AT THE BEGINNING: The NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March of 2021 marked the first win for Kyle Larson with team owner Rick Hendrick at Hendrick Motorsports. The victory was also the first for No. 5 HendrickCars.com crew chief Cliff Daniels atop the pit box. Larson led 103 of the 267 laps in the race and finished 3.15 seconds ahead of the second-place competitor at the checkered flag. The win sparked the beginning of a career-best 10-win, championship season for the No. 5 team.
BACK FOR SECONDS: Larson returns to the 1.5-mile Las Vegas track looking to build on his past success. He has two wins at Las Vegas – one in NASCAR’s Xfinity Series in 2018 and his Cup Series victory in 2021. In March of 2022, he led 27 laps and finished second to teammate Alex Bowman in the Cup Series race. This Sunday, Larson competes to score his third national series win and second with the No. 5 HendrickCars.com team at this track.
LARSON AT LAS VEGAS: The Elk Grove, California, native has made 13 Cup Series starts at the intermediate track. He has the fourth-best average finish – 11.15 – among all drivers with at least four starts at the facility. Along with his win, he has five top-five finishes, nine top-10s and 251 laps led. The 2021 Cup Series champion’s nine top-10 finishes are tied for his third-most at any one track. In four starts with Hendrick Motorsports, Larson has led 225 laps on the West Coast track – the most by any one driver since the start of 2021. It is also one of eight tracks that he has led at least 200 laps on while driving for the 14-time Cup Series champions.
TAKE THE STAGE: Larson has two stage wins at Las Vegas, which is tied for the fourth-most among all drivers. In addition, his 14 top-10 stage results rank as the sixth-most among all drivers.
INTERMEDIATE TRACK SUCCESS: The last time Larson raced on a 1.5-mile track, he visited victory lane at Homestead-Miami Speedway in October of 2022. The 30-year-old driver ranked second in most points earned (261) on this track length in 2022 – just 35 markers behind Ross Chastain. Since joining Hendrick Motorsports ahead of the 2021 season, Larson holds the best marks on 1.5-mile tracks for wins (five), stage wins (13), laps led (1,642) and average finish (7.69). His three runner-up finishes and 13 top-10s are tied for the most in the series in that span of time. (The above statistics do not include Atlanta Motor Speedway in ’22 since that track used the superspeedway drafting package following its reconfiguration.)
WESTERN BOUND: With two wins at Auto Club Speedway and a win each at Las Vegas, Phoenix Raceway and Sonoma Raceway, Larson has five victories on the West Coast. That places him fifth among active drivers with left coast victories. Four of those triumphs have come in the last 13 races out West.
HIT THE JACKPOT: This Sunday, Larson will drive the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Las Vegas. While watching, hit the jackpot and shop from the convenience of your own home by browsing nearly 30,000 new, high-quality pre-owned and certified cars, trucks and SUVs available at HendrickCars.com. Customers can select the category, make, model and vehicle packages that are important to them. Prefer to shop in-person? Hendrick Automotive Group has 95+ dealerships nationwide to choose from.
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9 CHASE ELLIOTT
Age: 27 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: 14th
No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
CALI REWIND: Last weekend in the NASCAR Cup Series’ final visit to the 2-mile layout of Auto Club Speedway (ACS), Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team had their work cut out for them after rain washed out qualifying for Sunday’s race. Starting in the 33rd position, Elliott and the team made gains throughout the race, finishing the first two stages 10th and seventh, respectively. He took the checkered flag in second for his best finish at the Fontana, California, venue.
LET’S GO TO VEGAS: Elliott has 12 Cup Series starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with three top-five finishes, five top-10s and 178 laps led. His best finish on the 1.5-mile oval was a runner-up finish in September of 2021. In this race last year, Elliott finished inside the top 10 in each of the first two stages and ultimately scored a ninth-place result.
CENTER STAGE: Elliott has three stage wins at Las Vegas in the Cup Series, which is second among active drivers behind Martin Truex Jr. He’s also second to Truex Jr. on the list of drivers in top-10 stage results at the track with 18.
TOPS AT TOP TWOS: In addition to his series-leading five wins since the start of 2022, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native also tops the category of top-two finishes with nine. Elliott most recently added to that tally last weekend with his runner-up finish at ACS.
1.5-MILERS: Elliott will make his 73rd start on a 1.5-mile track this Sunday in Las Vegas. In his previous 72 races on this track length, he’s led 982 laps. The 2020 Cup Series champion has two career victories on mile-and-a-half ovals, most recently scoring a win at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the spring of 2020. Along with his two wins, Elliott has collected 22 top-five finishes – eight of which are runner-up results – and 36 top-10s on 1.5-milers.
