad day before we get to the Roval but as of right now, I am very excited for this round. I feel like all of the race tracks we are going to, out of all the race tracks in the playoffs, Darlington was the one that I felt like we needed the most improvement at and felt like that one was going to be tough and we would have to work really hard to just survive that one. We went there and ran third on the day. I am proud of what everyone has done to get us to this point and proud to say we will look at the race tracks coming up as opportunities at each and every one of them. I don’t have one coming up that has me stressed out or down about it or thinking we just have to get through it and get to the next one.”

ARE THE 1.5-MILE TRACKS MAYBE YOUR LAST HURDLE TO BEING COMPETITIVE AT EVERY TRACK, SINCE YOUR BEST FINISH ON ONE THIS YEAR HAS BEEN EIGHTH? “You know, if it weren’t for Michigan I would say that there is maybe a little more merit to it but obviously it is bigger yet but a lot of what we do at Michigan does carry over into our mile-and-a-halves. I think internally we can point to some things through the year at the 1.5-mile tracks that can make us better. I think that in one way, we certainly have gotten better after the first couple of months of the season where we had been to a few and maybe didn’t have our strongest showings but we haven’t had many to lean into, and compare where we have come this season. Kansas would have been the one. Granted, that was not as competitive as we wanted to be there but certainly felt like we had some glimpses of good things there and have some ideas that we certainly want to try going back. Yeah, it is the one that we haven’t been able to run as good at and get that result, but I think on our side we have some good understanding of why that is or some situation that may have happened along the way that leads the stats to say that. Again, Texas we were running third when we blew a tire there and had just run our fastest lap of the race and we were in a really good spot last year. It is a track that I look at as a good opportunity for us to go have a good day still. Putting aside that we haven’t been as strong at the mile-and-a-halfs but we haven’t had many the last couple of months.”

HOW MANY HOURS ON THE SIMULATOR THIS WEEK? “We had a luncheon so it cut an hour out, but we have done three hours this week.”

WHAT: Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 – opening Round of 12 race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

WHERE: Texas Motor Speedway – a 1.5-mile oval in Fort Worth, Texas.

WHEN: Sunday, 2:30 p.m. CT.

TV AND RADIO: TV: USA Network | Radio: PRN, SiriusXM (Ch. 90), 95.9 The Ranch (local).

RACE LENGTH: 267 laps | 400.5 miles.

RACE STAGE LENGTHS: 1-80 | 81-160 | 161-267.

ROUND OF 12 PLAYOFF DRIVERS & STANDINGS: 1) William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports, 3,036 points; 2) Martin Truex Jr., Joe Gibbs Racing, 3,036; 3) Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, 3,032; 4) Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports, 3,023; 5) Chris Buescher, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, 3,021; 6) Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing, 3,019; 7) Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing, 3,016; 8) Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing, 3,014; 9) Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing, 3,011; 10) Brad Keselowski, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, 3,011; 11) Ryan Blaney, Team Penske, 3,008; 12) Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing, 3,000.

ROUND OF 12 SCHEDULE (3 RACES): Texas Motor Speedway, Sunday; Talladega Superspeedway, Sunday, Oct. 1; Charlotte ROVAL®, Sunday, Oct. 8.

ENTRY LIST: Click here for the full Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 entry list.

DEFENDING RACE WINNER: Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing.

DEFENDING POLE WINNER: Brad Keselowski, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing.

2022 TOP-FIVE FINISHERS: 1. Tyler Reddick, Richard Childress Racing; 2. Joey Logano, Team Penske; 3. Justin Haley, Kaulig Racing; 4. Ryan Blaney, Team Penske; 5. Chase Briscoe, Stewart-Haas Racing.

NOTEWORTHY:

·      Texas Motor Speedway will be hosting the Round of 12 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff opener for the second consecutive season. Texas Motor Speedway has hosted the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs since 2005. The inaugural Playoff race was won by Carl Edwards, his first of four career wins at Texas.

·      Playoff drivers swept all three races in the opening Round of 16 with Kyle Larson winning Darlington, Tyler Reddick at Kansas and Denny Hamlin at Bristol.

