Pocono Raceway
Sunday, July 24, 2022
2.5-MIle Triangle
3:00 PM ET
Location: Long Pond, Pennsylvania
TV: Fox
Event: NASCAR Cup Series (21 of 36)
Radio: SiriusXM, PRN
5 KYLE LARSON
Age: 29 (July 31, 1992)
Hometown: Elk Grove, California
Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels
Standings: 5th
No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
OH, SO CLOSE. AND AGAIN: Last year at Pocono Raceway, Kyle Larson entered the doubleheader weekend riding a three-race win streak. Leading the Saturday race on the final circuit, a tire issue sent the No. 5 entry into the turn three wall and Larson limped back to the checkered flag to finish ninth. In a backup car for the Sunday event, he started at the rear of the field and conserved enough fuel during the last green-flag run to finish second – his seventh top-two finish over a span of eight races.
IT’S TRICKY, TRICKY, TRICKY: In 14 starts at Pocono, Larson has 11 finishes of 12th or better including two runner-up finishes. The 29-year-old driver also holds the Cup Series qualifying record at “The Tricky Triangle” of 183.438 mph set in August 2014.
DRIVE FOR FIVE: Through 20 events this season, Larson has posted eight top-five finishes. The driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 trails only Ross Chastain (10) in that statistical category.
TOP-FIVE FOR DRIVER 5: In just over a year-and-a-half with Hendrick Motorsports, Larson has secured 11 victories as the driver of the No. 5 entry – fifth on the all-time wins list for Hendrick Motorsports among drivers. He only trails Jeff Gordon (93), Jimmie Johnson (83), Chase Elliott (16) and Terry Labonte (12).
AND THE ESPY GOES TO?: The 2021 Cup Series champion has been nominated for the ESPN “Best Driver” ESPY for the first time in his 10-year Cup Series career. The Elk Grove, California, native finished the 2021 Cup Series season with 10 wins, 20 top-five finishes and 26 top-10s – all tops in NASCAR’s premier series. In addition, Larson also spends time racing on dirt where he was also very successful last year, winning an additional 22 times including the Chili Bowl, the Knoxville Nationals, the Kings Royal and the Prairie Dirt Classic. This year’s ESPY Awards will take place on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET.
CHARITY RACE: On Friday, Larson and his Hendrick Motorsports teammates will participate in the Urban Youth Racing School (UYRS) Celebrity Grand Prix of Philadelphia. The event is a fundraiser, which continues to expose inner city youth to career options in the motor sport and automotive industry and also includes a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) exhibition with several activations from UYRS partners. The grand prix will turn the streets of West Philadelphia at the historic Memorial Hall into an urban racetrack.
WELCOME BACK: Crew chief Cliff Daniels returns from a four-race suspension this weekend after the No. 5 entry lost a wheel during the Sonoma Raceway event. In his absence, Larson and team were still able to accrue the fourth-most points during that span.
YOUR CAR NEEDS: This weekend, Larson will drive the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. From the convenience of home, customers can select 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. The website also makes it easy for customers to find one of Hendrick Automotive Group’s 93 dealership locations nationwide.
9 CHASE ELLIOTT
Age: 26 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: 1st
No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the NASCAR Cup Series, will be available in the Pocono Raceway media center at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 23.
EXPANDING HIS LEAD: Chase Elliott continues to grow his NASCAR Cup Series point standings lead with only six races left in the regular season. Over the past five races, Elliott has expanded his lead by 58 points on the driver in the runner-up spot. Currently, he has a 67-point advantage over second-place driver Ross Chastain. In addition to leading the regular season standings, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native has the most playoff points with 20, thanks to his five stage wins and series-leading three victories.
POCONO PERFORMANCE: Elliott has 12 Cup Series starts at Pocono Raceway with three top-five finishes, seven top-10s and 67 laps led. He’s earned a best finish of fourth on three different occasions, most recently in 2020. In addition, he earned a second-place result in his lone NASCAR Xfinity Series start at the track in 2018 and drove to a victory in the ARCA Menards Series race in 2013.
STREAK-ING: The driver of No. 9 is currently riding a streak of four consecutive top-two finishes, a career-best for the 2020 Cup Series champion. In his four most recent starts, he’s amassed victories at Nashville Superspeedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway as well as runner-up finishes at Road America and New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He currently also has five consecutive top-10 finishes, matching his previous-best streak in 2022.
FRONT RUNNER: Elliott has spent a lot of time at the front of the field this season. His average finish of 10.40 is best among his fellow Cup Series competitors. He has led a series-high 658 laps in 2022, which is also a career-best mark for the 26-year-old through 20 events.
