Information By: HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS – CONCORD, NC
Bristol Motor Speedway
Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024
0.533-Mile Short Track
7:30 PM ET
Location: Bristol, Tennessee
TV: USA
Event: NASCAR Cup Series (Race 29 of 36)
RADIO: SiriusXM
Kyle Larson
Chase Elliott
William Byron
Alex Bowman
5 KYLE LARSON
Age: 32 (July 31, 1992)
Hometown: Elk Grove, California
Last Week: 12th (Watkins Glen)
Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels
Standings: 9th (-20)
No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Kyle Larson is the only driver to have eclipsed the 1,000-laps-led barrier in 2024 with 1,089.
The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion is 26 points above the elimination cutoff and will advance to the Round of 12 regardless of what any other driver does by earning 34 points at Bristol Motor Speedway. Larson averages 43 points per race at the Tennessee track in the stage era (since 2017) – his best of all tracks with more than four starts.
The No. 5 HendrickCars.com entry is 31 markers ahead in the owners standings.
Larson is tied for the most stage wins this year with 10 and is one of only two drivers with double-digit stage victories.
The 32-year-old driver has run a series-high 3,558 laps in the top five in 2024 and his average running position of 10.21 also tops the series.
The driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevy has finished in the top 10 in his last five starts at Bristol. Larson’s longest top-10 streak at a track is six (Kansas Speedway and Phoenix Raceway).
Larson is the only driver to finish in the top five in all three races at Bristol in the Next Gen Car.
9 CHASE ELLIOTT
Age: 28 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Last week: 19th (Watkins Glen)
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: T-6th (-16)
No. 9 Llumar Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Chase Elliott heads to Bristol Motor Speedway tied for sixth in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff standings, 30 points above the elimination line. He would lock into the Round of 12 by earning 30 points in Saturday night’s race, regardless of where any other driver finishes. Elliott averages 34 points per race at Bristol in the stage era (since 2017).
The 2020 Cup Series champion is currently riding a streak of three consecutive top-10 finishes at Bristol, posting an eighth-place result in the spring.
While Elliott’s best finish in a points-paying Cup race at the Tennessee short track is second (2022), he scored an All-Star Race victory there in 2020.
Elliott’s 444 laps led in points-paying Cup events at Bristol is his third-most on active tracks behind Martinsville Speedway (1,104) and Phoenix Raceway (546).
The driver of the No. 9 LLumar Chevrolet is tied with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson and two other drivers for the most stage wins at Bristol (three).
Elliott’s active streak of five top-10 finishes on short tracks tops the series while his points earned on short tracks this season (192) rank third.
24 WILLIAM BYRON
Age: 26 (Nov. 29, 1997)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Last Week: 34th (Watkins Glen)
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Standings: 10th (-21)
No. 24 Z by HP Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
After the second race of the Round of 16, William Byron is 10th in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff standings, 25 points above the cutoff line.
In three races at Bristol Motor Speedway in the Next Gen car, Byron has run 289 laps in the top five – ninth-most – and 746 laps in the top 10 – eighth-most.
Byron has earned two wins and collected 146 points in races at short tracks in the Next-Gen era.
This season, Byron has run within the top five for 1,825 laps – eighth-most – within the top 10 for 3,719 laps – fifth-most – and has an average running position of 13.547 – sixth-best.
48 ALEX BOWMAN
Age: 31 (April 25, 1993)
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Last Week: 18th (Watkins Glen)
Crew Chief: Blake Harris
Standings: T-3rd (-5)
No. 48 Ally Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Alex Bowman leads Hendrick Motorsports drivers entering the final race of the Round of 16 at Bristol Motor Speedway, sitting in a tie for third in the NASCAR Cup Series points standings, 41 points above the cutoff.
Bowman leads all drivers in stage points in the playoffs (28) and is the only driver to score points in all four stages thus far. Excluding the Coca-Cola 600 which has three stages, 28 stage points are the most Bowman has earned over a two-race span in his career.
Bowman will lock into the Round of 12 regardless of what any other driver does by earning 19 points at Bristol, where he averages 24 points per race in the stage era. He has made the Round of 12 in all five of his previous playoff appearances.
Bowman finished fourth at Bristol in March. He has scored three top fives, four top 10s and led three laps there in his career.
With eight races remaining in the season, Bowman already has seven top-five finishes, one fewer than his career high of eight, set in 2021. He also has 13 top-10 finishes, placing him in a four-way tie for fourth most and just three behind his most in a season (2021).
Bowman will join the Chevy Stage display at 4 p.m. on Saturday at Bristol before visiting the Hendrick Motorsports Merchandise hauler at 4:20 to sign autographs for fans with a special wrist band. When merch haulers open this weekend, be one of first 100 purchasers of an Alex Bowman hat, T-shirt, and 1:64 diecast. Purchasers will receive a wristband to return for Bowman’s signing. The 5, 24, 48 merchandise hauler will open at 11 a.m. on Thursday and noon on Friday and Saturday.
For four years, Bowman and Ally have teamed up to support Best Friends Animal Society and their vast network of partners. Every race weekend, the pair donates $4,800 to help homeless pets. This weekend, the charitable donation will go to Montgomery County Animal Care and Control located in Clarksville, Tennessee.