·      Seven organizations are represented among the remaining 12 playoff contenders. Joe Gibbs Racing leads the way with three entries while Hendrick Motorsports, 23XI Racing and RFK Racing have two each. Rounding out the group are Richard Childress Racing, Trackhouse Racing and Team Penske.

·      Kevin Harvick won the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 three consecutive times from 2017-19. Jimmie Johnson won this NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race a track-record four times in a row from 2012-15. Johnson holds the TMS record for most Cup victories with seven.

·      Johnson holds the track mark for career top-five finishes with 16. Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth are tied for second with 14. Harvick is next with 13 and Joey Logano with 12. Harvick owns the track record for top-10 finishes with 24.

·      The polesitter has won a Cup race at Texas just five times in 42 races. The most recent, however, came in 2021 when Larson went wire to wire.

·      Last season’s Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 had a track-record 36 lead changes for a Cup Series race. Texas Motor Speedway has recorded 23 or more lead changes in five of the last six Cup races.

·      The drivers with the best average starting position at Texas Motor Speedway with a minimum of four starts are Ryan Blaney (9.0, 14 starts), Logano (11.6, 27 races),  Hamlin (12.8, 32 starts), Chase Elliott (13.3, 12 starts) and William Byron (13.3, 8 starts).

·      The drivers with the best average finishing position (min. four starts) are Reddick (6.8, 4 starts), Erik Jones (10.1, 11 starts), Harvick (10.5, 38 starts), Ky. Busch (11.7, 32 starts) and Elliott (13.3, 12 starts).

·      Eight of the 12 playoff drivers have an average finishing position of 16.1 or better. The four who do not are Larson (17.8, 15 starts), Chris Buescher (23.3, 13 starts), Bubba Wallace (23.6, 8 starts) and Ross Chastain (25.2, 6 starts). Larson, however, does have a win to go along with four top-five finishes and six among the top 10.

·      Four playoff drivers have previously won at Texas Motor Speedway, and they have combined for nine Cup victories overall. Busch paces the group with four wins while Hamlin has three and Larson and Reddick one each.

·      Harvick will look to extend his track record for career Cup starts at Texas Motor Speedway to 39 in Sunday’s Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400. His first start came in 2001, when he finished seventh.

·      Busch needs to lead 84 laps in the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 to surpass Johnson as the career Cup laps leader at Texas. Johnson owns the mark with 1,152 laps led while Busch has 1,069.

·      Martin Truex Jr. and Brad Keselowski are the only drivers who rank among the top 10 in career laps led at Texas without a victory. Truex Jr., ninth with 689 laps led, has three runner-up finishes (2013 spring race, 2017 and ’20 fall races) in 33 career starts. Keselowski, 10^th with 685 laps led, has a pair of runner-up efforts (2012, ’15 fall races) in 27 career starts. Last season, he won the pole and led 31 laps en route to an eighth-place finish. Keselowski has finished ninth or better in his last four starts at TMS.

·      Blaney has finished eighth or better in eight of his last nine points races at Texas, including the last five in a row. He finished fourth last season.

·      Jones has posted seven top-10 finishes in 11 career Cup starts at Texas, including sixth last year. He has finished a best of fourth on three occasions.

·      Since Harvick finished 42^nd in the 2014 spring race at TMS, he has recorded top-10 finishes in 13 of his last 15 points-paying starts at the venue. The run includes three wins and 10 top-five finishes overall.

·      Chevrolet has won three of the last four Cup races at Texas with Austin Dillon (2020-spring), Larson (2021) and Reddick (2022). Busch interrupted the run with a win in this race in 2020.

·      Zane Smith, the 2022 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series champion and a current series playoff contender, is scheduled to drive the No. 38 Ford for Front Row Motorsports in the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400. It will be his seventh Cup start this season and eighth of his career. His best finish of 10^th came in May at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

·      NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series playoff contender Carson Hocevar, who has competed in the last three Cup Series races for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, is scheduled to drive the organization’s No. 42 Chevrolet in the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400. He is coming off an 11^th-place finish at Bristol.

