Hendrick Motorsports Media Advance: Sonoma

5 KYLE LARSON

Age: 31 (July 31, 1992)

Hometown: Elk Grove, California

Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels

Standings: 2nd

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No. 5 Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

THE ROAD HOME: This weekend NASCAR visits wine country in Sonoma, California. The event is a homecoming for Kyle Larson, who is from Elk Grove, California, and considers Sonoma Raceway his home track on the Cup Series circuit. Located less than 100 miles from his hometown, the 1.99-mile road course is a place Larson looks forward to racing annually. During his 2021 championship season, he led 57 laps en route to a win at the venue.

OUT FRONT: In 2024, Larson has led 656 laps – the most of any driver by 48. The 2021 NASCAR Cup champion also has a series-high seven stage wins and three pole positions.

SONOMA SUCCESS: Larson, who will drive the No. 5 Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 this weekend, holds the record for most consecutive poles at Sonoma (2017-2019, 2022). The track did not host a race in 2020, and although time trials were not held in 2021, the driver still started from the top spot via NASCAR’s qualifying metric. With an average starting position of 3.7, Larson holds the best mark of all drivers to ever compete at the California road course.

VICTORIOUS: Larson, 31, has visited victory lane twice in 2024. In March at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the 2014 rookie of the year led 181 laps and won both stages before winning at the desert track. In May at Kansas Speedway, Larson nosed ahead of Chris Buescher at the finish line to win by 0.001 seconds – the closest finish in Cup Series history.

ROAD RANKS: With four road course wins, Larson is tied for third-most among active Cup Series drivers. All four have come with crew chief Cliff Daniels, who ranks second among active crew chiefs for victories on serpentine layouts. Both marks trail the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports duo of driver Chase Elliott and crew chief Alan Gustafson, who have combined for seven road course wins.

FOUR TIRES FAST: In 2024, the No. 5 HendrickCars.com pit crew holds the seventh-fastest average four-tire pit stop time in the Cup Series at 10.91 seconds. Larson’s over-the-wall 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).

VALVOLINE ON BOARD: At Sonoma, Valvoline will appear for its second of three 2024 primary races with the No. 5 team. Valvoline Inc. is a global leader in vehicle care and supplier of premium branded lubricants and automotive services. Since 2014, Hendrick Motorsports has earned a NASCAR-best three Cup Series championships (2016, 2020 and 2021) with Valvoline products in its Chevrolet racing engines. Off the track, Valvoline is the preferred lubricant of Hendrick Automotive Group, which operates 95 car dealerships across the United States. See every angle of the paint scheme that will be on track here.

9 CHASE ELLIOTT

Age: 28 (Nov. 28, 1995)

Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia

Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia

Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson

Standings: 3rd

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No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Gold Filters Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

SONOMA REWIND: Last season at Sonoma Raceway, Chase Elliott qualified 10th for the 110-lap NASCAR Cup Series event. The 28-year-old driver finished the first stage 12th and the second stage 16th before ultimately taking the checkered flag in fifth position. Elliott led twice for a total of seven laps, marking his fourth consecutive race pacing the field at Sonoma. It was his third straight finish of eighth or better at the Napa Valley track.

ROAD RUNDOWN: While it has been three years since Elliott’s last Cup Series victory on a road course, he has continued to be among the best in the field since the 2022 introduction of the Next Gen race car. Since then, he is ranked second in laps run inside the top five (474) and third in laps run inside the top 10 (708). Elliott also holds the second-best average finish (10.08) and fourth-best average start (8.67) on serpentine tracks in the Next Gen era. His six top-five finishes are tied for most by active drivers and his eight top-10s have him tied for third.

KING OF THE ROAD (COURSE): Elliott, who will drive the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Gold Filters Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 this weekend, leads active drivers with seven Cup Series victories on road courses and is tied for the most stage wins with eight. He’s also third on the all-time road course victories list, trailing only NASCAR Hall of Famers Jeff Gordon (nine) and Tony Stewart (eight). Elliott has triumphs across five different road courses, the most in series history. In 31 Cup starts on tracks with left and right turns, Elliott has an average finish of 8.74, which is not only the best among active drivers, but fifth all-time (minimum of five starts). He also leads active drivers with 486 laps led on road courses.

