Hendrick Motorsports Media Advance: Darlington

REGULAR SEASON RUNDOWN: During the NASCAR Cup Series regular season, Kyle Larson won two points-paying races (Richmond Raceway and Martinsville Speedway) and the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Through 26 races, he leads the series in both top-five finishes (10) and average starting position (9.62). Larson also has 12 top-10 finishes, three stage wins, led the third-most laps (624) and run the fourth-most laps in the top five (2,184) and top 10 (3,523). In addition, he ranks as the second-best driver on restarts (per data from Racing Insights) and has the fifth-best average running position (12.432). 

PLAYOFFS BEGIN: For the third straight season, Larson and the No. 5 HendrickCars.com team are in the playoffs. This also marks the seventh postseason appearance for the 31-year-old driver. Larson enters the 2023 playoffs seeded sixth at 2,017 points, 10 points above the elimination line to reach the Round of 12. In 2021, he was crowned the Cup Series champion at Phoenix Raceway. In past playoffs, Larson reached the Round of 8 (2019), Round of 12 (2017, 2018 and 2022) and Round of 16 (2016). This year, he is on the hunt to become a multi-time Cup champion and his numbers at the six playoff tracks previously visited this season are strong. In those races, Larson has earned the second-most points (221), trailing only teammate William Byron (261). 

DUE IN DARLINGTON: Darlington Raceway has the nickname “Too Tough To Tame” for its unique egg shape, differentiating racing surface and preferred racing line that runs close to the track’s retaining wall. Larson’s three Cup Series runner-up finishes without a win at this venue are the second-most in track history. Among all drivers (with more than two starts) at Darlington, he has the third-best average finish (10.18). With 715 laps led, Larson ranks third in circuits out front prior to a win at the 1.366-mile facility. That total of laps led is also his third-best at any track on the schedule, behind Dover Motor Speedway (899) and Bristol Motor Speedway (850). Larson’s three stage wins at Darlington are the second-most of all drivers. 

PIT CREW POWER: The No. 5 HendrickCars.com pit crew has the fifth-fastest average four-tire pit stop time for the season at 11.277 seconds. The team’s four-tire stop of 9.281 seconds on lap 93 in June’s race at Nashville Superspeedway is the fourth-fastest four-tire stop of the season. Comprising the five-man pit crew are Blaine Anderson (front-tire changer), R.J. Barnette (tire carrier), Brandon Harder (fueler), Brandon Johnson (jackman) and Calvin Teague (rear-tire changer). Teague returned last weekend after recovering from a knee injury.

GOOD CAUSE IN THE DESERT: On Tuesday, Larson served as a special guest of NASCAR’s Championship Ignition Luncheon in Phoenix, Arizona. The event was hosted to raise money and awareness for the Phoenix Children’s Hope Fund. Larson was part of a panel discussion with NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett, NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series driver Nick Sanchez and ARCA Menards Series and Truck Series driver Toni Breidinger.

LOOKING FOR A NO. 17 WIN: Larson will drive the NASCAR Xfinity Series No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevy this Saturday. In six NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Darlington, Larson has one win, three top-five finishes, six top-10s and an average finish of 4.83. In May, he got the victory in one of the best finishes of the season in the No. 10 HendrickCars.com Chevy for Kaulig Racing. Last September, Larson nearly won at the 1.366-mile track in the No. 17 Chevy. He rallied from two laps down to hold the lead coming to the white flag, but last-lap contact saw him finish fifth. In his Xfinity career, Larson has 14 wins.

LABOR DAY WITH THE LAZZAROS: This Labor Day weekend, the No. 5 team is running two names on the right-side door as part of NASCAR’s Workforce Appreciation “Honorary Crew Member” program: Robert and Myles Lazzaro. Robert Lazzaro is a Master Certified Technician at Lexus of Charleston and has been with Hendrick Automotive Group for over 20 years. Myles followed suit, beginning as a technician at the same Lexus dealership until he was diagnosed with cancer. Myles just completed his final cancer treatment and the automotive group wanted to honor him and his dad. Master Technicians have achieved a level of training and experience that puts them at the top of the industry. Join 10,000+ others nationwide in working at Hendrick Automotive Group. Positions are open for all skill levels and offer tuition and training reimbursement. Individuals who are interested can apply at HendrickCars.com.

VISIT HENDRICKCARS.COM: This weekend, Larson will drive the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaros but you can pick up your own keys from any one of Hendrick Automotive Group’s 95 dealerships nationwide. Customers can also shop 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.

OWNING IT: While Chase Elliott will not be battling for a second NASCAR Cup Series driver championship this season, he and the No. 9 team are part of the 16-car playoff field for the owner championship. The owner standings are based off the car number’s season-long performance, so this includes points earned when Josh Berry, Corey LaJoie and Jordan Taylor made their starts in the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Entering the first race of the Round of 16 at Darlington Raceway, the No. 9 entry is seven points below the elimination line to advance to the Round of 12. 