TMS CAREER LEADERS

WINS:

·      Jimmie Johnson – 7

·      Carl Edwards – 4

·      Kyle Busch – 4

·      Denny Hamlin – 3

·      Kevin Harvick – 3

·      Greg Biffle – 2

·      Jeff Burton – 2

·      Tony Stewart – 2

·      Matt Kenseth – 2

POLES:

·      Kurt Busch – 3

·      Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 2

·      Carl Edwards – 2

·      Jeff Gordon – 2

·      Kevin Harvick – 2

·      Jimmie Johnson – 2

·      Brad Keselowski – 2

·      Bobby Labonte – 2

·      Tony Stewart – 2

·      Martin Truex Jr. – 2

·      Ryan Newman – 2

LAP LED:

·      Jimmie Johnson – 1,152

·      Kyle Busch – 1,069

·      Matt Kenseth – 883

·      Tony Stewart – 801

·      Gregg Biffle – 733

·      Carl Edwards – 691

·      Jeff Gordon – 691

·      Kevin Harvick – 691

·      Martin Truex Jr. – 689

·      Brad Keselowski – 685

Bold-Denotes Cup Series Round of 12 Playoff driver.

The NASCAR Playoffs weekend will be highlighted by the NASCAR Xfinity Series Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 on Saturday (2:30 p.m. CT on USA Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Ch. 90, and PRN), and the NASCAR Cup Series Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 on Sunday (2:30 p.m. CT on USA Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Ch. 90, PRN, and 95.9 The Ranch-local). Country Music stars LOCASH will perform Sunday’s pre-race concert at 12:30 p.m. CT on the Machinery Auctioneers Pre-Race Stage located at the start/finish line.

Texas Motor Speedway’s always-busy events schedule is well under way. Upcoming events in 2023 include: Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 NASCAR Playoffs weekend (Sept. 23-24), Goodguys’ Summit Racing Lone Star Nationals (Sept. 29-Oct. 1), Speedway Children’s Charities Smoke Show (Oct. 11) and Gordy’s Hwy 30 Music Fest (Oct. 19-22). The year wraps up with the family-favorite and speedway tradition Gift of Lights holiday light show.

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ABOUT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Texas Motor Speedway is among the largest sports stadiums in the United States and features an array of amenities such as one of the world’s largest TV’s that make it one of the premier venues in the world of sports. The 1.5-mile superspeedway located in Fort Worth hosts all three NASCAR national series as well as the NTT INDYCAR SERIES among its various races and specialty events throughout the year. Texas Motor Speedway is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports, LLC, a leading marketer and promoter of motorsports entertainment in the United States. For more information, please visit texasmotorspeedway.com.

TICKETS:

For ticket information for the September 23-24 NASCAR Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 weekend, please visit www.texasmotorspeedway.com.

MORE INFO:

Keep track of all of Texas Motor Speedway’s busy schedule by following on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Keep up with all the latest news and information on the speedway website and TMS mobile app.

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

THE BATTLE AT BRISTOL: Kyle Larson finished second in Saturday night’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway. After starting 36th, Larson worked his way through the field in the opening 125-lap stage. The 31-year-old driver got up to eighth at the end of stage one. Staying out during the stage break, Larson restarted the second segment in third and took the lead on lap 179. He held the point position for 20 laps before ultimately finishing the stage in third. In the final stage, Larson restarted third and spent the last 138 laps in second, finishing in the runner-up position. This marks his third consecutive top-five finish and series-best 13th top-five of the season.

ROUND OF 16 REVIEW: Larson earned the second-best average finish through the first three playoff races all-time (2.33), only behind Greg Biffle’s 2008 mark (1.67). During the Round of 16, the No. 5 HendrickCars.com driver earned the best all-time average finish in the opening round of the elimination playoffs. The next-best average finish (3.00) came from Larson in his championship-winning year of 2021. Larson added six playoff points in this year’s Round of 16 to bring his bonus points total to 23, the fourth-most of all drivers.

THE ROAD TO PHOENIX: The 2021 Cup Series champion is no rookie at navigating the playoff road to Phoenix Raceway. Larson has earned a spot in the Cup Series playoffs seven times and won at six of the seven playoff tracks remaining during his 101 starts with Hendrick Motorsports. With the points reset for the Round of 12, Larson is now 12 markers ahead of the elimination line. So far in the playoffs, he has the most laps run in the top five (804), the second-most laps run in the top 10 (898) and the second-best running position (6.69).