SEEKING A WINE COUNTRY WIN: Sonoma and the Chicago Street Course are the only two road courses on the current Cup Series schedule where Elliott has yet to win. The 2020 Cup Series champion has been impressive on the Napa Valley track, earning a best finish of second in 2021. In just seven Sonoma starts, Elliott has three top-five finishes and five top-10s with 49 laps led. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native holds the third-best average starting position all-time at Sonoma (6.43). In fact, he’s started from the front row in two of his last three starts on the California road course.

FIRST VICTORY: Elliott’s first career Cup Series victory came at a road course: Watkins Glen International in 2018. The six-time National Motorsports Press Association Most Popular Driver Award winner started the race from the third position and led 52 of 90 laps en route to the win.

TALKIN’ 2024: Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, continues his strong 2024 Cup Series campaign. Following a solid points day at WWT Raceway on Sunday, Elliott improved to third in the standings, just 27 points behind the leader. His average finish of 9.87 is the best in the series and is also his best average finish through 15 races in his Cup career. Elliott is the only driver this season to finish every event inside the top 20. He has posted a top-five result in five of the last nine races and has seven top-10s in 2024.

VIEW FROM THE TOP: This Sunday at Sonoma, No. 9 crew chief Alan Gustafson will call his 53rd road course race from atop the pit box. In those starts, he’s led his team to seven wins – a series high among active crew chiefs – along with 20 top-five finishes and 28 top-10s.

FASTEST FIVE: In April at Texas Motor Speedway, the No. 9 pit crew laid down the fastest four-tire pit stop (9.076 seconds) of any team in 2024. The over-the-wall squad has remained the same since 2018 and currently holds the fastest average four-tire pit stop time (10.557 seconds) this season. The 2021 Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew is comprised of Chad Avrit (rear-tire changer), Jared Erspamer (tire carrier), John Gianninoto (fueler), Nick O’Dell (front-tire changer) and T.J. Semke (jackman).

GOLD STANDARD: Elliott’s No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will have a different look this weekend at Sonoma. Primary partner NAPA Auto Parts is trading in its iconic blue and yellow for a black and gold livery, highlighting its line of NAPA Gold™ oil filters. Since 1966, NAPA Gold™ oil filters have earned the trust of generations of drivers and car enthusiasts. Each one is built to offer better strength, performance benefits and is specifically designed to remove contaminants to keep engines running at peak performance. Elliott raced this scheme for the first time last fall at Bristol Motor Speedway, earning a seventh-place finish.

24 WILLIAM BYRON

Age: 26 (Nov. 29, 1997)

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle

Standings: 5th

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No. 24 RAPTOR Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

24 IN ‘24: William Byron’s 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season continues to be nothing short of impressive. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native is tied for the series lead in wins with three, has five top-five finishes and is tied for the most top-10s with nine. After 15 races, he has the fifth-best average finish (12.0) while sitting fifth in the 2024 Cup standings with 16 playoff points.

NEXT GEN DUO: Since the Next Gen Cup Series car was introduced in 2022, Byron and crew chief Rudy Fugle have a series-leading 11 wins. Byron also has the second-best average finish (13.05) in the Next Gen car behind teammate Chase Elliott. On road courses, he is tied for the fifth-best average finish (12.00) and has four top-10 results (tied for the fourth-most) with 352 laps run in the top five and 468 laps in the top 10 (both ranked sixth-most), all in the Next Gen era.