DARLINGTON DATA: Sunday marks Elliott’s 14th start at Darlington in the Cup Series. In his previous 13 races at the 1.366-mile oval, he has collected four top-five finishes, six top-10s and led 151 laps. His best finish of third came in the series’ most recent event at the South Carolina track in May. Outside of the Cup Series, the five-time National Motorsports Press Association Most Popular Driver Award winner has made three Darlington starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, earning a win at the track during his rookie season in 2014.

SIMILAR TRACK STATS: In 54 Cup starts on tracks measuring 1 to 1.366 miles in length (Darlington, Dover Motor Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Phoenix Raceway and WWT Raceway), Elliott has four wins. His first came at Dover in 2018 and was followed by his championship-winning performance at Phoenix in 2020. His two most recent victories on a track in this length range came last season at Dover and Nashville. Accompanying his four wins are 22 top-five finishes, 28 top-10s and 1,246 laps led across those starts on this track type.

BUILDING BACK MOMENTUM: Elliott and his No. 9 crew are hitting their stride in the latter part of the season. In the last three races, Elliott leads the series with two top-five results – placing second at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course and fourth last weekend at Daytona International Speedway – and has the fourth-most points earned (95). Teammate William Byron has earned the most points (117) in that three-race stretch. 

AG IN SC: On Sunday, No. 9 team crew chief Alan Gustafson is set to call his 24th Darlington race in the Cup Series. In his previous 23 starts at the track with five different drivers (Kyle Busch, Casey Mears, Elliott and NASCAR Hall of Famers Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin), Gustafson has accumulated one win (2009 with Martin), six top-five finishes, 10 top-10s and 222 laps led. 

THE CREW: The No. 9 pit crew currently holds the ninth-fastest average four-tire pit stop time (11.462 seconds) and had the fastest four-tire pit stop of the race earlier this season at the Chicago Street Course (11.877 seconds). The 2021 Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew award-winning group 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).

GET UP AND GO: NAPA Auto Parts is back onboard the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 this weekend at Darlington. The Atlanta-based company has been the primary partner for 11 of Elliott’s 13 Cup Series starts at the track “Too Tough to Tame,” as well as adorning his Chevrolet for his 2014 Xfinity Series victory there. Get a look at all the angles of the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet here. 

WORKFORCE HONOREE: This weekend, as part of NASCAR’s Labor Day Workforce Appreciation initiative, Elliott, the No. 9 team and NAPA Auto Parts will honor Preston Hartsog, owner of Preston’s Automotive Repair in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Hartsog opened Preston’s Automotive Repair in 2017 and is a top NAPA AutoCare dealer, consistently increasing his annual sales. Hartsog’s name will replace Elliott’s above the passenger side of the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet at Darlington. 

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will be available to members of the media at the Darlington Raceway media center on Saturday, Sept. 2, at 11:45 a.m. local time.

REGULAR SEASON INFO: Darlington Raceway marks the first race of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. With the points reset after the regular-season finale, William Byron is currently the top seed with 36 playoff points and sits 29 points above the elimination line to reach the Round of 12. This year, Byron leads the series in wins (five), stage wins (eight) and laps run in the top five (2,789). His series-leading 877 laps led are also a single-season career-best for the 25-year-old driver. Byron’s nine top-five finishes are tied for the second-most in the sport’s top division. In addition, he ranks third in average running position (10.468), top-10 finishes (13) and laps run in the top 10 (3,744), respectively. Byron’s five victories in the No. 24 this season are tied for the eighth-most wins in a single season by the iconic car number.

CHAMPION-LIKE STATS: Making his fifth consecutive Cup Series playoff appearance, Byron looks poised to make a run for the 2023 title. Among his nine total wins at the top level, five have come at tracks in the playoffs, including each of the final four races. In fact, six of the upcoming 10 tracks have already hosted events this season and Byron has won at three of them (Darlington, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Phoenix Raceway). He also leads all drivers in points earned (261) in those six races by 40 markers over teammate Kyle Larson. Breaking it down further, there are four traditional 1.5-mile tracks in the run to the season finale and Byron leads all drivers in points earned (149) on that length of track in 2023. And with only one road course left, Byron is the most recent winner on left-and-right turn tracks and leads all playoff drivers in laps led (80) at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL. 

NEXT GEN DUO: Since the introduction of the Next Gen Cup Series car in 2022, Byron and Rudy Fugle have collected seven wins together. Not only is that the most by a driver but it is also the most by a crew chief in the same time period. 

SIMILAR IN SIZE: Sunday’s race at Darlington will mark Byron’s 42nd start on tracks 1 to 1.366 miles in length (Darlington, Dover Motor Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Phoenix and WWT Raceway). In his previous 41 starts, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native has collected one pole award, two wins, eight top-five finishes, 17 top-10s with 440 laps led. 

