NASCAR CUP SERIES
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
GEICO 500
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
APRIL 22, 2023

RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER/CHEEZ-IT CAMARO ZL1, met with the media prior to the NASCAR Cup Series qualifying session at Talladega Superspeedway. Press Conference Transcript:

YOU HAVE A WIN HERE AT TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY. TALK ABOUT WHAT IT’S LIKE RACING HERE AGAIN THIS WEEKEND?

“It’s cool to be back at the site of your first win, especially after starting your season off with a win on a superspeedway. Just bringing some confidence in that hopefully we can do it again. Always love being at Talladega and being able to race the sprint car across the street last night and tonight. Just getting extra racing in.

This race track is really wide. It’s four lanes wide pretty comfortably, so it’ll be interesting to kind of see if we can get more than two lanes going. At Daytona and Atlanta, it seems like those two lanes were about all we could get going. Hopefully we can get at least three so we can start making moves and get up through the field when we need to. But feeling really confident coming in.”

WHEN YOUR TEAM LEASES A PIT CREW FROM ANOTHER ORGANIZATION, WHAT ARE THE EXPECTATIONS AS FAR AS YOU KNOW IF THEY DO WELL, I ASSUME YOU KNOW THERE’S A CHANCE YOU CAN LOSE THEM?

“Yes, that is the case most of the time and a case we’ve been in my first two years at JTG Daugherty Racing. We signed on at Roush with a two-year deal with the outline that specified that we did not want our pit crew taken. We would commit for two years if we could keep our guys together. We did that last year, all year long. When it came down towards the end of the season, we were really happy with all of the guys we had last year. We felt like our fuel guy was a little bit slower than where we needed to be at the end of last year, and so we had kind of requested a change there. But wanted to keep all of our guys in-tact for this season because I feel like that chemistry is really important when you’re kind of choregraphing those pit stops. We were really happy with all of our guys. At the end of last year, they let us know they were changing one of our guys. We weren’t really thrilled about that, but they kind of guaranteed us that the guy they were going to replace him with was going to make our pit stops a lot faster. We started the season off and we actually were struggling on pit road quite a bit. We kind of asked – hey, I thought this new change was going to be good. And they said – well, we actually put him on the No. 6 car, so we didn’t actually get the one that they were going to replace one of our guys with last year. So that was a little bit of a bummer. We did get a new guy last week going into Martinsville and our pit stops were great. And then Monday morning, they took the whole team.

I hate it for my guys. Obviously we went to battle with them and won Daytona with them. We had most of them all last year as well and just felt like we really had that good chemistry of a solid team together, and now that’s kind of all mixed up and gone away. So I hate it for those guys having to switch teams, but I know a few of the guys on the team coming in that were on the No. 17 car and Mike Kelley (crew chief) has worked with some of those guys obviously with us both being over there. They had a really good pit practice this week. I feel really confident that I know Mike Kelley can get the most out of guys. Those guys have a little chip on their shoulders, so that never hurts anything, as well. They want to show their worth and what they can do going over the wall. I think we’ll be fine as a race team, but I do hate it for my guys that started going to battle with us last year. That’s the biggest bummer. But yeah, I think the expectation going into it was that would not happen to us. I don’t really know what all the contracts and stuff look like, but that was kind of the mindset going in. I guess that’s what you get when you have the people over there running that place.

But I am not worried about our over the wall guys. I know those guys will get it done.”

THERE’S BEEN A COUPLE OF TIMES WHERE YOU GUYS WOULD GET THREE-WIDE AT VARIOUS TRACKS WITH THIS NEW CAR. AND THEN EVERYONE GOES – SEE, THE DRIVERS CAN DO IT IF THEY WANTED TO. IT SEEMS LIKE THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT IS – PHYSICS, THE NEW CAR JUST DOES NOT ALLOW YOU GUYS TO RACE THREE-WIDE VERY OFTEN. WHICH IS MORE OF THE TRUTH IN THERE, OR IS IT A MIX?

“It’s definitely a mix. You look down at the end of the races and we all just kind of take any gap that we can. At Atlanta, I should have shot the middle. I think I saw an onboard video of Erik Jones kind of running up through the middle there and he gained a lot of spots. I was kind of committed to the No. 48 and the No. 1 that were on the bottom at Atlanta. But it works for a few laps, it seems like. And again, it could be somewhat driver-driven. You watch when cars get single-file on the outside line at Daytona – the inside lane, you start making a run and as soon as one of the cars finds a gap close enough to the front where they’re comfortable being in that ninth- or tenth-spot in line on the top, then they bail and all of a sudden you start hurting the energy of that bottom lane. So I do think that’s driven by the drivers. But for sure, two-wide, you can get it working as long as you have enough guys to stay committed to it.

