Hendrick Motorsports Media Advance: Richmond – The MotorSportsNews.Net(work)

RICHMOND RICHES: Seven Hendrick Motorsports drivers have won a NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway, the most of any team. Jimmie Johnson (three wins), Terry Labonte (three), Jeff Gordon (two), Tim Richmond, Joe Nemechek, Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman have a combined 12 wins for the organization at the 0.75-mile track.

Kyle Larson

No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

WIN-DIANAPOLIS: Prior to the NASCAR’s recent two-week break for the Summer Olympics, Kyle Larson earned Hendrick Motorsports’ record-extending 11th Brickyard 400 victory – his first on the famed oval and his series-high fourth win of 2024. With 27 career Cup Series victories, Larson now ranks 32nd on the wins list in NASCAR’s premier series.

TYING A TEAMMATE: Larson’s crown-jewel event win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway marked his 11th victory in NASCAR’s Next Gen car. He is tied with Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron for the most wins since the introduction of the current Cup Series race car.

FOLLOW THE LEADER: With four races remaining in the regular season, Larson leads the Cup standings by 10 points over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott. The Elk Grove, California, native, tops the series with four wins, five pole positions, 28 playoff points and nine top-five finishes (tie) while he is second in laps led (763). It is the second-highest laps led total for Larson through 22 races in his career, behind only his 2021 championship season in which he paced the field for 1,441 laps in the first 22 events.

FIVE-TIME HISTORY: Going into Sunday’s race at the 0.75-mile Richmond Raceway, Larson has captured the pole position for the past three short-track races. The last driver to secure four consecutive short-track poles was Geoff Bodine, who won five straight between 1985 and 1986 in the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports entry.

SHORT-TRACK MASTERY: In 2024, Larson has accumulated the most points on short tracks with 170. Over the last 10 short-track races, the 2021 Cup Series champion has secured two wins, three poles, eight top-five finishes and nine top 10s. He has finished in the top six in nine of those 10 events.

EXTRACURRICULAR: In addition to his full-time Cup Series schedule, Larson frequently races dirt. During the two-week Olympic break, he swept the Ironman 55 weekend at I-55 Raceway in the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and, on Monday, he won the 29th annual Front Row Challenge at Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa. Larson is now gearing up for another busy week as he looks to defend his title at the Knoxville Nationals.

BIRTHDAY BREAK: Larson celebrated his 32nd birthday on July 31. Since making his first Cup Series start at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Oct. 12, 2013, he has accumulated one Cup Series championship (2021), 27 career wins, 21 pole positions, 113 top-five finishes, 175 top 10s and 8,319 laps led. Only three drivers in NASCAR history have led more laps before age 32: Richard Petty, Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch.

HENDRICKCARS.COM IS HOME: Larson and the No. 5 HendrickCars.com crew will wear their white “home” fire suits this weekend at Richmond. Every HendrickCars.com home race this season will feature a unique hat released the week of the event that is exclusively available for purchase at trackside merchandise haulers or to win on HendrickCars.com. Less than 100 of each limited-edition hat will be made available. Check out this weekend’s Richmond hat here. The No. 5 team celebrates home races in markets where Hendrick Automotive Group car dealerships are located.

SHOP THIS SUMMER: Considering upgrading your vehicle this summer? Shop one of Hendrick Automotive Group’s 95 dealerships nationwide, including the Richmond, Virginia, market, which is home to Rick Hendrick Chevrolet Buick GMC Richmond. Customers can also shop from the convenience of home by visiting HendrickCars.com. The website offers searches by category, make, model and vehicle packages from nearly 30,000 new, high-quality pre-owned and certified cars, trucks, and SUVs.

Chase Elliott

No. 9 Coca-Cola Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

GET TO THE POINT: With only four races left in the regular season, Chase Elliott heads to Richmond Raceway second in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, just 10 points behind Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson. The 28-year-old driver has one win (Texas Motor Speedway), seven top-five finishes and 11 top 10s in 22 starts this season. Elliott’s 10.5 average finish leads the field and is his best through 22 races behind only the 2022 season when he won the regular season championship. He also has the third-best average running position (10.96) and the fourth-most laps spent inside the top 10 (3,246). The Dawsonville, Georgia, native is tied for both the fourth-most top-five finishes and the fifth-most top 10s.

CHASE-ING HISTORY: Elliott and Martin Truex Jr. are the only two drivers to make it to the finish of every race this season. The 2020 Cup Series champion joins Kurt Busch as the only other driver in series history to have raced all but one lap (or less) through 22 races. The spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway is the only event in which Elliott did not finish on the lead lap. However, he still earned an eighth-place result. Busch completed every lap of the first 22 events in 2016 before an on-track incident kept him from finishing the 23rd race.

