Information By: HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS – CONCORD, NC
Hendrick Motorsports
Pocono Raceway
Sunday, July 14, 2024
2.5-Mile Tri-Oval
2:30 PM ET
Location: Long Pond, Pennsylvania
TV: USA
Event: NASCAR Cup Series (21 of 36)
Radio: SiriusXM PRN
5 Kyle Larson
9 Chase Elliott
24 William Byron
48 Alex Bowman
5 KYLE LARSON
Age: 31 (July 31, 1992)
Hometown: Elk Grove, California
Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels
Standings: 1st
No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
SIX PACK: With six races to go in the regular season, Kyle Larson leads the NASCAR Cup Series regular season standings by 11 points over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott. Larson is tied for the most wins (three) and top-five finishes (eight) this season while he tops the series in laps led (755) and pole positions (five). In fact, this is the second-most laps led for Larson through 20 races in his career, only trailing his championship season of 2021 when he paced the field for 1,441 circuits in the first 20 events.
POC-OH-NO!: In 2021, Larson entered the doubleheader weekend at Pocono Raceway riding a four-race win streak, including a NASCAR All-Star Race victory. Leading on the final lap, a tire issue in the final corner – and contact with the turn three wall – resulted in a ninth-place finish for the native of Elk Grove, California. The No. 5 HendrickCars.com team worked hard to prepare the backup car, which Larson drove to a runner-up finish the following day.
STAGE LEFT: Larson has earned 213 stage points this season, 39 more than second place. The 2021 Cup Series champion has run the most laps in the top five (2,871) while his 13.7 average finish ranks fourth. Since joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2021, the driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has 40 stage wins – 13 more than any competitor.
FIVE FOR 5: In Saturday’s qualifying session for the Chicago Street Race, Larson captured his series-leading fifth pole position of 2024 – a personal best in a single season for the 31-year-old driver. His 9.53 average start tops NASCAR’s premier series this year.
CHASING LEGENDS: In just his fourth year driving for Hendrick Motorsports, Larson has 20 wins for the 14-time Cup Series champions. The 2014 rookie of the year trails only team vice chairman Jeff Gordon (93) and Jimmie Johnson (83) in victories for the North Carolina-based organization.
AWAY BUT ALWAYS AVAILABLE: In 2024, the No. 5 HendrickCars.com team recognizes “home” events by wearing white firesuits and “away” with blue. Its home races come at tracks with nearby Hendrick Automotive Group car dealerships. This weekend, the team races “away” in the mountains of Pocono. However, it’s easy to pick up a new set of keys from any one of Hendrick Automotive Group’s 94 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.
HENDRICK AUTOMOTIVE GROUP IS HIRING: Join the more than 10,000 people nationwide who work at Hendrick Automotive Group. The company is hiring technicians and other positions at its dealerships throughout the country. Positions are open for all skill levels and offer tuition and training reimbursement. Individuals who are interested can apply at HendrickCars.com.
9 CHASE ELLIOTT
Age: 28 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: 2nd
No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
REGULAR SEASON UPDATE: With just six races remaining in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season, Chase Elliott sits second in the driver standings, just 11 points behind Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson. He has one win (Texas Motor Speedway), seven top-five finishes and nine top-10s in 20 starts. Elliott’s 10.6 average finish leads the field and is his second-best through 20 races in his career behind only the 2022 season in which he won the regular season championship. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native has spent the seventh-most laps in the top five, fourth-most laps in the top 10 and has the seventh-most stage points earned this year.
POCONO PERFORMANCE: This weekend, NASCAR heads to Pocono Raceway, where Elliott has 14 premier series starts. He’s earned one win (2022), four top-five finishes, nine top-10s and led 67 laps at the 2.5-mile venue. In last year’s Cup race at the “Tricky Triangle,” the 28-year-old driver took the checkered flag in the 10th position. Elliott also has two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the track, most recently leading nine laps and driving to a third-place finish in 2023 for the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports team. Additionally, he earned an ARCA Series win there in 2013.