Three lanes is tough because you’ve got guys that want to either be on the top or the bottom. The middle works really well for a while, but it is a little bit more risky, at least at Daytona and definitely at Atlanta. Here at Talladega, three-wide is super easy to do.

It will be interesting to see. The bottom lane here gets so flat in the tri-oval that I do feel like the middle or top lane can make its way up to the front because you end up running the bottom here more than you do at Daytona and Atlanta. It’s hard to do. The car has a lot of drag and you really have to stay in line to do it. But it’s a little bit of both.”

IS IT YOUR UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PIT CREW CHANGE IS FOR AWHILE, OR WAS IT JUST FOR THIS WEEK?

“No, it’s for the rest of the season. Or I guess until the new ones start doing well on our team (laughs).. I don’t really know how it works now, but I know everybody wasn’t really thrilled about it. But like I said, I know that Mike (Kelley, crew chief) has talked to the new guys coming in and they’re super committed to showing what they’ve got, so I’ve excited about that.”

DO THEY HAVE THE LUXURY TO DO THAT BECAUSE YOU’VE GOT A WIN ALREADY?

“That’s above my level. I don’t know. I’m not sure of their understanding of why they feel like that was the best move. Normally when something happens like that, we’re requesting something different or whatnot. But I think our guys last week averaged first on pit road. We were thrilled with that obviously, and then we kind of got the rug pulled out from under us.

But like I said, I think it’s going to be great for our team. I think Mike Kelley will get our guys dialed in like he always does. I just hate it for the guys that have to leave our team.”

DID THEY GET THEIR RINGS BEFORE THEY GOT TAKEN?

“We haven’t yet, but I’m sure they will. We won’t leave them hanging.”

HOW DID YOU FIND OUT ABOUT THE PIT CREW CHANGE? I THINK I HAD READ ON NASCAR.COM THAT IT WAS AN EMAIL?

“I did not receive an email. Jenn received an email of talking points, but I don’t think I followed those (laughs).

Yeah, it goes through our Competition Director with Ernie (Cope) and those guys, and then I get filled in. Mike Kelley actually called me Monday night. He kind of waited all day Monday, trying to figure out if they could change what was being done. But he called me at probably 9:00 p.m. on Monday night.”

YOU TALKED ABOUT HOW YOU DIDN’T WANT TO LOSE YOUR GUYS.. YOU’VE BEEN ONE OF THE BEST ON PIT ROAD. WHEN A CHANGE LIKE THIS DOES HAPPEN, DOES IT UPSET THE CHEMISTRY A LITTLE BIT?

“Definitely. There’s a lot that goes into this sport – not just over the wall. We have a brand-new pit box this year that the guys have been working on during the off-season; getting it setup, getting it put down, getting it put back together and getting it ready to go. There’s just a lot of different little things that the pit crew guys have to kind of manage, and I know our pit boxes are totally different than the pit boxes that they’re used to. So just little things like that. Now I’m sure this weekend, our road crew guys are going to have to go out there on pit road and kind of walk through the whole scenario of our pit box with them. There’s just a lot more work for some of our road crew guys and then obviously our pit crew guys have to kind of figure that out, as well. But the actual – I’d say choreography going over the wall and stuff is the same. They practice at the same place. They’ll have to get used to me coming in and out of the pit box, which is obviously a little bit different. Our guys have been with me for over a year now. You can go to pit practice and kind of practice that, but it’s nothing like when you’re actually on pit road. It’s really easy to pull in your pit box at pit practice; a little more chaotic in live time. So things like that are definitely going to be different for them.”

HOW WILLING DO YOU HAVE TO BE IF YOU WANT TO BE A GREAT SUPERSPEEDWAY RACER, WILLING TO CRASH, TAKE THOSE CHANCES ALONG WITH WINNING, AND HOW YOU HAVE TO BALANCE THAT OUT?

“Yeah, I think we all strap-in willing to crash. Going out there, we all know that a major, high probability is that we’re going to crash. For me most of the time, the wrecks I’ve gotten in or when you lose track position, you’re trying to come up through the field and something generally happens. Back when I first started, it seemed like everything kind of happened in the center of the field, and now everything happens at the front of the field. You want to be leading, you want to be at the front of the field. But when we’re throwing blocks on each other like we do now, those crashes happen a lot further forward in the field and collect way more cars. I know there are a lot of drivers that come in here and don’t really care about any of the stats and just see how it works out.