DARLINGTON DEETS: With 10 previous Cup Series starts at Darlington, Byron is looking to continue his success at the venue. Earlier this year, he took home the victory at “The Lady in Black,” after starting fourth and leading seven laps. In the last six races at the South Carolina track, Byron has only finished outside the top 10 twice, with the driver of the No. 24 poised for good finishes before misfortune struck. In the three Next Gen races (since 2022) at Darlington, he has collected the most points (136), 19 more than the next highest point total by a driver. 

THE FUGLE FILES: The playoff opener marks the sixth trip to Darlington for crew chief Fugle at the top level of NASCAR. In his past five Cup Series starts, Fugle and the No. 24 team have collected one win, two top-five finishes, three top-10s and 81 laps led. Prior to his Cup Series career, Fugle had only three previous starts at Darlington – two in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and one in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

PIT ROAD PROWESS: After 26 races in the 2023 season, the No. 24 pit crew remains in the top spot with the fastest average four-tire pit stop time of 11.127 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). 

LIBERTY U IS BACK: For Sunday’s race, Byron will sport his Liberty University paint scheme. 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. See every angle of the No. 24 Liberty University Chevy here. 

WORKFORCE APPRECIATION: Over the passenger side window of Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 this weekend will be the name Steve Manwarren. He is the Project Manager for Design Renovations at Liberty University and he is being honored during Darlington’s Workforce Appreciation event. Described as a very positive force, Manwarren has been at the university for 10 years and is willing to take on projects that require a lot of work, dedication, and attention to detail. 

SOUTH CAROLINA STATE OF MIND: While the fueler on the No. 24 team hails from North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, Walker also has significant ties to the southernmost Carolina state, having played football at Clemson University. The former college offensive tackle earned a scholarship to Clemson in 2007 after being named an All-American offensive lineman in his hometown at East Wilkes High School. While playing at Clemson, Walker recorded 3,131 snaps with 49 starts at tackle over four seasons. In 2011, Walker was named team captain, the same season Clemson went on to win the Atlantic Coast Conference championship. The college football standout was then recruited by Hendrick Motorsports in 2012 and earned a position as the starting fueler for the former No. 5 (now No. 24) team in 2015.

BEACH BATTLE: Last Saturday, Alex Bowman contended for a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs in the regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway. Needing a win to reach the postseason, he finished sixth for his eighth top-10 finish of the year. While Bowman missed the playoffs for the first time in his career with Hendrick Motorsports, he garnered his second-best result at the “World Center of Racing.”

PURPLE IS THE NEW BLACK: This Sunday, Bowman will head to Darlington Raceway, making his 12th start at “The Lady in Black.” This will be his first start this season at the 1.366-mile venue as he missed the first race at Darlington with a back injury. In his last appearance at the South Carolina track, Bowman took home a top-10 result in the 2022 playoff race. His best result at this track came in May 2020, with a runner-up finish in NASCAR’s return to racing following a shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

SHOT CALLER: Crew chief Blake Harris has been successful at the track “Too Tough to Tame.” In two of his three Cup Series starts atop the pit box at the egg-shaped venue, Harris’ driver earned top-10 results. He has also been part of three wins at the venue as a team member, including Regan Smith’s 2011 victory, which was the first victory for Furniture Row Racing. This Sunday will mark Bowman and Harris’ first start together at Darlington.

RESTART ME UP: Bowman is tied as the fifth-best driver on restarts in 2023, according to data from Racing Insights. That mark is the second-best among the Hendrick Motorsports quartet, as teammate Kyle Larson is second in this statistical category.

OUR BEST ALLY: This weekend, the No. 48 Ally Chevy will carry the name of a top-performing employee at Ally as part of NASCAR’s Workforce Appreciation initiative at Darlington. Rob Kirkland, general manager of a car dealership in Lillington, North Carolina, was selected by his teammates at Ally after 12 years of service with the dealership. Kirkland, a 43-year NASCAR fan, is a proud father of three and is also very active in his local community.

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 Lost Mittens Rescue, which serves the local community in Sumter, South Carolina. Bowman and Ally will donate $4,800 to Best Friends and Lost Mittens Rescue. Ally will increase its donation to $10,000 if the No. 48 team wins. 

GAME CHANGER: Bowman has been nominated for the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) Pocono Spirit Award for the third quarter thanks to his continued support of the Best Friends Animal Society. He also overcame a fractured vertebra in April and returned to the track after missing four weeks. Bowman and Ally have teamed up to donate over $500,000 since the inception of the donation program in 2021, with the goal to help Best Friends end kill shelters by 2025. The NMPA Pocono Spirit Award is given quarterly, with an overall winner chosen at the end of the year. The award is designed to recognize character and achievement in the face of adversity, sportsmanship and contributions to motorsports. The last Hendrick Motorsports driver to receive the overall award was Jeff Gordon in 2011.

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