FIGHT TO THE FINISH: Elliott is one of only three drivers to make it to the finish of every race this season. He has completed all but one lap of competition, which is the fewest since Kurt Busch finished every lap of the first 20 races in 2016. The spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway is the only event in which Elliott didn’t finish on the lead lap. However, he still earned an eighth-place finish.
AG IN PA: This weekend, Alan Gustafson will call his 37th Pocono race in his 20th season as a premier series crew chief. In his previous 36 Cup races at the track, he has amassed three wins – one with Elliott (2022) and two with Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon (2011 and 2012) – along with nine top-five finishes, 20 top-10s and 202 laps led.
FASTEST FIVE: In April at Texas, the No. 9 pit crew laid down the fastest four-tire pit stop (9.076 seconds) of the 2024 season. The over-the-wall squad has remained the same since 2018 and currently holds the fastest average four-tire pit stop time (10.653 seconds) this season. 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).
HOMETOWN BOY: No. 9 team car chief Matt Barndt hails from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, located less than 50 miles from Pocono Raceway. He joined Hendrick Motorsports in 2010 while studying mechanical engineering at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Upon graduating in May 2013, he became an engineer for Gustafson, Gordon and the No. 24 team, remaining with the team when Elliott took over the ride in 2016. Barndt has continued working with Elliott and Gustafson and was promoted to car chief for the team in 2020.
GET UP AND GO: NAPA Auto Parts’ blue-based scheme is back this weekend on the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Pocono. The Atlanta-based company has been the primary partner for Elliott for all but one of his Cup starts on the 2.5-mile tri-oval, including his win there in 2022.
24 WILLIAM BYRON
Age: 26 (Nov. 29, 1997)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Standings: 6th
No. 24 Raptor High Heat Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
CHICAGO BULLISH: After suffering a mechanical issue Saturday, William Byron started at the tail of the field Sunday at the Chicago Street Race. Despite battling the elements and having to change strategies on the fly, he powered his way through the field, dodging the chaos to finish eighth in Sunday’s event.
24 IN ‘24: Byron’s 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season started off hot with three wins (tied for the most) including at the DAYTONA 500. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native has six top-five finishes (tied for the sixth-most) and has 11 top-10s (tied for the second-most). He has the third-best average starting position (10.05) and average finish (13.25). After 20 races, he is now sixth in the 2024 regular season standings and has 16 playoff points.
PREVIEWING POCONO: In his 10 Cup Series starts at Pocono, Byron has two pole awards (June 2019 and July 2023), as well as two top-five finishes and five top-10s with 130 laps led. He holds a 9.9 average finish at the Long Pond, Pennsylvania, track, which is one of six venues where Byron has led more than 100 laps and not won.
PAST POCONO WINNER: Byron isn’t a stranger to victory lane at the “Tricky Triangle.” After starting from the pole position in 2016, he dominated the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race there, leading 44 out of 60 laps before capturing the checkered flag.
TRICKY TRICKY TRICKY: Crew chief Rudy Fugle has four Cup Series starts at Pocono Raceway. His best showing with Byron and the No. 24 team came in 2021 when the group finished third after starting second in the first race of a doubleheader. After that initial event, Fugle scored back-to-back 12th-place finishes and a 14th at the Cup level. The Livonia, New York, native has had more success at the 2.5-mile track, though. In seven Truck Series starts, Fugle has visited victory lane there two times, going back-to-back with Byron in 2016 and Christopher Bell in 2017. His truck drivers racked up two pole awards, four top-five finishes, five top-10s and 71 laps led at Pocono.
DOUBLE DUTY: Byron is pulling double duty at Pocono Raceway this weekend. In addition to Sunday’s Cup Series race, he’ll drive the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series on Saturday afternoon. It will mark the third race for Byron in the No. 17 Chevy in 2024.
MCSWAIN MANIA: For Byron’s four Xfinity Series races in 2024, No. 24 lead engineer Brandon McSwain will serve as crew chief. In his debut at Phoenix Raceway earlier this season, the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ran up front before being collected in an on-track incident. Then at Darlington Raceway, Byron suffered a flat tire that put him behind early before rallying to an 11th-place finish. McSwain also worked as an engineer for Byron during his 2017 Xfinity Series championship season with Hendrick Motorsports affiliate JR Motorsports.