I wouldn’t say that I have a style here that is different than anybody else’s. (INAUDIBLE).. things like that, you have a better shot of winning. For me, that’s all we really focus on.”

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW YOUR QUALIFYING POSITION CHANGES HOW YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR RACE ON SUNDAY?

“Qualifying, I feel like it’s important, obviously. A lot of people write it off at superspeedways, but I think for me, it kind of dictates that first stage of the race. So at Daytona, we didn’t qualify well. You don’t push to get stage points in that first stage, unless things just work out. Like I was just saying, going up through the field is generally at some point when (a wreck) happens and you don’t necessarily want that to happen in the first stage. For me, qualifying up front, it’s a lot easier to keep your track position with this car than it is to gain your track position, at least out on the race track. You have a bad qualifying effort, then you’re looking at different strategies – two tires, no tires, things like that – to get your track position so that you can get to the front and try to keep it from there.”

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CHEMISTRY WITH THE PIT CREWS AND HOW YOU PLAN TO BUILD THE CHEMISTRY NOW THAT WE’RE ALREADY INTO THE SEASON?

“Yeah, I think for us and our team, it might be a little awkward for our guys that left because I don’t think they wanted to leave, so it might be a little worse for them. But I think for our team, like I said, Mike Kelley (crew chief) is one of those guys that can really bring the team together and make sure he gets the most out of everybody on our team in every position. The chemistry – at least we didn’t insert one guy and take one out or whatnot.. the whole team basically swapped. I’m confident that when I come in the pit box and I get stopped, those guys are going to be able to get the job done. They’re not learning each other, which is a good thing. They’re going to have to learn Mike Kelley talking on the radio of what adjustments to do and kind of how we go about our business on race day. But like I said, Mike Kelley has worked with a few of those guys – some of them have been on Mike Kelley’s pit crews for a long time. The team captain over there, a long time Roush guy and known him for a long time. He guaranteed Mike that they’d be up to par, so we’re really to rip with them.”

FOR THE DAYTONA 500, YOU KIND OF CAME FROM THE THIRD POSITION AND WORKED YOUR WAY UP AND MADE THE PASS IN THE CHAOS OF THE GREEN-WHITE-CHECKERED. IN ORDER TO WIN HERE AT TALLADEGA ON SUNDAY, DO YOU NEED TO BE IN THAT POSITION WHERE YOU’RE THE THIRD CAR IN LINE AND HAVE THAT BIG RUN TO TAKE THAT LEAD, OR IS THIS MORE WHERE YOU CAN WORK FROM FARTHER BACK OR BE UP FRONT IN ORDER TO WIN HERE?

“I would take leading in race on a green-white-checkered. You control the race. I think the biggest issue that happened (at Daytona) – the No. 8 was leading the race and their mistake was trying to do the teammate restart where the No. 3 backed off a little bit and let the No. 8 pull down. That killed all of their momentum. I think if they would have just lined up together, the move that (Joey) Logano, (Kyle) Larson and I made down the backstretch, I don’t think that happens if they would have started in the same lane together. But for me, I would definitely take leading over anything. I think that’s your best shot to win.”

HOW DOES YOUR FAITH AFFECT THE UPS AND DOWNS OF RACING?

“Yeah, the ups and downs are tough. That’s part of this sport. I know that our purpose isn’t always for what we do every weekend; it’s more for what we do before the race in chapel. I grew up going to church at an early age with my family. If I wanted to race on Saturday nights, mom made sure that we needed to be at church on Sunday morning. That was always a big thing throughout my life and I still do that today. I know we race on Sunday’s, but we got to chapel on Sunday mornings. I think it really just puts into perspective how important your priorities are in your life. Racing is important, but it’s not the top priority. It’s been a journey. My career has been up and down, and I think you could probably talk to a lot of people in the garage that they’ve had ups and downs in racing. You just have to keep pushing through and have the faith that you can get it done. I feel really confident in where I am right now.”

 
 

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. 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.

5 KYLE LARSON

Age: 30 (July 31, 1992)

Hometown: Elk Grove, California

Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels

Standings: 4th

No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

WIN-O-CLOCK: Kyle Larson earned his second win (both coming at Virginia short tracks) of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season at Martinsville Speedway. The victory marked his 15th at Hendrick Motorsports and his 21st in the sport’s top series. In addition, it was the organization’s 28th triumph at the track where grandfather clocks are awarded and Larson’s win now means every active member of the team’s lineup has a win there. Sunday’s win for the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 also marks the first victory at Martinsville for the No. 5 car since 1984, when Geoff Bodine earned Hendrick Motorsports’ inaugural visit to victory lane.