SHORT TRACK SAVVY: In 2024, Elliott is the only driver to finish all four short-track events inside the top 10. He’s earned 158 points on tracks less than 1 mile in length this season, second to teammate Larson. His best finish on this track type in 2024 came at Martinsville Speedway where he placed third. In all, he’s made 49 Cup Series short track starts, with one win (Martinsville in November 2020), 17 top-five finishes, 27 top 10s, two pole awards and 1,649 laps led.

RICHMOND RECORD: On Sunday, Elliott will make his 17th Richmond start in the Cup Series. In 16 previous races on the 0.75-mile oval, he collected six top-five finishes, including a runner-up result in April 2018, and seven top 10s. Most recently, Elliott led five laps en route to a fifth-place Richmond finish in March. Additionally, he has made four starts at the Virginia venue in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, never finishing outside the top five and earning a win in 2015.

GREAT GUSTAFSON: On Sunday, No. 9 team crew chief Alan Gustafson is set to call his 37th Richmond race in his 20th season in the Cup Series. His previous 36 starts have come with five different drivers (Kyle Busch, Casey Mears, Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon and Elliott) with a combined 16 top-five finishes, 20 top 10s and 630 laps led. Gustafson has five runner-up results at Richmond.

HOMETOWN BOY: Richmond is the home track for No. 9 team primary race engineer Mark Ziegler. The 28-year-old graduate of West Virginia University is from Glen Allen, Virginia, located approximately 10 miles from the venue. Ziegler has been in the sport for eight years and joined Hendrick Motorsports as an engineer on the No. 9 team in 2023 before being promoted to his current role for the 2024 season.

FASTEST FIVE: The No. 9 pit crew continues to hold the fastest average four-tire pit stop time through 22 events (10.695 seconds). The over-the-wall squad laid down the fastest four-tire pit stop (9.076 seconds) of 2024 at Texas in April. 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).

A CRISP AND REFRESHING SCHEME: Coca-Cola will be on board the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Richmond this weekend, marking the first time the Atlanta-based company has served as a primary sponsor for Elliott and the team. Coca-Cola first joined as an official partner of Hendrick Motorsports and the No. 9 team in 2023. Get a look at all the angles of the No. 9 Coca-Cola Chevrolet before it takes to the track.

William Byron

No. 24 Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

24 IN ‘24: William Byron’s 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season started off hot with three wins (tied for the second most) including at the DAYTONA 500. Before the two-week Olympic break, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native earned seven top-five finishes (tied for the fourth-most) and 12 top 10s (tied for the second-most). He has the second-best average starting position (9.67) and the third-best average finish (12.81). In fact, in the last five races, Byron has scored 151 points, which is tied for fourth. After 22 races, he has moved up to sixth in the 2024 Cup Series standings with 16 playoff points.

COUTDOWN IS ON: With four races remaining in the regular season, three tracks have already appeared on the 2024 Cup Series schedule: Richmond Raceway, Daytona International Speedway and Darlington Raceway. In those three races, Byron collected 124 points – the most of any driver.

READY FOR RICHMOND: Sunday will mark Byron’s 13th Cup Series start at Richmond Raceway, where he has a personal-best finish of third that came in April 2022 after starting on the front row and leading 122 laps. Byron came close to picking up a victory at the 0.75-mile track in 2023 when he won stage one and led 117 laps before being involved in an on-track incident that left him with a 24th-place finish. In the Next Gen race car at Richmond, Byron has run 666 laps in the top five (fifth overall) and has led 239 laps – third-best of all drivers and the third-most he’s led at a single track.

RUDY AT RICHMOND: Crew chief Rudy Fugle has seven NASCAR national series starts at Richmond Raceway, including five in the Cup Series, one in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and two in the Xfinity Series. His best Cup Series start at the short track came in April 2022 when Byron and the No. 24 team had their weekend to date at Richmond, qualifying second, leading 122 laps and ultimately finishing third after being passed for the win with four laps to go.

PIT ROAD PROWESS: After 22 races in 2024, the No. 24 pit crew continues to find success, ranking fifth for the fastest average four-tire pit stop (10.967 seconds). The five-person team consists of Spencer Bishop (jackman), Jeff Cordero (front-tire changer), Orane Ossowski (rear-tire changer), Ryan Patton (tire carrier) and Landon Walker (fueler).