ROAD COURSE RINGER: Byron picked up his first Cup Series road course win at Watkins Glen International in August 2023 and his second at Circuit of The Americas in March 2024. In fact, in the 2023 season, he scored the most points on road courses (213) and led the most laps (94). In 2024, the series has competed on one road course, COTA, where Byron dominated by capturing the pole before going on to earn the win. The driver of the No. 24 RAPTOR Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has won two of the last three road course races and is on a three-race streak of consecutive top-10 finishes (tied for the second-longest) in which all were top-two results.

OVER-QUALIFIED: In 28 Cup Series starts on road courses, Byron has five pole awards on four different layouts. He is the only driver in history to earn Cup pole positions at four different road courses: the Charlotte ROVAL, the Indianapolis Road Course, COTA and Road America.

SONOMA STATS: Sunday’s race will mark Byron’s sixth career Cup start at Sonoma Raceway. In five previous appearances, his best qualifying effort came in 2019 when he captured the outside pole position and he notched his top finish of ninth in 2022.

FUGLE FILES: So far in 2024, the Cup Series has raced on one road course, Circuit of The Americas, where crew chief Fugle and the No. 24 team captured the pole and the win. All told, Fugle has 29 NASCAR national series starts on road courses (19 Cup Series, three Xfinity Series and seven CRAFTSMAN Truck Series). With triumphs at Watkins Glen and COTA, he is tied for the fourth-most road course wins by active Cup Series crew chiefs. He also has a road win in the truck ranks in 2015.

WHAT’S IN A NUMBER: With his third straight multi-victory season, Byron continues the winning tradition of the No. 24 team. In the Cup Series, the iconic car number is third on the all-time wins list with 106, trailing only the No. 11 (233) and the No. 43 (200). All of Byron’s 13 premier series wins have come in the No. 24 car, while Jeff Gordon accounts for 93 race victories in the number. The No. 24 also has 11 Cup wins on road courses – two with Byron and nine with Gordon – which is tied with the No. 9 for the most on serpentine layouts.

PIT ROAD PROWESS: After 15 races in the 2024 season, the No. 24 pit crew continues its success from last year. The five-person crew ranks second in the Cup Series for the fastest average four-tire pit stop (10.747 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).

RAPTOR® TOUGH: For this weekend at Sonoma Raceway, Byron will sport his Raptor paint scheme that will continue to run the majority of the season on the No. 24 Chevy. RAPTOR® is a durable protective coating that is designed to tolerate the toughest climatic conditions and can be applied to a wide range of items, including truck beds, lawnmowers, outdoor furniture and more. With 16 pre-mixed colors available, it’s easy to personalize anything you want to protect. RAPTOR® is available at local paint distributors, auto parts stores and online retailers.

48 ALEX BOWMAN

Age: 31 (April 25, 1993)

Hometown: Tucson, Arizona

Resides: Concord, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Blake Harris

Standings: 10th

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No. 48 Ally Pride Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

2024 SO FAR: Following the 15th race of the season, Alex Bowman and the No. 48 Ally Racing team are tied for 10th in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, 117 points behind the leader. The team has secured four top-five finishes, tied with 2021 for Bowman’s most through 15 races in a season. The Tucson, Arizona, native has also earned an impressive nine top-10 finishes, tied with 2022 for his most through 15 starts. The nine top-10 results place him in a three-way tie for the most in 2024 alongside Tyler Reddick and Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron. Bowman has finished in the top 10 in eight of the last 11 races.

SONOMA DEETS: This weekend, the Cup Series will compete at Sonoma Raceway in northern California wine country. Bowman has seven Cup starts at the 12-turn road course. In these Golden State starts, the 31-year-old driver has secured two top-10 finishes (2018 and 2021).

ROAD #RALLY48: Since the introduction of the Next Gen race car in 2022, Bowman is in a five-way tie for second in top-five finishes on road courses. The driver of the No. 48 Ally Pride Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 ranks second in the sport’s premier series for the most runner-up finishes on road courses (two) without a win. His second-place performances occurred at the Charlotte ROVAL (2019) and Circuit of The Americas (2022).