WINNING RETURN: After four races away from the pit box, No. 5 crew chief Cliff Daniels returned to command at Martinsville. Thanks to a pair of late-race strategy calls, Daniels helped guide the No. 5 team to victory lane. The first came when Daniels had Larson stay out during the race’s fourth caution on lap 304. That decision allowed Larson to jump up to third and he moved to second during the green-flag run. Under yellow following the final caution of the day on lap 344, Daniels brought his driver down pit road for two right-side tires and the No. 5 pit crew got their driver off pit road first. From there, Larson had to work around the four cars that stayed out before leading the final 30 laps.

BETTER TOGETHER: Since Larson joined Hendrick Motorsports in 2021, the 14-time championship-winning organization has averaged a win every 2.5 races (32 out of 81). The 2021 Cup Series champion has won 19% of his premier series starts with the organization (15 out of 81).

OUT IN FRONT: So far in 2023, the 30-year-old driver has the most laps led (468) of anyone in the Cup Series with teammate William Byron (385) in second. The Elk Grove, California, native also has the most laps in the top five (1,185), the second-most laps in the top 10 (1,730) and the third-best average running position (10.00). He is one of two multi-win drivers with Byron being the other.

TITLE IN THE FORECAST: Larson and the HendrickCars.com team’s stats thus far in the 2023 season are comparable to those of their championship winning year in 2021. In this year’s first nine races, Larson has two wins, two poles, four top-five finishes, four top-10s and 12 playoff points while leading 468 laps across six races. At this point in the 2021 season, Larson had one win, four top-five finishes, six top-10s, eight playoff points and 379 laps led in five different races.

TALLADEGA LOWDOWN: Sunday’s race is Larson’s 17th Cup Series start at Talladega Superspeedway. In the April 2022 race, he finished fourth for his best result at both the Alabama track and on a drafting track. In last year’s two races at the 2.66-mile track, Larson led 40 laps – prior to that he had led just 13 at this track.

FOUR TIRES FAST: The No. 5 HendrickCars.com pit crew brought their A-game to Martinsville Speedway, claiming the best four-tire pit stop of the race at 9.677 seconds and the best four-tire stop average at 10.051 seconds. For the season, the No. 5 crew ranks fifth in average four-tire stop time at 11.411 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).

BIG HONOR: Last week, Larson was named to NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers list. In honor of the 75th anniversary season, the sport is revealing the 75 Greatest Drivers leading into the throwback race weekend at Darlington Raceway on May 12-14. Twenty-five names will be added to the 50 Greatest Drivers that were announced in 1998. Larson was the first active driver to be included among the additional 25 names.

EXTRACURRICULARS: In accompaniment with his full-time Cup Series schedule, Larson still runs extracurricular races throughout the week. On Tuesday night with a victory in a dirt modified, he has now won in seven different divisions at Eldora Speedway in Ohio. This weekend, he will race in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series at the Talladega Short Track on Friday and Saturday night. In addition, the inaugural High Limit Sprint Car Series, which he co-founded, began last week. The next race is April 25th at 34 Raceway in Iowa. The series features many of the nation’s top Sprint Car drivers competing at 11 different racetracks throughout the United States. Check out the full schedule at highlimitracing.com.

HOME RACE HATS: This weekend’s race at Talladega will mark the fourth home race of the season for the No. 5 HendrickCars.com team. Every home race this season (15 total) will feature a unique HendrickCars.com hat that is released the week of the race. These hats are only available for sale on the trackside merchandise haulers or available to win on HendrickCars.com. Less than 100 of each hat will be made available to the public. This week’s Talladega-themed hat will be released on Thursday and can be found here.

HENDRICKCARS.COM IS HOME: The Birmingham/Hoover, Alabama, automotive market is home to three Hendrick Automotive Group dealerships. If you don’t reside in Alabama, or aren’t in town for the race, you can shop from any one of Hendrick Automotive Group’s 95 dealerships nationwide. Customers can also buy from the convenience of their home selecting the category, make, model and vehicle packages that are important to them from the nearly 30,000 new, high-quality pre-owned and certified cars, trucks and SUVs available at HENDRICKCARS.COM.