BETTIN’ ON ALAN: This weekend, No. 9 crew chief Alan Gustafson will call his 24th race at Las Vegas from atop the pit box. In his previous 23 races at the 1.5-mile oval, Gustafson has garnered six top-five finishes, 10 top-10s and 187 laps led.
NON-TRADITIONAL WIN: Last July, Elliott and Gustafson scored a victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway, a 1.5-mile track that was reconfigured prior to the 2022 season. With the debut of superspeedway-style racing on the Georgia oval last year, the track is no longer considered a traditional 1.5-mile oval.
GET UP AND GO: NAPA Auto Parts, the Atlanta-based company that has been a primary partner for all eight of Elliott’s seasons at Hendrick Motorsports, will be on board the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 this weekend in Las Vegas. This will mark the 10th time NAPA has served as the primary sponsor of the No. 9 team at the Nevada venue. NAPA colors adorned Elliott’s Chevrolet for his best finish of second at Las Vegas in 2021. Check out the paint scheme here.
24 WILLIAM BYRON
Age: 25 (Nov. 29, 1997)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Standings: 29th
No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
LOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING: William Byron’s results in the first two races in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series don’t quite depict how strong the No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has been. In the four stages run this year, he has finished no worse than 14th. In fact, he’s run 182 laps in the top 10 – ninth-best in the field – and 74 laps in the top five – the 10th-most.
1.5-MILE MOMENTUM: Byron is no stranger to success on mile-and-a-half tracks during his Cup Series career. Since the start of 2021, he has one win, one runner-up finish, four top-fives, and 10 top-10s on traditional 1.5-mile tracks. In fact, three of those top-10 finishes on 1.5-mile tracks came in 2022. On this style of track in 2022 – not counting Atlanta Motor Speedway after its reconfiguration – Byron scored 234 points, which was the fourth-most.
TURNING THE LUCK AROUND: Sunday’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway marks Byron’s 11th Cup Series start at the venue. Out of those 10 previous starts, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native has a track-best finish of fifth (March 2022). In the last four races at the Nevada-based track, he has one top-five finish, two top-10s, with 40 laps led and an average finish of 11.00. Byron has finished within the top 10 at the end of a stage at Las Vegas 12 times – tied for the eighth-most times among active drivers.
VIVA LAS RUDY: Returning to Las Vegas for the fifth time with the Cup Series, crew chief Rudy Fugle is confident heading to a venue that he has had success at before. In his four Cup Series showings, Fugle has one top-five finish and two top-10s, with his best finish with the No. 24 coming in the spring of 2022 (fifth). Aside from those four starts, the Livonia, New York, native has called the shots for 10 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races and one NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Las Vegas. He has collected one win (March 2019) with Kyle Busch, four top-five finishes, six top-10s, three pole awards and 238 laps led. With Byron in the Truck Series in 2016, the duo qualified 10th and raced to a fifth-place finish at the 1.5-mile venue.
NOT YOUR TYPICAL INTERMEDIATE WIN: While Atlanta is no longer classified as a traditional 1.5-mile track with the use of the superspeedway package and the prevalence of drafting, Byron led 111 laps at the Georgia venue last spring. The victory marked his third win in the Cup Series.
RAPTOR® TOUGH: Continuing the trend so far this season, RAPTOR® Tough and Tintable Protective Coatings will appear on Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Las Vegas. 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. For a better look at Byron’s No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, click here.
48 Alex Bowman
Age: 29 (April 25, 1993)
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Resides: Concord, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Blake Harris
Standings: 3rd
No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will be available to members of the media at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway media center on Saturday, March 4, at 9:30 a.m. PST.
FONTANA IN THE REARVIEW: Alex Bowman and the No. 48 Ally Racing team took home another top-10 finish at Auto Club Speedway (ACS) last Sunday, taking the checkered flag in eighth. He started from the fourth position at the 2-mile venue after qualifying was canceled due to rain. He finished the first stage in fourth and the second stage in eighth en route to his second straight points-paying top-10 finish. The Tucson, Arizona, native is the first Hendrick Motorsports driver since Kasey Kahne (in 2017) to open the season with back-to-back top 10s.