TURNING TO TEXAS: This weekend the Elk Grove, California, native will race at Texas Motor Speedway. He is currently one of only five drivers to have two or more consecutive top-10 finishes at the Fort Worth, Texas, venue. In 2021, Larson dominated the playoff race and then went on to win the championship. His 2021 victory is one of four instances where the fall playoff race winner went on to become the series champion.

1.5-MILE STAT SAVVY: During this season’s four races on 1.5-mile tracks, Larson is tied with teammate William Byron for the most top-five finishes (three), has led the second-most laps (248) and holds the fourth-best average finish (9.50). In the Next Gen era (2022-present) on 1.5-mile tracks, Larson ranks second in points scored (409), average finish (9.45) and is one of eight active drivers to win on this track type (Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2022). Note: Races at Atlanta Motor Speedway since 2022 are excluded in this count of 1.5-mile tracks.

IN 2023: This season, Larson leads the way in top-five finishes (13) and is in a five-way tie, along with Byron, for the most top-10s (15). He’s third in laps led (798), average running position (11.55), laps run in the top five (2,988) and laps run in the top 10 (4,421). Larson has been the second-best driver on restarts, based on information from Racing Insights.

FOUR TIRES FAST: The No. 5 HendrickCars.com pit crew has the fourth-best average four-tire pit stop time of the season at 11.155 seconds. In the middle race of the Round of 16 at Kansas Speedway, the squad had the best average four-tire stop time among all teams (10.085 seconds). 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).

HENDRICK, GET SET. GO!: On Tuesday, Hendrick Automotive Group’s Hendrick, Get Set. Go! program gifted New Hanover High School in Wilmington, North Carolina, a $25,000 grant for auto tech education using the excitement of the HendrickCars.com racing program. Larson, the No. 5 pit crew, head Hendrick Motorsports pit coach Jon Carvin and pit crew development coach Keith Flynn traveled to the event for a question and answer session with students followed by a live pit stop practice in the parking lot. Before getting involved in NASCAR, Flynn was a football and tennis coach from 1985 to 1986 at the school. The Hendrick, Get Set. Go! program’s goal is to connect schools and local Hendrick Automotive Group dealerships for future opportunities for students. Hendrick Automotive Group has seven dealerships surrounding the Wilmington/Jacksonville area. See photos from the event here.

HENDRICKCARS.COM IS HOME: This Sunday’s race marks the 13th of 15 home races for the HendrickCars.com team this season. The Fort Worth, Texas, area is home to two Hendrick Automotive Group dealerships. Respectively, both the 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 made available to the public. This week’s Texas-themed hat will be revealed Thursday, check it out here.

WIN A CHEVROLET COLORADO Z71: Want to drive Larson’s 2023 Chevrolet Colorado truck? The 2021 Cup Series champion is giving away his ride to one lucky winner. 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: 18th

No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

BUILDING CONSISTENCY: Chase Elliott and the No. 9 team are a force to be reckoned with as of late in the NASCAR Cup Series. Together, they’ve accumulated four consecutive top-10 finishes – tied for the longest active streak. Over those last four races, the five-time National Motorsports Press Association Most Popular Driver is tied for the best average finish (6.25), has led 49 laps and scored the fourth-most points (142). Elliott’s current streak of top-10s is his most since having six straight in the summer of 2022.

OWNING IT: The No. 9 team advanced to the Round of 12 for the owner championship. The team’s three top-10 finishes in the opening round of the playoffs – eighth at Darlington Raceway, sixth at Kansas Speedway and seventh at Bristol Motor Speedway – catapulted the No. 9 to eighth in the owner standings. Now that the points are reset for the Round of 12 following Bristol, the No. 9 team is seeded 12th, 13 markers below the elimination line for the Round of 8.

LOOKING BACK: Last season at Texas Motor Speedway, Elliott started the 334-lap race from the sixth position. The 2020 Cup Series champion raced inside the top 10 for much of the first stage, ultimately ending it in 13th after pitting during a caution prior to the stage break. In the second stage, Elliott worked his way to the lead, pacing the field for 44 laps. He was still out front when he had a right-rear tire go down and his No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 sustained heavy damage after contact with the wall, ending his race early.