9 CHASE ELLIOTT

Age: 27 (Nov. 28, 1995)

Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia

Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia

Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson

Standings: 32nd

No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

HE’S BACK: Last weekend at Martinsville Speedway, Chase Elliott returned to the seat of the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for his first NASCAR Cup Series race since fracturing his tibia in early March. The 27-year-old started the race from the 24th position and, after battling a tough-handling race car throughout the majority of the 400-lap event, Elliott’s Chevrolet came to life. He improved from 22nd on the final restart on lap 355 to finish Sunday’s race in the 10th position. That made him only the second driver with a top-10 result in his first race back after a sickness or injury in the last 24 Cup Series seasons.

RELIVING THE MOMENT: Elliott is the most recent Cup Series driver to win at Talladega Superspeedway, the site of this weekend’s race. He earned his 18th career Cup Series victory in last October’s playoff race at the 2.66-mile track, leading a total of 10 laps on the day. He finished third in the first stage and won stage two before ultimately taking the lead again on the final lap to capture the win. It was Elliott’s series-best fifth victory of the 2022 season and his second win on the high banks of Talladega, making it the fourth track at which Elliott has earned multiple Cup victories. The win locked him into the Round of 8 in the Cup Series playoffs. He eventually went on to advance to the Championship 4 for the third consecutive season, ultimately finishing fourth in the series standings.

‘DEGA NUMBERS: This weekend, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native will make his 15th Cup Series start at the Alabama venue. On top of the two victories on the 2.66-mile superspeedway, he has collected five top-five finishes and seven top-10s across his 14 starts at the track. Elliott currently has the best average finish at Talladega among active drivers (14.21), which is also fifth-best on the all-time list of drivers with at least six Cup starts. Last season, he was one of only four drivers to finish inside the top 10 in each of the two races at Talladega. Prior to his fall victory, Elliott scored a seventh-place finish in the spring.

FEELING ‘22: In last season’s six races on superspeedways and drafting-style tracks (Daytona International Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway and Talladega), Elliott amassed two wins and finished inside the top 10 in all but one of them, the only driver to do so. In addition, he earned the most stage wins (three) and was second to teammate William Byron in laps led (166) on this track type. The 2020 Cup Series champion scored a victory on the recently reconfigured Atlanta track in July and followed that up with the win at Talladega in October.

CUT TO THE CHASE: Elliott has a history of being strong on drafting-style tracks in the Cup Series. Across his last 13 Cup starts on tracks of that type, the driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has two victories and two runner-up finishes, both of which are tied for the best in the series. His impressive five top-five finishes and nine top-10s in that span are tops in each category.

BIG 650: This weekend will mark Alan Gustafson’s 650th start as a Cup Series crew chief – all of which have taken place with Hendrick Motorsports. Gustafson was first called up to lead in 2005 and is now in his 19th season as a crew chief. In addition to current driver Elliott, the Ormond Beach, Florida, native has worked with NASCAR Hall of Famers Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin as well as Kyle Busch, Josh Berry and Casey Mears. Gustafson’s extensive history touts 38 Cup Series victories (tied for the second-most among active crew chiefs), 188 top five-finishes, 324 top-10s and a series title in 2020. He is the longest-tenured active crew chief with the organization.

GUSTAFSON AT TALLADEGA: Gustafson will call his 37th Talladega Cup Series race from atop the pit box on Sunday afternoon. He collected his first superspeedway victory at the 2.66-mile track in April 2019 and won again last October – both with Elliott and the No. 9 team. In his 36 races at the Alabama-located track calling the shots for five different drivers (Busch, Elliott, Gordon, Mears and Martin), Gustafson’s teams have posted two wins, nine top-five finishes, 12 top-10s, 286 laps led and six pole awards.

TOP DOG: Gustafson’s drafting track portfolio is impressive with two Daytona Duel wins (2017 and 2018), two victories at Talladega (April 2019 and October 2022) and a triumph at Atlanta (July 2022), all coming with Elliott behind the wheel. His 11 superspeedway poles are most among all active crew chiefs.

NAPA IS BACK: NAPA Auto Parts, the Atlanta-based company that has been a primary partner
of Elliott in all eight of his full-time seasons at Hendrick Motorsports, will be on board the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 this weekend at Talladega. This will mark the 11th time the brand has served as the primary sponsor of Elliott at this track in the Cup Series. NAPA was on board last October when Elliott and the No. 9 team scored their most recent victory. Check out the paint scheme that will be on track here.