THE GREAT GUSTAFSON: No. 9 crew chief Alan Gustafson’s impressive resume continues to grow as he is currently second for the most wins by an active crew chief with 36 following the team’s most recent victory at Atlanta. He’s only two victories away from tying current frontrunner Rodney Childers. This weekend, Gustafson will call his 35th Pocono Cup Series race from atop the pit box. In his previous 34 races at “The Tricky Triangle,” he amassed two wins – both with Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon – eight top-five finishes, 18 top-10s and 202 laps led.
THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT: NAPA has reached a multi-year contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports that will continue its 26-race majority sponsorship of Elliott and the No. 9 team. The news was announced Wednesday in Las Vegas during the general session of the 2022 NAPA EXPO, which attracts more than 13,000 vendors, employees, store owners and NAPA AutoCare Center professionals. To share the news, Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick and team vice chairman Gordon joined Marti Walsh, NAPA vice president of marketing, on stage at the Venetian Convention and Expo Center. Get all the details here.
24 WILLIAM BYRON
Age: 24 (Nov. 29, 1997)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Standings: 10th
No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
20 IN 2022: So far in the 2022 season, William Byron has scored two wins, four top-five finishes, five top-10s, with 611 laps led – the second most by a NASCAR Cup Series driver this season – across 12 of the 20 races. He has three stage wins and 13 playoff points accumulated – tied for the second-most by any driver so far this season. The 24-year-old is currently 10th in the driver point standings, locked into the Cup Series playoffs for a fourth consecutive season.
PREVIEWING POCONO: In his eight Cup Series starts at the Long Pond, Pennsylvania, track, Byron has one pole award (June 2019), as well as two top-five finishes and five top-10s, leading 70 laps across four races. With a track-best finish of third during the first race of the June doubleheader last year, Byron holds a 9.13 finishing average – best all-time among drivers with more than one start at Pocono Raceway. His average finish at the “Tricky Triangle” is also a personal best out of all tracks he’s competed at in the Cup Series. In fact, his five top-10 finishes are tied with two other tracks where he holds the most top-10 finishes in his Cup Series career (Kansas Speedway and Martinsville Speedway).
PAST POCONO WINNER: Byron isn’t a stranger to victory lane at “The Tricky Triangle” though. After starting from the top spot in 2016, Byron dominated the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, leading 44 out of 60 laps before capturing the checkered flag.
DO THE TRICK: Last year, crew chief Rudy Fugle made his first two Cup Series starts at Pocono, scoring a third-place finish in the first race of the doubleheader and then almost collecting the win in the second race before pitting for fuel in the closing laps, resulting in a 12th-place finish. The Livonia, New York, native is no stranger to success at the 2.5-mile track though. With seven Truck Series starts at the Pennsylvania-based track, Fugle has visited victory lane there twice, going back-to-back with Byron in 2016 and Christopher Bell in 2017. In his seven previous Truck Series starts, Fugle’s drivers have also racked up one pole award, four top-five finishes, five top-10s with 71 laps led.
TWO-FOUR: The No. 24 has scored the win at Pocono six times – tied for the fourth-most wins by a car number at “The Tricky Triangle,” all coming with Jeff Gordon. If Byron were to end up in victory lane on Sunday, the No. 24 would be tied for the second-most wins at Pocono with the Nos. 18 and 88. A win would also bring the No. 24 closer to the total win mark set by a car number in the Cup Series – currently fifth with 97 wins behind the No. 3 with 100 and the No. 2 with 101 wins.
RAPTOR® TOUGH: Ready to take on Pocono, Byron will be back behind the wheel of the No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Sunday’s event. RAPTOR® is a durable protective coating and bed liner that is designed to tolerate the toughest climatic conditions and can be applied to a wide range of substrates from steel, wood, concrete and plaster to plastics and composites. Resistant to common fuels, U.V., scratches and stains, RAPTOR® is available at local paint distributors, auto parts stores and can also be purchased from online retailers like Amazon.
48 Alex Bowman
Age: 29 (April 25, 1993)
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Resides: Concord, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Greg Ives
Standings: 11th
No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the NASCAR Cup Series, will be available in the Pocono Raceway media center at 1:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, July 23.
NOT THAT TRICKY: Alex Bowman took home the first win of the doubleheader weekend at Pocono Raceway last year, leading 16 circuits at the 2.5-mile triangle-shaped venue. His win at “The Tricky Triangle” was his third victory in his banner season in the NASCAR Cup Series and marks him as the only active driver at Hendrick Motorsports to win at Pocono. The 29-year-old came back the next day, led 18 laps and finished the second race in seventh.