ALLY PRIDE: On Wednesday, primary sponsor Ally released the No. 48 Ally Pride Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 that will unload for competition this weekend at Sonoma Raceway. June is Pride Month, and Ally will celebrate by running a Pride-themed scheme for the fourth consecutive year. The 2024 design features the logo of Pride Allys on the hood and a rainbow treatment to the digital bank’s motto “do it right” on the rear-quarter panel. Pride Allys is Ally Financial’s LGBTQ+ employee resource group. Check out all angles of the entry here.

FIRST LAP: In Sonoma, Ally’s First Lap initiative returns to the track for a third time this season. The second-year program focuses on introducing NASCAR to new fans from minority communities. In conjunction with June’s Pride Month, Ally will host a group of more than 20 individuals from Positive Images on race day. Positive Images is a community center based in Sonoma County dedicated to providing essential services that encompass mental health support, advocacy and education to California’s LGBTQIA+ population. These first-time race-goers will meet Bowman and receive a tour of the garage area, the No. 48 team transporter and more.

GOLDEN GATE BASSET RESCUE: Did you know Basset Hounds were originally bred in France for hunting small game such as rabbits? Today these short-legged dogs known for their long ears and droopy eyes are a fond pet of Americans nationwide. 2024 marks the fourth consecutive year Bowman and Ally are supporting Best Friends Animal Society and its vast network of partners. This weekend, the pair’s weekly donation of $4,800 will go to Golden Gate Basset Hound Rescue. The shelter is located at 1032 Crinella Drive, Petaluma, CA 94954, just 13 miles northwest of the track.

ALLY RACING PIT CREW: This year, the Ally Racing pit crew ranks ninth in the Cup Series for the best average four-tire stop (10.978 seconds). The five-man No. 48 crew is comprised of jackman Allen Holman, tire carrier Brandon Grier, front-tire changer Donnie Tasser, rear-tire changer Andrew Bridgeforth and gasman Jacob Conley.

HENDRICK
MOTORSPORTS /
Hendrick Motorsports

2024

All-Time

Sonoma

Races

15

1,360

34

Wins

6*

307*

7*

Poles

4*

250*

10*

Top 5

20*

1,252*

34*

Top 10

32*

2,144*

61*

Laps Led

1,031

80,788*

808*

Stage Wins

9

107

5*

*Most **Most (tie)

ROAD RULE: Entering Sunday’s event at Sonoma Raceway, Hendrick Motorsports has accumulated a NASCAR Cup Series record 28 points-paying wins on road courses. The total includes 13 victories from its active drivers: Chase Elliott (seven), Kyle Larson (four) and William Byron (two). Joe Gibbs Racing is second in all-time road course wins with 15. No other organization has accumulated more than eight.

RIVERSIDE TO SONOMA: Hendrick Motorsports will take on Sonoma Raceway this weekend, but its success on road courses began at another famed California track. On Nov. 18, 1984, driver Geoff Bodine punctuated the organization’s inaugural season with a win at the now-defunct Riverside International Raceway, which was located east of Los Angeles. It was Bodine’s third victory of the year and represented the team’s first on a road course. Hendrick Motorsports is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2024.

NO FLUKE: Eight different drivers have won on road courses for Hendrick Motorsports, the most for a single team in Cup Series history. Jeff Gordon (nine) is the all-time leader in road course wins, while Elliott (seven) is the active leader. Larson (four wins), Tim Richmond (three), Byron (two), Jimmie Johnson (one), Ricky Rudd (one) and Bodine (one) have all earned road course victories for the team.

STATISTICS COURSE: In addition to its 28 wins, Hendrick Motorsports holds the Cup Series road course records in the following categories: pole positions (26), top-five finishes (91), top-10s (153) and laps led (2,331). On road courses, it has twice as many poles as any other team and has led 1,076 more laps than its closest competitor.