LONE STAR NUMBERS: Elliott has made 12 Cup Series starts at the Fort Worth, Texas, track. In those starts, the 27-year-old driver has garnered two top-five finishes, six top-10s and led a total of 88 laps – half of those circuits coming in last year’s race. While Elliott is winless at Texas in the sport’s top series, he collected his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory at the 1.5-mile track in April 2014. In five Xfinity Series starts there, Elliott accumulated three top-five finishes, five top-10s and an average finish of 5.00.

1.5-MILERS: This weekend at Texas, Elliott will make his 76th start on a 1.5-mile track in the Cup Series. Along with two victories (Kansas in 2018 and Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2020), he has collected 22 top-five finishes – eight of which are runner-up results – and 38 top-10s on 1.5-milers. In his previous 75 races on this track length, Elliott has led 1,040 laps. During his most recent mile-and-a-half start at Kansas, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native started fourth, led 47 laps and finished inside the top 10 in the first two stages en route to a sixth-place result. Note: Races at Atlanta Motor Speedway since 2022 are excluded in this count of 1.5-mile tracks.

AG AT TEXAS: No. 9 team crew chief Alan Gustafson is set to call his 35th Texas Cup Series race on Sunday. In his previous 34 starts at the track, the Ormond Beach, Florida, native has eight top-five finishes and 17 top-10s with 392 laps led. His best finish of second came in 2014 with NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon.

KBB IS BACK: The Texas race marks the second of two primary races for No. 9 team partner Kelley Blue Book. In January, it was announced that Kelley Blue Book extended its sponsorship of Elliott and Hendrick Motorsports with a two-year contract renewal. Earlier this season, Josh Berry, filling in for the then-injured Elliott, drove the Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to a 10th-place finish at Phoenix Raceway. Get a look at all the angles of the 2023 No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Chevy here.

24 WILLIAM BYRON

Age: 25 (Nov. 29, 1997)

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle

Standings: 1st

No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will be available to members of the media at the Texas Motor Speedway media center on Saturday, Sept. 23, at 10:30 a.m. local time.

KEEP IT ROLLIN’: William Byron completed the Round of 16 with a ninth-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway to advance to the Round of 12. As the points reset, he regains the lead in the NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings, 25 points above the elimination line for the start of the next three-race round. After 29 races, Byron leads the series in wins (five) and stage wins (eight). The 25-year-old driver’s series-leading 877 laps led are also a single-season career-best. He is tied for the series lead in top-10 finishes (15) and is third in top-fives (10). In addition, Byron ranks second in average running position (10.30), laps run in the top five (3,222) and laps run in the top 10 (4,514).

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 the 2021 season (not counting races at Atlanta Motor Speedway since its reconfiguration in 2022), he has two wins (Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2021 and Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2023), two runner-up finishes, seven top-fives and 13 top-10s on 1.5-mile tracks. In fact, in the four races on that track length this season, Byron has the best average finish (5.25), most laps led (277) and is tied with teammate Kyle Larson for the most top-five finishes (three). Since the inception of the Next Gen car (2022-present), he has collected the third-most points (405) and the fifth-best average finish (10.18) on 1.5-mile tracks.

TEXAS TOUGH: Throughout his entire NASCAR career, Byron has always run well at Texas Motor Speedway. In eight Cup Series starts at the Lone Star State track, Byron has four top-10 results, including a track-best finish of second in 2021. In both starts at the Fort Worth, Texas, facility with crew chief Rudy Fugle, he has one top-five finish, two top-10s, 97 laps led and an average finish of 4.50. In the six starts prior to that, he had two top-10 results, 24 laps led and an average finish of 16.50. Byron also has five other national series starts at the 1.5-mile oval, with an average finish of 3.50 in two NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts and 6.00 in three NASCAR Xfinity Series races. Together with Fugle, they won the 2016 Truck Series race.