STILL UP FRONT: Heading into Sunday’s race at Pocono, Bowman has three consecutive top-10 finishes at the track, second-most to Kevin Harvick (five). The only other Hendrick Motorsports driver to have an active streak at Pocono is 2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson. Bowman’s top-10 streak ties for his second-longest at a single track, having three top-10s in a row at Pocono, Dover Motor Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway. His biggest top-10 streak is currently held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL (four).
WHAT’S IN A NUMBER: The Tucson, Arizona, native’s victory last year marked the fourth time that the No. 48 went to victory lane at the Long Pond, Pennsylvania, track with the previous three wins all coming with Jimmie Johnson. The car number is the seventh-most winningest in Pocono history, close behind the No. 9 and No. 24 – both currently in the Hendrick Motorsports stable – who have six wins apiece.
IVES AT POCONO: Making his 15th start atop the pit box as a crew chief in the Cup Series, Greg Ives has one win (June 2021), four top-five finishes and six top-10s at the 2.5-mile track. Prior to his win with Bowman in 2021, his best result came in June 2016 when Dale Earnhardt Jr. crossed the finish line in second after leading four laps, piloting the No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet.
FUELING FUTURES: This Friday, primary sponsor Ally will host “Fueling Futures” at the Urban Youth Racing School’s (UYRS) Grand Prix in Philadelphia ahead of the race weekend at Pocono. “Fueling Futures” will feature a panel of speakers that work in different departments in motor sports to teach the students attending the event about other careers in motor sports. This year’s panel will have Chais Eliason (race engineer for the No. 48 Ally Racing team), Bernard Pollard (former NFL player turned race fan and spokesperson for Ally’s diversity and inclusion efforts), and other Hendrick Motorsports employees. This year, Ally teamed up with the UYRS to highlight race team career paths, advance STEM learning through the lens of motor sports and introduce monetary basics to help students develop good financial habits for the future.
IN THE COMMUNITY: On Friday, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, William Byron and Alex Bowman will participate in the Urban Youth Racing School (UYRS) Celebrity Grand Prix of Philadelphia. The UYRS is a nonprofit organization founded by Anthony Martin in 1998 that is dedicated to exposing inner city youth from the ages of 8-18 to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) career opportunities in the motor sports industry through education, training and on track driving experience. To date, UYRS has impacted the lives of over 7,500 at risk youth. Hendrick Motorsports has a long-standing affiliation with the UYRS.
ATOP THE BOARD: Hendrick Motorsports’ seven wins are the most among all NASCAR Cup Series teams in 2022. It is the only four-car team to see each of its drivers win a race this season. The organization’s 1,560 laps out front lead all teams in the series by 218 circuits. Teammates Elliott and Byron rank 1-2 in laps led.
STILL STREAKING: Elliott’s runner-up finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway extended his top-two streak to four races and marks the first time in his Cup Series career he has had four consecutive races of results in the top-two positions. In the last 10 times that a driver has had top-two finishes in at least four straight races, seven of those occurrences involved a Hendrick Motorsports driver. Jeff Gordon had a four-race streak in 1998 and 1999 as well as a five-race streak in 1998. Jimmie Johnson had a five-race streak in 2006 and a four-race streak in 2007. Larson had a six-race top-two run in 2021 and then there’s Elliott’s current streak.
MOUNTAIN MOVERS: Hendrick Motorsports’ 18 wins at Pocono Raceway are the most in the Cup Series. In addition, the organization holds the top marks for poles (13), top-five finishes (74), top-10 finishes (134) and laps led (3,354) at the track.
RANK AND FILE: The Concord, North Carolina, based team’s 18 wins at the triangle-shaped venue are its fourth-most all-time by track. The only tracks where Hendrick Motorsports has been more successful are Martinsville Speedway (27 wins), Dover Motor Speedway (22 wins) and Charlotte Motor Speedway (21 wins). Of note, the company has already won at Martinsville and Dover this year.
WINNING WAYS: Hendrick Motorsports’ 18 victories at Pocono have it just outside the all-time top five of most wins by a team at a track, trailing Petty Enterprises’ 19 wins at Martinsville. The 14-time Cup Series champion’s marks at Martinsville (first), Dover (second) and Charlotte (tied for third with Junior Johnson and Associates’ 21 wins at Bristol Motor Speedway) are inside the top five of that category.
EIGHT TO GET 18: Eight drivers have accounted for the Rick Hendrick-owned team’s wins at “The Tricky Triangle.” Gordon leads the way with six. Tim Richmond and Johnson each earned three wins, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. picked up two triumphs at the 2.5-mile track. Geoffrey Bodine, Terry Labonte and Kasey Kahne each won once. Bowman is the only driver in the current lineup to win at this track in the Cup Series.
