Hendrick Motorsports Media Advance: Watkins Glen - Speedway Digest

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS /

2024 All-Time Watkins Glen Races 27 1,372 37 Wins 9* 310* 11* Poles 6** 252* 8* Top 5 32* 1,264* 25 Top 10 53* 2,165* 44 Laps Led 1,582 81,339* 759* Stage Wins 12 110 4* *Most
**Tied for most
Hendrick Motorsports has won 30 times on road courses, the most by 15. Organizations in the second-through-fourth positions have combined for 30. With William Byron (COTA), Kyle Larson (Sonoma) and Alex Bowman (Chicago Street Course) claiming wins this season, Hendrick Motorsports became the first organization to send three different drivers to victory lane at three consecutive road courses. All four current Hendrick Motorsports crew chiefs have at least one victory at a road course, led by Alan Gustafson, leader of the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team, with seven. Hendrick Motorsports has won five consecutive races at Watkins Glen International, the most by any organization at any track since Hendrick Motorsports claimed six straight victories at Phoenix (2007-2009). Standing at 58 playoff victories, Hendrick Motorsports is the winningest organization in the postseason by 21 wins. All four Hendrick Motorsports pit crews rank in the top eight in terms of average four-tire stops. The No. 9 over-the-wall squad tops that list at 10.798 seconds and also registered the fastest stop of the year at Texas Motor Speedway (9.078 seconds).

QUOTABLE / Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on going to Watkins Glen International after crashing at Atlanta:“I’m definitely excited to get to Watkins Glen. I read a stat last night I don’t think Hendrick Motorsports has lost there since 2017. We’ll see. I think it’s going to be a little different. It seems like there will be a little more tire falloff than normal, I don’t know how that will play a factor into things but regardless, I think our road course package and especially Watkins Glen is a really good package so, we should have some speed it’s just still a road course, so a lot of things can happen.”Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the biggest change he’s seen with the Next Gen car on road courses: “Just the difficulty in passing. It has become, in my opinion, way harder to do and to get the rear tires to live. It’s just hard. Anywhere that we go, the corner entry, the part of the corner that is narrow, is going to be an extreme challenge to pass. You look at Darlington very much the same way. It’s not like you can fan out and have a bunch of different options when you first turn off the wall. Martinsville is a great example of that, the road courses are a prime example of that. Phoenix is a little bit that way in (turns) three and four. So, when you leave the wall and you can’t get outboard or inboard of someone’s wake, it’s going to be a real challenge. And with road courses, there is one spot that you want to be on corner entry. Unless you are just dive bombing a guy. And even if you are doing that, that is not the optimum way to make a lap time either.”
William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on how new tires at Watkins Glen will affect strategy:“I think it depends on pace in practice, how much they fall off. We’re going to have 40 minutes instead of 20, so you’re going to have more time to figure out what that pace drop off is and I think you’ll make your adjustments from there. Confident in my group that they’ll go through all those notes and look at the information and make good decisions.”
Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on Hendrick Motorsports success, personal struggles at Watkins Glen:“I feel like that’s the one road course that I’ve still kind of got to get a hold of a little bit but obviously, Hendrick Motorsports on road courses has been really good for a long time but Chase (Elliott) really got a hold of Watkins Glen and kind of developed all of our stuff to be really good there right off the bat. Trying to play catch up a little bit but I’m excited to get there.”

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