VALVOLINE RETURNS: In June, Valvoline Global, a worldwide leader in automotive and industrial solutions creating future-ready products and best-in-class services for partners around the globe, announced that it has expanded and extended its strategic partnership with 14-time NASCAR Cup Series champions Hendrick Motorsports through 2029. The brand will increase its presence on Byron’s No. 24 car from its traditional two races to eight races in 2024 and six in 2025 through 2029. This weekend’s race at Richmond Raceway will be Valvoline’s fifth appearance as the primary sponsor of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in 2024. Established in 1866, the company’s heritage spans more than 150 years, during which time it has developed powerful brand recognition across multiple product and service channels. Valvoline ranks as the No. 3 passenger car motor oil brand in the DIY market by volume.

Alex Bowman

No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

BACK FROM BREAK: Coming off NASCAR’s two-week Olympic break, Alex Bowman is looking to extend his strong 2024 season. Last month, the 31-year-old driver earned his eighth win in the sport’s premiere Cup Series at the Chicago Street Course. Back in February, Bowman also earned a runner-up finish in the prestigious DAYTONA 500. With four races remaining until the playoffs, the No. 48 Ally Racing driver ranks 10th in the standings, 143 points behind the leader.

PUSHING TO THE PLAYOFFS: In 22 points-paying races this season, Bowman has six top-five finishes, 12 top 10s (second-most of all drivers) and 17 lead-lap finishes – all tied for personal bests at this point in a season. The Tucson, Arizona, native’s Chicago win clinched a spot in the 2024 playoffs, and his focus now is to accumulate more playoff points to position the No. 48 team for a deep post-season run.

RETURNING TO RICHMOND: On Sunday, the Cup Series returns to Richmond Raceway, where Bowman will make his 17th start. In his previous 16 appearance at the 0.75-mile track, he has one top-five finish, four top 10s, 19 laps led and has completed 99.5% of his laps attempted. In April 2021, Bowman won at the Virginia venue, marking his first of four points-paying victories that season. His best qualifying effort of 2024 came at Richmond, where he started fourth in March.

SHORT-TRACK SUCCESS: Bowman’s 2021 victory at Richmond isn’t his only short-track win. In October 2021, he led the field to the checkered flag at Martinsville Speedway. This season, his talent continues to show with three top-10 finishes in the last four short-track races. In 2024, Bowman has earned the seventh-most points (124) on short tracks, 46 behind Hendrick Motorsports teammate and leader Kyle Larson.

HARRIS HAS CHOICES: This weekend at Richmond, Ally Racing crew chief Blake Harris has choices when it comes to Goodyear tires on the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. In addition to the standard “prime” tire, teams will be allotted three sets of “option” tires – one for practice and two for the race. The option tires are composed of the same compound as wet weather tires used on ovals. Harris also faced decisions on tires at the Chicago Street Course, where weather shortened the event. As the track dried, Harris opted to keep his driver on the racing surface with wet weather tires while the front runners pitted for prime tires. The move resulted in valuable track position, which Bowman was able to use in the final laps to score the victory.

REVVED UP FOR THE REMAINDER: Following Richmond, NASCAR will visit Michigan International Speedway, Daytona International Speedway and Darlington Raceway before the 2024 playoffs begin. Of the three tracks remaining in the regular season where NASCAR has competed already this year (excluding Michigan), Bowman has earned the fifth-most points in 2024 (107), just 17 behind Hendrick Motorsports teammate and leader William Byron.

VIRGINIA IS FOR BEST FRIENDS: Over the last four years, Bowman and sponsor Ally have donated more than $650,000 to Best Friends Animal Society and its vast network of partners. Every race weekend, the pair donates a total of $4,800 to help homeless pets at a shelter local to the track. This weekend, the charitable donation will go to SPCA of St. Petersburg & Colonial Heights. Animals available for adoption can be seen at the shelter located just 28 miles south of Richmond.

ALLY RACING PIT CREW: The Ally Racing pit crew ranks eighth on pit road for the best average four-tire stop this year (11.059). The No. 48 crew is composed of jackman Allen Holman, tire carrier Brandon Grier, front-tire changer Donnie Tasser, rear-tire changer Andrew Bridgeforth and gasman Jacob Conley.

WIN THE KEYS TO A CHEVROLET CAMARO: To celebrate Hendrick Motorsports’ 40th anniversary, Ally and HendrickCars.com are giving away a special edition Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE to one lucky fan. Only 40 of these cars will be manufactured with the other 39 sold exclusively through select Hendrick Automotive Group Chevrolet dealerships. Enter to win at Ally.com/sweepstakes/nascar. The promotion ends Sept. 20, 2024.