BIG FOUR-EIGHT: Through the first two points-paying events in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, Bowman is off to a red-hot start with new crew chief Blake Harris. In his two starts at Daytona International Speedway and ACS, the 29-year-old driver has garnered one top-five finish, two top-10s, 29 laps led, an average starting position of 2.50 and an average finishing position of 6.50 – his best marks through two races. Furthermore, Bowman is one of just four Cup Series drivers to finish in the top 10 in both races, with Ross Chastain, Daniel Suárez and Joey Logano joining the short list.
LAS VEGAS REWIND: Last year, Bowman took home his only win of the 2022 Cup Series season in the spring race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevy started 13th and won the first stage on his way to victory lane. His win solidified his position in the 2022 playoffs. All told on 1.5-mile tracks in 2022, Bowman earned a win, two top-five finishes, four top-10s and led 123 laps.
NOTHING BUT 10’S: Bowman has 11 top-10 stage finishes at Las Vegas, which places him 10th among all time at the 1.5-mile venue. Last year, he won the first stage before scoring the victory in an overtime finish.
WON IN THREE: The 29-year-old driver is no stranger to winning quick in the Cup Series, scoring wins in the third race of the season on multiple occasions. Bowman won the third race of the 2020 season at Fontana in March and did that again at Las Vegas in March 2022. Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Terry Labonte, Darrell Waltrip and teammate William Byron have also accomplished this feat of winning the third race of the season for Hendrick Motorsports.
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 SPCA of Northern Nevada, which serves the local community in Las Vegas. Bowman and Ally will donate $4,800 to Best Friends and the SPCA of Northern Nevada. 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 be sported with a similar design to its daytime counterpart. This weekend, the No. 48 machine will adorn the “day” scheme. Check out all the angles of the new look here.
HENDRICK
MOTORSPORTS /
2023
All-Time
Las Vegas
Races
2
1,311
30
Wins
0
291*
7**
Poles
1*
240*
2
Top 5
2**
1,192*
28*
Top 10
3
2,048*
49**
Laps Led
36
77,353*
1,849*
Stage Wins
0
79
6*
*Most **Most (tie)
CLOSING IN ON 300: Hendrick Motorsports is nine points-paying victories away from 300 in the NASCAR Cup Series. Twenty drivers have combined to reach the organization’s current total of 291 wins, which is the most in the sport by any one team.
SIN CITY SEVEN: With wins in the last two spring races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports has tallied seven wins at the 1.5-mile track. That mark is tied for the most among Cup Series teams. Jimmie Johnson leads the way with four victories, while Alex Bowman, Jeff Gordon and Kyle Larson each have one win.
TRIP SWEEPS: Bowman and Larson’s one-two finish in last year’s March race was the track-best third time that Hendrick Motorsports swept the top-two spots in the final running order. In Johnson’s 2005 and 2007 wins, Kyle Busch and Gordon were each the runner-up finishers, respectively.
TWO FOR THE MONEY: In last spring’s race at Las Vegas, all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers placed inside the top 10. In addition to the Bowman-Larson one-two result, William Byron came in fifth and Chase Elliott was ninth. That was the second time the organization saw each of its four drivers finish in the top 10 at this track. The other occurrence came in 2014 with the team’s drivers finishing second (Dale Earnhardt Jr.), sixth (Johnson), eighth (Kasey Kahne) and ninth (Gordon).
SETTING THE STAGE: Over the past six races at the Nevada venue, drivers from the four-car team have tallied a series-best six stage wins. In that stretch, Elliott has three stage wins, Larson has two and Bowman has one.
1.5-MILE MUSCLE: The Rick Hendrick-owned organization has won at least one race on a 1.5-mile track in each of the last 29 seasons. Last season on non-drafting 1.5-mile tracks, the squad won twice with Bowman’s win at Las Vegas and Larson’s triumph at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The two wins were tied for the most on 1.5-mile tracks last year, while their 705 laps led and six stage wins were the most in the series.
WEST SUCCESS: Hendrick Motorsports’ 41 wins on the West Coast are the most in the series and 18 more than the next closest team. Auto Club Speedway and Phoenix Raceway have been their most successful tracks on that side of the country with 12 triumphs each. Las Vegas and Sonoma Raceway have seen seven victories apiece. Riverside International Raceway was responsible for three wins as well. Johnson’s 15 wins are the most among all drivers on the West Coast. Gordon (11), Larson (four), Bowman (two), Busch (two), Tim Richmond (two), Geoff Bodine (one), Earnhardt Jr. (one), Elliott (one), Terry Labonte (one) and Mark Martin (one) have all visited Victory Lane for the organization out West.