24 WILLIAM BYRON

Age: 25 (Nov. 29, 1997)

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle

Standings: 15th

No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

24 POWER: William Byron and the No. 24 team continue to be one of the front runners during the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native has the best average running position this season (8.90). He is one of two drivers, along with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson, to have multiple wins this season (each have two). Byron also ranks second to Larson in both laps led (385) and laps run in the top five (1,140). In addition, the driver of the No. 24 also ranks third this season in laps run in the top 10 (1,457).

STAGE WINNER: Through nine races in 2023, Byron has five stage wins – the most of any driver. In fact, he’s won stage one in four of the last seven races this season. This also marks the most stage wins for him in a season – surpassing his four stage wins in 2021 and 2022. His five stage wins are tied for the most stage wins by a driver in the first nine races. With 12 top-10 finishes in stages this year, Byron is atop the board in that statistical category.

DRAFT DAY: When it comes to tracks that involve drafting (Daytona International Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway), Byron is normally running up front. He has two wins on these types of tracks – his first Cup Series win at Daytona in August 2020 and the reconfigured Atlanta track in March 2022. The sixth-year Cup Series driver has led the most laps on drafting tracks (193) since the start of the 2022 season.

TALLADEGA TELL-ALL: Byron will be making his 11th Cup Series start at Talladega when the No. 24 team hits the track Sunday. In his previous 10 starts, Byron has a track-best finish of second coming in April 2021 at the Alabama-based venue. In fact, he and teammate Alex Bowman are among the four active drivers with a runner-up result at Talladega that have yet to win there in the Cup Series. Byron has two stage wins at this track including winning stage two in the spring of 2022. He also has led 95 laps there since 2018.

DIGGIN’ DEGA: When the sport’s top series heads to the 2.66-mile track this weekend, it will mark Rudy Fugle’s fifth race at the venue as a Cup Series crew chief. In his first four Cup Series starts, Fugle and the No. 24 team have a track-best qualifying effort of fourth and a runner-up result both coming in the spring race of the 2021 season. Aside from those four races, the Livonia, New York, native has eight other national series starts at the venue with seven of those coming in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. In those seven races, Fugle has accumulated three top-five finishes and five top-10s. One of those previous starts was with Byron, in 2016, where the duo started eighth and raced to a 10th-place result.

PIT ROAD PROWESS: The No. 24 pit crew comes into this weekend’s action with the second-best average four-tire stop time in the series at 11.282 seconds. The team’s 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). They also had the fastest four-tire pit stop in the season opener at Daytona at 11.278 seconds.

GOT 99 PROBLEMS, BUT WINNING AIN’T ONE: With his two victories to start the year, Byron continues to make his mark on the legacy of the No. 24 at the Cup Series level. Those two wins bring the No. 24 one victory away from 100. Currently fifth with 99 wins, the No. 24 is only behind the No. 3 with 101, the No. 2 with 102 wins, the No. 43 with 200 wins and the No. 11 with 228 wins on the all-time list.

LIBERTY U IS BACK: This Sunday at Talladega, Byron will sport his Liberty University paint scheme for the fourth time in the 2023 season. 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. For a better look at Byron’s new Liberty University paint scheme, click here.

48 Alex Bowman

Age: 29 (April 25, 1993)

Hometown: Tucson, Arizona

Resides: Concord, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Blake Harris

Standings: 11th

No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

CLOCKING OUT: Last Sunday, Alex Bowman took home an 11th-place finish at Martinsville Speedway. The driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 also finished both stages in 11th. His finish at “The Paperclip” marks his eighth top-15 finish in nine NASCAR Cup Series races.

IN THE MIX: With six top-10 results this season, Bowman is tied for the most top 10s in NASCAR’s premier series. He is also tied for the fourth-most top-five finishes (three). As a result, Bowman’s average finishing position (10.00) is the best of the drivers to start in all nine Cup Series races. In fact, he has the fourth-best average running position (10.10) this season – trailing Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron (first at 8.90) and Kyle Larson (third at 10.00).

TALLADEGA TALENT: While Bowman shows speed at every drafting-style track NASCAR visits in the Cup Series, he has yet to get to victory lane. His best superspeedway finish in his Cup career came at Talladega Superspeedway in April 2019. In that race, Bowman finished second in both stages and led seven circuits en route to his runner-up finish behind teammate Chase Elliott. The 29-year-old driver is one of four active drivers along with his teammate, Byron, to finish second but not yet win at the Alabama venue. In 14 starts at Talladega, Bowman has four top-10 finishes, with a ninth-place finish in his most recent race at the 2.66-mile track in April 2022.