POCONO POWER: From August 2012 to August 2014, Hendrick Motorsports won five straight races at the Long Pond, Pennsylvania, venue. That run included Gordon’s then-record sixth win at the track, which has since been matched by Denny Hamlin, as well as Earnhardt Jr.’s 2014 sweep. The five-race streak is the longest consecutive stretch of wins for any one organization at Pocono.
QUOTABLE /
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his expectations this weekend: “I always enjoy going to Pocono (Raceway) – it’s a track that for some reason suits my driving style. I’ve had some good runs there and was close to winning there last year, so I’m excited to go back. It should be interesting in the Next Gen car. I don’t know how many times we’ll be downshifting. In the previous car, this was really the only oval we’d downshift at, so it may not be too different.”
Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on near-wins at Pocono Raceway in 2021: “We were a corner away from what was going to be five in a row if you count the (non-points) All-Star win. The team worked hard to prepare the backup car for Sunday’s race, but we didn’t know how quick it really was because we bashed the nose in early in the race (after contact with another car), which put us behind on strategy. We had to play whatever cards we had, and that was to be a car that made it to the end and we ended up with a second-place finish. I’m pretty sure it was after that day I told the team that during the 2018 and 2019 NFL season, the Patriots beat the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game 37–31 – it was a totally offensive game. The Patriots then won the Super Bowl that year 13 to 3 – a totally defensive game. The No. 5 team had been on offense with three second places in a row followed by four wins – almost five. It looked like all offense. But that Sunday, all we could do was play defense and we did and finished second. That’s when I figured we were good on both sides of the coin.”
Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on racing at Pocono: “I mentioned before about how New Hampshire (Motor Speedway) and Pocono (Raceway) were two places where I felt like we really needed to improve and try to have good runs at. I feel like we accomplished that last week at New Hampshire. The team gave me a great car, but I just wasn’t able to get the job done. Still a far improvement from where I feel like we’ve been prior to that. Now we need to go and do the same thing this weekend at Pocono.”
Elliott on NAPA’s contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports: “None of this is possible without NAPA. I’m so thankful for their commitment to our team and their passion for what we do every weekend. I’ve been lucky to meet a lot of great folks from across the country who work for NAPA. All of us are really proud to represent a company that takes care of its employees and its customers and is driven to be successful in every aspect. I’m looking forward to what’s to come and celebrating more wins together.”
William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on what he expects this weekend at Pocono: “I’m excited to get to Pocono (Raceway) this weekend. It’s a track that both myself and Rudy (Fugle, crew chief) have had success at in every level of our careers. We were close to getting the win there twice last year and we won there together in Trucks. I think there’s a little bit more of an unknown for Sunday’s race this time though. Even though Pocono has three different corners, they are all primarily flat and flat tracks have been an area we have struggled at this year with the Next Gen car. I think last weekend at New Hampshire (Motor Speedway) we showed some improvement on those style of tracks, but ride quality was still off throughout a run. It has been hard to get the balance right for all three corners (at Pocono), and I feel like that may be an issue still this weekend. I still think my biggest focus, though, will be my drive off of turn three because it really carries you down the straightaway and sets you up with good momentum through turn one and on to turn two.”
Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the challenges they will face racing at Pocono: “Pocono (Raceway) is tough no matter what series you’re racing in. It has three different, distinct corners that are all flat, which has been really hard to navigate with the new car. The flatter the corners, the harder it is for the car to handle well with grip levels and bump contact. The whole track can be rough, but especially turn two. You’re going to see a lot of cars bouncing around and it’s going to be treacherous. We’re really working on getting those things ironed out better for our flat track program. Pocono, though, is a track that both myself and William (Byron) enjoy going to. If we get those things ironed out, I think we will definitely be competing for a win on Sunday, just like we were in last year’s race there.”
Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on going back to Pocono after winning last year: “Anytime you go back to a track that you have previously won at, you have a little more confidence and Pocono (Raceway) is one of those tracks for me. We had a great No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE last year and I know our team is doing everything they can to recreate that for me in this year’s car. I can’t say enough about my team and how hard they work, especially when we feel like we are not getting the results we are aiming for. Our team is so tight-knit and we all join together when we are facing a tough stretch. I feel like Pocono is going to be a place that we can go execute a solid race and get back on track with where we want to be.”
Greg Ives, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his mindset after the last four races: “Our team is really good at rallying together and continuing to fight when we are not where we want to be. We had good speed at Atlanta (Motor Speedway) and at Road America, just some unfortunate circumstances at each race that took us out of contention. Everyone at the shop and on the road is putting in the time this week to go back and try to repeat our success at Pocono (Raceway) from last year. Alex (Bowman) is working hard and keeping his focus high, our pit crew is focused on executing at a high level, and our team at the shop is going the extra mile to ensure our No. 48 Ally Chevy is where it needs to be for Sunday.”