FUGLE HAS ‘NO LIMITS’: Sunday marks Fugle’s third Cup Series points-paying event atop the pit box at Texas. In his two previous Cup Series starts, the Livonia, New York, native has one top-five finish and two top-10s. However, Fugle has 18 other national series races under his belt at Texas, with 15 coming in the Truck Series. He has visited victory lane at the “No Limits” track five times in the Truck Series – the most for him at any track on the circuit. Among those wins are a 2016 triumph with Byron and a sweep of the 2019 races. In his 15 Truck Series starts, Fugle’s drivers have also racked up seven top-five finishes, 11 top-10s and 493 laps led.

PIT ROAD PROWESS: Through 29 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 11.011 seconds. The No. 24 pit crew consists of Spencer Bishop (jackman), Jeff Cordero (front-tire changer), Orane Ossowski (rear-tire changer), Ryan Patton (tire carrier) and Landon Walker (fueler).

LIBERTY U IS BACK: For Sunday’s race at Texas, Byron will sport his Liberty University paint scheme. Featuring a white base with navy flames and red accents, the Liberty University No. 24 will be sure to stand out on track. Liberty University has a long history with Byron starting back in 2014 in the late model ranks. Liberty University has been Training Champions for Christ since it was founded in 1971. Located in the mountains of Central Virginia, Liberty is a liberal arts institution with 17 colleges and schools that offers more than 600 degree programs from the certificate to the doctoral level, on campus and online. Working on an undergraduate degree in strategic communication, Byron is now in his junior year at Liberty University through its online program. You can see the No. 24 Liberty University Chevy 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

BRISTOL RECAP: Last Saturday, Alex Bowman raced on the concrete layout at Bristol Motor Speedway for the 13th time in his NASCAR Cup Series career. The driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 started the 500-lap event in 13th place. He narrowly missed out on stage points in the second segment and spent the first half of the final stage inside the top 10. The 30-year-old driver went on to finish 13th.

INTERMEDIATE INTIMIDATOR: Bowman has proven to have speed at tracks 1.5 miles in length in the Next Gen era (2022-present). He has the third-best average finish (9.75) on that track length in the Next Gen car and has notched one win (Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2022). In Bowman’s three starts on 1.5-mile tracks in 2023, he also has the third-best average finish (8.33). Two weeks ago, he notched a 10th-place finish at Kansas Speedway and finished third at Las Vegas in March. Note: Races at Atlanta Motor Speedway since 2022 are excluded in this count of 1.5-mile tracks.

TEXAS TWO-STEP: Bowman’s best finish at Texas Motor Speedway are a pair of fifth-place finishes. Both of those results, where he also started fifth, came in the playoff races of 2019 and 2020.

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.

HEAD HONCHO: Crew chief Blake Harris will return to his home track this Sunday at Texas. The Maypearl, Texas, native grew up racing dirt go-karts before moving on to dirt stock cars and asphalt trucks. Harris spent the early part of his Cup Series career with Furniture Row Racing where he became the car chief for Kurt Busch in his 2013 season and was also a car chief for Martin Truex Jr. from 2014 to 2021 (at Furniture Row and Joe Gibbs Racing). He was an integral part of Furniture Row’s 2017 championship season when the No. 78 team won eight races and led 2,253 laps. In 2022, he joined Front Row Motorsports as a crew chief and was named as Bowman’s 2023 crew chief on the No. 48 in October 2022. In two starts atop the box at Texas, Harris’ drivers have one top-five result and an average finish of 6.50.

SAVE THEM ALL: Bowman and primary partner Ally are teaming up this year to bring back the Best Friends Animal Society donation effort. This week, the duo will make charitable contributions to the Humane Society of North Texas, which serves the local community in Fort Worth. Bowman and Ally will donate $4,800 to Best Friends and the Humane Society of North Texas. Ally will increase its donation to $10,000 if the No. 48 team wins.

DAY ‘N’ NITE: During Sunday’s race at Texas, the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will adorn its “day” scheme. This scheme hosts a white base with bright plum, grapefruit, and seafoam stripes down the side. Check out all the angles of the ride here.