BLAKE AT SUPERSPEEDWAYS: Blake Harris, the crew chief of the No. 48 Ally Racing team, will make his third start atop the pit box at Talladega this Sunday. In two races at this track in 2022, Harris led the No. 34 team to one top-five finish and two top-10s, finishing eighth in April and third in October. They started the races 21st and 29th, respectively. In Harris’ one superspeedway race with Bowman – the 2023 DAYTONA 500 – the duo won the pole and finished fifth.

WINNING WAYS: Bowman is no stranger to victory lane. Since the start of the 2021 Cup Series season, Bowman is tied for the fourth-most wins with five. Larson has the most victories with 15.

PIT POWER: The No. 48 Ally Racing pit crew holds the tenth-fastest pit stop of the 2023 season. On lap 185 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the five-man crew made a four-tire pit stop of 9.776 seconds, which was the fastest four-tire stop of that race. The five-man team also holds the 10th-fastest four-tire pit stop average at 11.519 seconds. The over-the-wall crew is made up of rear-tire changer Andrew Bridgeforth (rear-tire changer), Jacob Conley (fueler), Allen Holman (jackman), Scott Riddle (tire carrier) and Donnie Tasser (front-tire changer).   

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 Animal Shelter of Pell City, Inc., which serves the local community in Pell City, Alabama. Bowman and Ally will donate $4,800 to Best Friends and the Animal Shelter of Pell City, Inc.. Ally will increase its donation to $10,000 if the No. 48 team wins on Sunday.    
 
DAY ‘N’ NITE: The No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will adorn two versions of its primary scheme during the 2023 Cup Series season. The No. 48 Ally Chevy “day” scheme will host a white base with bright plum, grapefruit, and seafoam stripes down the side. This version of the primary scheme will appear at races that take place during the day. When the lights come on over the racetrack, the black-based No. 48 Ally Chevy “night” scheme will sport a similar design to its daytime counterpart. This weekend, the No. 48 machine will have the white-based “day” scheme. Check out all the angles of the new look here. 

HENDRICK
MOTORSPORTS /

Hendrick Motorsports

2023	All-Time	Talladega
Races	9	1,318	78
Wins	4*	295*	14*
Poles	4*	243*	13*
Top 5	12*	1,202*	63*
Top 10	17*	2,062*	96*
Laps Led	903*	78,220*	3,021*
Stage Wins	7*	86	4**

*Most **Most (tie)

CLOSING IN ON 300: With Kyle Larson’s win at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, Hendrick Motorsports is five points-paying victories away from 300 in the NASCAR Cup Series. Twenty drivers have combined to reach the organization’s current total of 295 wins, which is the most in the sport by any one team. With four wins this season, Hendrick Motorsports has posted its 36th multi-win season in the Cup Series. In each of the last 30 seasons, the organization has won at least two races.

FOUR FOR NINE: Hendrick Motorsports has matched its win total to this point last season following its fourth win of 2023. In fact, the organization has now won four of the first nine races on six occasions (1995, 1996, 1997, 2005, 2022 and 2023). The team’s best nine-race start to a season came in 2007 when it was victorious in six races.

AT THE QUARTER MARK: In 2023, the Rick Hendrick-owned squad leads the series in wins (four), poles (four), top-five finishes (12), top-10s (17), laps led (903) and stage wins (seven). The 14-time championship-winning team has led more than double the laps of the team in second in that statistical category.

DRAFTING DARLINGS: With 31 wins on drafting tracks, Hendrick Motorsports has the most victories on that track type in Cup Series history. Fourteen of those victories have come at Talladega Superspeedway, with Chase Elliott winning the most recent race at the Alabama venue in October 2022. In addition, the team has 15 wins at Daytona International Speedway and two wins at the reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway.

TRACKING THE TRENDS: In the last seven races on drafting tracks, the Concord, North Carolina-based team has won three times. Elliott took the checkered flag twice (Atlanta and Talladega in 2022), while William Byron went to victory lane once (Atlanta in 2022).

VICTORY FORMATION: Jeff Gordon’s six wins at the 2.66-mile track top the board for the organization followed by Jimmie Johnson and Elliott’s two triumphs. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Terry Labonte, Ken Schrader and Brian Vickers each have one victory at Talladega while driving for the organization. The seven drivers to win at this track are the most for one team.

SPRING SUMMARY: In the 2022 spring race at the sport’s biggest oval, Hendrick Motorsports led 70 of the 188 laps (37%). Byron paced the field for a race-high 38 circuits and won stage two, while Larson held the point position for 32 laps. Larson (4.77), Byron (4.87) and Elliott (7.84) had three of the four best average running positions in the race. The team spent 44% of their laps running in the top five and 72% percent of their laps in the top 10. At the end of the day, three of its drivers were in the top 10 with Larson finishing fourth, Elliott placing seventh and Alex Bowman taking ninth. This was the fourth time in team history (April 1998, October 2007 and April 2011) that at least three of its drivers placed in the top 10 in one race at Talladega.