VIRGINIA ROOTS: Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick was raised on a tobacco farm in Palmer Springs, Virginia, which is 100 miles southwest of Richmond Raceway. Since 1984, his teams have won 41 Cup Series races in the Commonwealth of Virginia, including 12 at Richmond. Hendrick Motorsports is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2024.

FOLLOW THE LEADER: A Hendrick Motorsports driver has led the NASCAR Cup Series regular season standings following 16 of 22 races thus far in 2024. The organization has seen its drivers ranked 1-2 in the standings eight times this year, including after each of the last seven races. Hendrick Motorsports is the only team with four drivers inside the top 10 in regular season points.

SHORT-TRACK STACK: With 58 wins, Hendrick Motorsports leads all active teams in victories on short tracks. It has 10 more than next-best Joe Gibbs Racing and 24 more than third-place Team Penske.

THE LAST 34: Over the last 34 Cup Series events, Hendrick Motorsports has not gone more than three races without a win. In that span, the team has logged 13 victories (most by five), 42 top-five finishes (most by four) and 71 top 10s (most by 10). At least one Hendrick Motorsports driver has finished inside the top 10 in 33 of the 34 races.

QUOTES:

Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the break and getting back to racing: “We got to enjoy some time off after the Brickyard win, but it was good to get back into racing (a sprint car) last weekend and we’re looking forward to Knoxville and Richmond (Raceway) this weekend. We had a good run at Richmond earlier this year and want to continue that this weekend. We’ve got four races left in the regular season and we want to make the most of them prior to the playoff stretch.”

Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on Richmond challenges: “The goal is to have a solid weekend at Richmond like we had in the springtime. The HendrickCars.com Chevrolet had good pace and balance for Kyle earlier this year. Richmond is always temperature-sensitive, so the conditions will be much different this weekend. And we have the prime and option tire for the weekend, so strategy will be key and there will be a lot to learn throughout the weekend. There are a lot of variables for the field to try to get right. It’s a hometown track for me, so looking forward to seeing family and friends and hopefully have a solid weekend.”

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on Coca-Cola serving as primary sponsor: “I’m excited to have Coca-Cola on board this weekend. There’s a lot of history with Coca-Cola, with myself and my family, and it couldn’t be a more natural fit. Richmond hasn’t particularly been a strong track for me, but we had a good finish there in the spring, so I’m looking forward to getting back there and seeing what we can do. It’d be great to get this Coca-Cola scheme to victory lane.”

Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the option tire at Richmond Raceway: “It’s going to be really interesting. We ran this tire at North Wilkesboro, but North Wilkesboro had just been repaved so the falloff wasn’t super significant. I think that kind of hurt what NASCAR was trying to do with the option tires. The fact that the tire falloff at Richmond is significant, I think is really good. Ultimately, none of us really know how they’re going to respond there. So, it’s really hard to say what is going to be the optimal strategy or what is going to put you in the best position. So, that all is going to be fun to kind of discover as we go. I’m excited to see with as much fall off there typically is at Richmond and how valuable new tires are, how it’s going to work with the variable of the option tire. I think it’s going to be cool. We’ll see.”

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on tire options at Richmond Raceway: “We have had some really good runs at Richmond (Raceway) lately and I think we are in a good position to continue that this weekend. The option tires are going to possibly throw a new wrench in things, but with everyone in the same boat, the playing field is even. Getting the most out of practice on Saturday will be crucial to prepare strategy-wise for Sunday. I’m interested to see how it will play out and hopefully we come out on the good end of it.”

Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the importance of practice at Richmond Raceway: “Practice is going to be even more crucial this weekend at Richmond (Raceway) than it has been all season with the different tire options. While we ran the option tires at North Wilkesboro Speedway for the All-Star Race, we don’t think that they will run the same at Richmond given the difference in racing surfaces. Even with the unknowns, we have a lot of strategy options that we can plan ahead of time and then once we have practice on Saturday, we can adjust from there before Sunday.”

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on racing at Richmond Raceway: “It’s been refreshing to have the Olympic break … but I’m certainly ready to get back racing. It’s always nice to compete at Richmond (Raceway). We got a win there back in 2021 and this spring Blake (Harris) and I qualified well. I think we learned a few things and hopefully we can use that knowledge to perform well this Sunday in the night race.”

Blake Harris, crew chief of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the summer race and tire choice at Richmond Raceway: “I thought we had a pretty good No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro in the spring Richmond race. We had a really good Saturday and qualified well. I’m looking forward to this weekend and fine tuning some things that we think we have found to improve since then. The option tire will certainly be interesting. There are not enough tires to the point that you would have to run them. It looks like Saturday is clearing up but we should get some practice on it and see how it runs.”