A TEAM OF RACERS: This Friday and Saturday, No. 48 setup mechanic Travis Braden will get behind the wheel of a Super Late Model race car at Five Flags Speedway in the Blizzard Series races. Braden joined Hendrick Motorsports and the No. 48 team before the start of the 2023 Cup Series season. His racing record includes winning the 2019 Snowball Derby, a victory in his first ARCA Menards Series race at Indianapolis Raceway Park in 2015 – beating the current driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 William Byron – and the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Rookie of the Year Award in 2011.

HENDRICK
MOTORSPORTS /

2023	All-Time	Texas
Races	29	1,338	42
Wins	8*	299*	10*
Poles	6	245*	7
Top 5	35*	1,225*	42*
Top 10	55*	2,100*	77*
Laps Led	1,851	79,168*	2,927*
Stage Wins	13	92	2

*Most **Most (tie)

CLOSING IN ON 300: Hendrick Motorsports is just one points-paying victory away from its milestone 300th win in the NASCAR Cup Series. Twenty drivers have combined to reach the organization’s current total of 299, which is the most Cup Series wins by any team. With eight points-paying victories in 2023, the team has posted its 36th multi-win season in the Cup Series while maintaining a streak of at least two per season for the past 30 years. The organization has gone to victory lane at more racetracks (31) than any other active team.

PLAYOFF ADVANCEMENT: For the 10th straight season, Hendrick Motorsports has had at least two drivers advance to the Round of 12. William Byron (five wins) and Kyle Larson (three wins) remain in the playoff field. In addition, the Nos. 5, 9 and 24 teams are battling for the owner championship.

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).

RECORD SETTERS: Hendrick Motorsports has posted a series-best 56 wins in the playoffs, which is 20 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 Alex Bowman with one.

LONE STAR LOWDOWN: With 10 points-paying wins at Texas Motor Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports is the winningest team at the Fort Worth, Texas, track. Johnson accounts for seven of those and he also holds the track record for most Cup Series wins. Gordon, Labonte and Larson each have one win at the 1.5-mile venue. In 18 playoff races at Texas, Hendrick Motorsports has won a Cup Series-best six times. Johnson is responsible for five wins, while Larson’s 2021 win in the Round of 8 stands as the other victory. On three occasions in team history, the Texas playoff race winner went on to win the championship (Johnson in ’07 and ’13 and Larson in ’21).

NO LIMITS TO LEADING: In the past two races at Texas, the Concord, North Carolina-based team has led 62% of the laps run (416 of 668). Over that span, Larson leads all drivers with 275 laps led. Byron has paced the field for 97 laps, while Elliott has been out front for 44 circuits.

NEXT GEN NUMBERS: In the Next Gen car on 1.5-mile tracks, Hendrick Motorsports is tied for the most victories at three. The most recent of those victories came in March with Byron at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Since the start of the 2022 season, Larson (409) and Byron (405) rank second and third in points scored on 1.5-mile tracks. When it comes to average finish with the Next Gen on 1.5-mile tracks, Larson (9.45) ranks second, Bowman (9.75) is third and Byron (10.18) rounds out the top five.

MILE-AND-A-HALF MUSCLE: So far in 2023, there have been four races on 1.5-mile tracks (two at Kansas Speedway and one each at Las Vegas and Charlotte Motor Speedway), Byron (5.25) has the best average finish in those events, Bowman has the third best (8.33, although he has run in only three of those races) and Larson is fourth (9.50). Across those four races, the team has one win, seven top-five finishes, 10 top-10s, one pole position and 585 laps led.

STUDYING THE TRENDS: In each of the last seven 2023 Cup Series races, Hendrick Motorsports has had a driver finish in the top five. Those top fives came at Michigan International Speedway (Larson), the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course (Elliott and Bowman), Watkins Glen International (Byron), Daytona International Speedway (Elliott), Darlington Raceway (Larson and Byron), Kansas Speedway (Larson) and Bristol Motor Speedway (Larson).

QUOTABLE /

Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on why success at Texas Motor Speedway is key to advancing in the Round of 12: “Looking ahead to Talladega (Superspeedway), it’s a little crazy and there are typically a lot of crashes. So, you put a lot of pressure on this race this weekend, or at least I do, to do a good job. I like Texas (Motor Speedway). Our No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevy team won there a couple of years ago (in 2021). We hope to do that again and have another good day.”

Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on racing at Texas: “Going into Texas (Motor Speedway) this weekend, we have some strong runs behind us from the last couple of weeks, which is good to have that little bit of wind in our sail and momentum. We’ve had this layout of the Texas track since 2017 and it is such a tough place for an intermediate (track). The two ends are so different with not a lot of banking and a tight radius in (turns) one and two and then a lot of banking and a bigger radius in (turns) three and four. So, it’s a tough place. Our mindset is to get a good solid car on the track and execute a good race to make sure we are there at the end.”

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the team’s efforts on 1.5-mile tracks in the owner playoffs: “Kansas (Speedway) was super refreshing. I thought we were much improved. I was doing a better job driving and our pit stops were really good. Everything felt solid and that was super satisfying because we put a lot of effort into being better. I put a lot of effort into pushing myself in areas that I feel like need to be worked on. Anytime you put the effort and time into different areas and you see the results, you can kind of get that report card and it be an improvement, I think that’s encouraging for everyone involved. We didn’t win, but we were up there battling with those guys that did. If you’re in that fight and you’re in that hunt, the wins will come. The good news is all the pieces of the puzzle, in my mind, are there. We’ve just got to put it together.”

Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on continuing a successful run in the owner playoffs: “I think certainly for us, it was a solid first round of races. We’ve had some good cars and solid finishes. We just want to continue to take that next step and be able to consistently improve. I think we’re going in the right direction and things are coming together. Even our races that are a little bit off, we’re still inside the top 10, which is great. I think that’s what it takes. I’m looking forward to upping the ante a bit at Texas (Motor Speedway) and delivering with better performances than we had in the first round.”

Gustafson on racing at Texas: “Texas (Motor Speedway) is a really unique track. The corners being split the way they are, they are quite a bit different. It makes it a bit difficult to get your car to drive good at. It’s going to be really hot there, so the track will be slick. Your hope is, as a competitor, that there’s more than one lane, the track widens out a bit and you can pass and compete and move forward. Last year, Texas was a race that we were concerned about and wanted to perform really well at. We were at the time of the tire failure. So, we’ll take some of those lessons learned and try to apply them this weekend.”

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the playoff race at Texas: “I’m looking forward to Texas (Motor Speedway). It will be hot there and slick, which will lead to guys making mistakes. We just need to not be one of them and stay ahead of all that. We need to try to win it or at least maximize our points day. You have to take advantage of every opportunity you get if you want to run for a championship. There’s only 12 cars left. You need to execute. This is the time to really show what you have.”

Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his approach to the Round of 12: “The first round we had a bigger points cushion and those were three more traditional oval tracks. I don’t want to say you could relax, but it was a round where you could really start looking ahead to other races. You could run your races, not really try anything crazy and advance. Now in this round, you need to take one race at a time and really focus on Texas (Motor Speedway). That’s the race we probably have the most control over and can get the most amount of points. Coming out with a win would obviously relieve a lot of stress going into Talladega (Superspeedway) and the (Charlotte Motor Speedway) ROVAL. Two races that are kind of wildcards. It’s definitely a tough round.”

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the remaining seven races of the season: “We have seven races left to get it right. Our team has done just about everything except win and the way we all see it is that we have seven shots to win in front of us. We have had the same mindset every week regardless of the situation. While we may not be in the playoffs, we still have a shot to win races and I think this team is plenty capable. Hendrick Motorsports gives us all the tools we need to compete at a high level. Heading to Texas (Motor Speedway) this weekend is just as good of a chance as any other week on the schedule.”

Blake Harris, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on returning to his home track: “I like going to Texas Motor Speedway because I get the chance to go home, see my family and race at a place I grew up going to. Obviously, that in itself makes it special, but I also really enjoy the track. It has some unique challenges after they did the repave and trying to figure out how to go fast with those challenges in mind is what I enjoy about being a crew chief. Alex (Bowman) and I will go there for the first time this weekend together. Hopefully, we can be competitive and learn a lot in the process. Hendrick Motorsports has a good notebook for this track and I know our team is going to be prepared for whatever unfolds this weekend.”