SAID HEADS UNITE: This weekend, Hendrick Motorsports is back in NASCAR Xfinity Series action at Sonoma Raceway with veteran road racer Boris Said behind the wheel of the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. He has one career victory in the series, which came in 2010 at Montreal. Elliott (Charlotte Motor Speedway) and Larson (Circuit of The Americas) have driven the No. 17 Chevrolet to victory already this season.

CELEBRATING 40: In 2024, Hendrick Motorsports is celebrating its 40th anniversary. The team holds the all-time NASCAR Cup Series records in every major statistical category, including championships (14), wins (307), pole positions (250) and laps led (80,788). This season, it leads all Cup organizations with six points-paying victories through 15 races.

QUOTABLE /

Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on racing in northern California: “It’s always a fun race weekend since I grew up pretty close (in Elk Grove, California) to there. I was pretty good there – at least in qualifying – before I joined Hendrick (Motorsports), and then we put a whole weekend together in 2021 to get the win. We’ll see what the repave is like during practice on Friday and hopefully adjust and stay on top of those conditions throughout the weekend.”

Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on practice and the Sonoma race weekend: “I can’t wait to get to Sonoma. It’s a great track for Kyle and it’s a great track for our team. It’s certainly gonna be challenging with the repave and just trying to get the feel for the track. The new pavement, I’m sure it’s gonna evolve throughout the weekend when it starts to take rubber and then we’ll just have to stay on top of that. But we do get a full practice on Friday to run through some changes and really try to get an understanding of what we need. Kyle always does a great job there. You know it’s really close to home for him so I know it’s a meaningful race for him.”

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on expectations for Sonoma: “I would like to think we can go out there and have a shot to win. It’s basically a new track for all of us except for the three drivers that got to test. It’s going to take a little time. We do get extra practice on Friday, which is nice, especially for a repave. I think that it (the practice) is warranted, and it’ll give us a few extra laps. We’ll go to work and see where we stack up.”

Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the consistency the team has shown this season: “I’m really proud of the effort we’ve put forth so far this season. We are all focused doing our jobs to the best of our ability and I think that shows with our performance on the track. Our pit stops have been consistently strong all year and we continue to prepare fast race cars. We’re working really well together as a group. If we have a bad race, we don’t dwell on it. We keep looking to how we can improve for the next race. I think that’s all you can ask for in your team.”

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on how he feels about Sonoma Raceway: “I’m interested to see how this weekend goes at Sonoma (Raceway). Road courses have really become a strength for our team lately, but we haven’t been to Sonoma since those improvements have been made. That paired with the new pavement from the repave will make for some challenges we all have to overcome, but I think we’ll be in a good spot.”

Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his expectations for Sonoma Raceway: “Sonoma (Raceway) is the road course that we probably need to do the most work at as a team. We’ve improved our road course program significantly, but Sonoma just seems to be one we still struggle with. The repave, though, could change that. The test showed that speeds should be much higher, so we’ll see how things go in practice. I’m optimistic for how the weekend should go for the No. 24 team.”
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Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on racing at the newly repaved Sonoma Raceway: “It (Sonoma Raceway) is going to be completely different than what we’ve ever seen there. Going to a place that’s always been really slick, I feel like it (the track) is probably going to have a ton of grip and be a lot faster with a lot less tire fall off. It’s kind of a different style race. I think qualifying is going to be super important. Hopefully our Ally Racing team can position ourselves to fall on the right side of all that.”

Blake Harris, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on driver Alex Bowman racing at road courses and competing at the newly repaved Sonoma Raceway: “The fact that we are sitting top 10 in points at this point in the season is great. Our Ally Racing team just needs to go to Sonoma and have a solid weekend. We’ve had a lot of good runs and good pace at road courses this year. Really, Alex does great at these tracks (road courses). I think this weekend is kind of a reset for everybody. Not a lot of people have been on (Sonoma Raceway’s) new pavement, and we as a team need to go capitalize on that and put a full race together. We let a few extra points slip away last weekend (at WWT Raceway) with some issues that we had, so hopefully we can go get back on track and earn a good finish this Sunday.”

Hendrick Motorsports PR