PIT ROAD PROWESS: After 20 races in the 2024 season, the No. 24 pit crew continues to find success. The five-person crew ranks sixth for the fastest average four-tire pit stop (10.947 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).
HEAT ADVISORY: At Pocono Raceway, Byron will sport the special No. 24 Raptor High Heat Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 paint scheme once again. 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: 11th
No. 48 Ally Best Friends Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
WIN-DY CITY: Despite having a runner-up finish in the DAYTONA 500 and 10 top-10 results before Sunday’s Chicago Street Race, Alex Bowman entered the weekend looking for the next step: finding victory lane. After finishing sixth in stage one and second in stage two, the 31-year-old driver did just that. In the final stanza, the Tucson, Arizona, native stayed out on wet tires when pit road opened and passed the leader within one lap. He held off competitors racing on slicks to take the checkered flag by three seconds in the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. It was the eighth win of his Cup Series career and clinched his spot in the 2024 playoffs.
HARRIS BROUGHT IT HOME: Ally Racing team crew chief Blake Harris earned his first Cup Series victory Sunday at Chicago. The race had several delays for standing water and NASCAR officials made competitors aware that the white flag would be thrown at 8:20 p.m. local time regardless of the lap count. As the track dried out, Harris opted to keep his driver on the racing surface with wet-weather tires while the front runners pitted for slicks. The move resulted in valuable track position, which Bowman was able to use in the final laps to lead eight circuits and prove victorious. After 49 races together, the duo has earned one win, one pole position, eight top-five finishes, 19 top-10s and 95 laps led.
FIRST WIN FOR FRESH FACES: In addition to Harris’ first win as a crew chief, the Windy City performance marked the first Cup victory for seven members of the Ally Racing team: lead engineer George Spencer, tire specialist Collin Hoeffner, engine tuner Gage Wenzel, setup mechanic Travis Braden, tire carrier Brandon Grier, jackman Allen Holman and rear-tire changer Andrew Bridgeforth. Spencer, Hoeffner, Wenzel and Braden are in their first year on the No. 48 team. It is the third year for Holman and the second for Grier and Bridgeforth.
POCONO SUCCESS: This weekend, NASCAR will visit Pocono Raceway, the unique 2.5-mile triangle track located in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. Bowman will make his 15th Cup Series start at the venue, where he has earned one victory (2021), four top-10 finishes, two top-fives and led 34 laps.
BEST FRIENDS SCHEME: This weekend, Best Friends Animal Society returns as Ally’s co-primary sponsor of the No. 48 Chevrolet, which will sport a pet-themed paint scheme at Pocono. The paw-fect design has only appeared once this season at Bowman’s home track of Phoenix Raceway. This time, the scheme features “Bring Zoomies Home” on the TV panel, a nod to Best Friends’ new “Bring Love Home” campaign.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK: On Friday, Alex Bowman is visiting New York City’s Best Friends Life Saving Center on Broadway. The visit celebrates the more than $650,000 that Ally and Bowman have raised together for homeless pets at Best Friends Animal Society and its partners nationwide. Ally will cover pet adoption fees from July 12-14 for all animals at Best Friends Lifesaving Centers in New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Northwest Arkansas, Salt Lake City and the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah.
ADOPT A BEST FRIEND: Bowman recently rescued a new pup of his own, a golden retriever mix named Huck. Since 2021, Bowman and Ally have teamed up to support 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. When Bowman wins, Ally ups its portion of the donation to $10,000. This weekend, the charitable donation will go to Lycoming County SPCA. Ready to adopt your own furry best friend? Make a road trip two hours west of Pocono Raceway to check out the dogs and cats available for adoption at the shelter.
FUELING THE PIT CREW: The Ally Racing pit crew ranks ninth on pit road for the best average four-tire stop this year (11.006). The five-man crew is composed of jackman Holman, tire carrier Grier, front-tire changer Donnie Tasser, rear-tire changer Bridgeforth and gasman Jacob Conley.