WINNING WAYS: Since the start of the 2021 season, all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers rank among the top-four winningest drivers in the Cup Series. Larson’s 15 wins top the board, followed by Elliott’s seven. Byron and Bowman are in a three-way tie for fourth with five victories each.

NEXT GEN NUMBERS: Elliott and Larson are among the three drivers who have the most wins since the launch of the Next Gen car (in 2022) with five victories. Byron is tied for fourth with two drivers at four wins.

QUOTABLE /

Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on superspeedway racing: “We had a good race there (at Talladega Superspeedway in April of 2022) and thought that maybe we figured something out, or at least for me. I feel like I’ve always struggled on superspeedways and that race I just never left the bottom lane. That’s kind of what I would love to do every time. It seems like superspeedway stuff changes a little bit every time you go back, at least a little bit, and makes the style different.”

Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on racing at Talladega Superspeedway: “(I’m) looking forward to Talladega (Superspeedway). I think it was an okay race for us at Daytona (International Speedway) with the way our cars performed. Obviously, we pressure ourselves to qualify up front. (We) did that in Daytona and raced reasonably. Our car hung around in the top 10 for most of the day. We are still trying to find a little bit to some of those other OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) that are a little bit stronger at the plate races than we are. Folks at Hendrick Motorsports have been hard at work trying to find that and hopefully we’ll see it show up on Sunday.”

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on racing at Talladega: “It’s a bit of a mystery every time you go there. I mean, you kind of know what you’re going to have, but certainly it seems like when you show up to a race for the first time, a lot of times they’re the same players. It does seem like sometimes when you go back you can have a manufacturer that has found a little something that might be improved that trip to that specific style of track. So, a lot of times we kind of have to wait until we get there, see where we stack up and kind of address the weekend after that.”

Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, talks about making his 650th start this weekend and reflecting on his career: “For this to be my 19th season and just to survive this long in this sport and continue to be competitive, it’s a big deal to me. There’s been a lot of great people I’ve met over the years that have had a major impact on my career here at Hendrick (Motorsports), from Mr. Hendrick himself to Terry Labonte and Gary DeHart to both Jeffs (Jeff Gordon and Jeff Andrews). I really appreciate those relationships. To me, having the success and accomplishments is great, but really, it’s the people and the relationships I’ve made that make me enjoy my job the most. So, yeah, this weekend will be really cool. I’m looking forward to it.”

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his thoughts about Talladega: “I feel like we’re pretty good on superspeedways but there’s more to it than just being fast. I feel like we have a good handle on Daytona (International Speedway), but Talladega (Superspeedway) has still been a bit of a challenge results-wise. Obviously, you can only control so much in that style of racing, but Talladega really does depend more on handling and how well you can push or receive a push. That’s where I think we need to focus on for this weekend. If we can do either of those things well, we should be in a good position at the end.”

Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his approach to superspeedway racing: “It’s not necessarily about having the fastest car at a superspeedway. It’s about having a car that can push better, run as a group better, make good decisions and out execute them. That’s our goal to work on this week. It’s always fun to go speedway racing when you have Hendrick (Motorsports) power but we want to work together better as a group to out run the others.”

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on heading to Talladega this weekend: “Our team always brings really fast race cars. I have just figured out every way to get caught up in something at superspeedways, so hopefully this weekend we can keep our car clean and contend for a win. Blake’s (Harris, crew chief) guy did pretty good here last year and I think we have a good foundation, so I am optimistic about what we can accomplish.”

Blake Harris, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on how his first year as a crew chief will help him this Sunday: “Statistically, last year we had some really good superspeedway runs. Michael (McDowell) did a really good job in those races. Alex (Bowman) did a really good job at staying clean this year at the DAYTONA 500 and got our first top five in our first race – that was big. Then, we go to Atlanta (Motor Speedway) and we ran basically inside the top 10 all day and got shuffled there at the end. There is a big part of just surviving these races and to be able to be there at the end, you have to be aggressive enough during the race to know what you need to get through the field. That approach stays the same for this weekend. We need a little luck on our side to get through all the wrecks, but at the same time we have to make sure we have ourselves in a position to win at the end of the race. Hopefully we can continue what we started in Daytona (International Speedway).”