TAKING STOCK IN THE TRENDS: Of the last 13 races on the West Coast, six have resulted in victories for Hendrick Motorsports. Larson has four wins, while Bowman and Elliott have one each. On last year’s three-race western swing following the DAYTONA 500, the organization won two of the three races (Larson at ACS and Bowman at Las Vegas).
ACE IN THE HOLE: Earning their first win of the year in the third race of the season has been a good omen for the Concord, North Carolina, based team. In the five years that Hendrick Motorsports has earned its first win in race number three, the organization has won the championship all five times. Those instance were: 1996-Gordon at Richmond Raceway (Labonte won the title), 2001-Gordon at Las Vegas (he also won the title), 2007-Johnson at Las Vegas (he also won the title), 2020-Bowman at ACS (Elliott won the title) and 2021-Byron at Homestead-Miami (Larson won the title).
QUOTABLE /
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on why he enjoys racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: “Vegas is a track that I like. It seems to be another one of those intermediate style tracks that suits my driving style because you can run different lanes. It has a lot of character with bumps and grip, so it’s been a place that I have enjoyed. I’ve led some laps, won a race and had a few other close shots. I look forward to going there again this weekend and hopefully getting another NASCAR Cup Series win.”
Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on turning the page to Las Vegas: “We learned at Fontana after we had our issue. We made some adjustments to the car and learned quite a bit. Some of it can translate to Vegas (which) is a faster, higher load track. It was nice having a fast car. I obviously hate what happened in Fontana but having all that corrected and building another fast car can hopefully give us another good shot for the weekend.”
Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on heading to Las Vegas this weekend: “I was really proud of the effort the entire team put in last week. We know we still have some work to do, but it was good to get a top five under our belts. Hopefully, we can head to Vegas this weekend and put together a good, solid finish and keep the momentum going.”
Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on how the team can build off of its result at Auto Club Speedway: “We struggled a little on intermediate tracks last year after the introduction of this new tire. Our team worked hard during the offseason to regroup and try to make some improvements. I feel like Auto Club (Speedway) was a step in the right direction. The goal is to be able to build off of that and continue to improve as we head to Vegas this weekend. Our last visit there was a tough one for us and obviously we want to do what we can to rebound from that.”
William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on racing at Las Vegas: “Las Vegas (Motor Speedway) is a track that has a lot of character but it’s fast and really smooth compared to other mile-and-a-half tracks or even Auto Club (Speedway) last weekend. With it being so smooth, you really have to run and utilize all the lanes to be good. You can’t just stick to one lane all race long. The track changes a lot with rubber build up, so you have to keep up with that to not get behind early in the race. We’ve always seemed to run well there and I feel like we’re in a good position to do that again this weekend.”
Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the tire strategy for this weekend: “We don’t have a ton of tires this weekend at Las Vegas (Motor Speedway) to just throw at the car every time there’s a caution. We’ll only have eight sets of sticker tires for Sunday. That gives you two to three extra sets to play around with really. You can make a decision at some point when you have six to seven laps on your tires where you could pit and then if there’s a long run after that, it’s going to pay off. If it’s a short run, you won’t re-pass all those who stayed out. I think that’s what you’re going to see a lot of at the stages. You can also look at taking two or four tires. Last year’s race was won on two tires and if you get the right scenario, that’s at play.”
Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on reflecting on his win last year at Las Vegas: “It is an exciting time for the No. 48 Ally Racing team right now. We have had a lot of fast race cars. Running up front and finishing in the top-10 at Daytona (International Speedway) and Fontana gives us a lot of momentum to carry to Las Vegas (Motor Speedway) this weekend. Obviously, winning there last year is a great starting point for how we need to approach this race, but we are also looking at where we struggled and how we can strengthen those areas. I am looking forward to getting back out there and going for another win.”
Blake Harris, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on how he is using the No. 48 team’s 2022 win to prepare for Sunday: “With the win at Las Vegas (Motor Speedway) last year and Alex (Bowman) not running the fall race, we are using all the notes from the spring race and our teammates notes from the fall race to prepare for this weekend. I think with our run at Auto Club Speedway and having top-five speed, I feel like what he had there is more applicable than last year’s notes. The run of intermediates at the beginning of the year is always tough when you leave straight from Daytona (International Speedway) and head to the West Coast. There is a lot of prep on the team, so to come out of the box with some speed last week will hopefully carry over to Las Vegas. Statistically, Las Vegas is one of Alex’s best tracks and he runs up front there a lot. I’m really looking forward to having a practice and qualifying session this week to start stepping through that normal process and see if we can get this thing tuned in for Alex on Sunday.”
