HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT KENTUCKY: Kentucky is one of only two tracks in the NASCAR Cup Series where Hendrick Motorsports has yet to claim a victory along with the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course. In the organization’s 32 starts at Kentucky, it owns two poles, one second-place result, six top-five finishes, 15 top 10s and 220 laps led. The organization has finished in every position from second to 14th at least once at the track.
THE LAST NINE: Over the last nine races, Hendrick Motorsports leads the NASCAR Cup Series in several categories. The organization has earned the most poles (three), runner-up results (four), top-five finishes (12), top 10s (20) and laps led (580) during that span. Hendrick Motorsports’ average finish of 11.75 in those eight races also leads the Cup Series, and its two wins are tied for the second-most.
FULL SPEED AHEAD: Hendrick Motorsports has had at least three cars finish in the top 10 in four of the past eight races (Dover International Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway). Through the first 18 races of 2019, the organization has increased its poles by five, wins by two, top-five finishes by seven, top-10s by five and laps led by 709 over the same span in 2018. Hendrick Motorsports’ average start of 12.01 this season is 3.8 positions better than through the first 18 races last year, and its average finish of 13.58 is 2.89 spots better than 2018’s mark through the first half of the year.
DRIVEN TO GIVE: During the Kentucky race weekend, all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers will be among the 55 Cup Series and Xfinity Series drivers wearing Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s signature skeleton gloves as part of the Driven to Give Gloves program. Following the race, each pair of gloves will be autographed by the driver wearing them and Earnhardt, then put up for auction on the NASCAR Foundation auction site to benefit the Dale and Amy Earnhardt Fund at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. The funds will support patients and their families in pediatric injury rehabilitation, research and prevention.
1.5-MILE CHAMPS: Hendrick Motorsports has a history of competing well on 1.5-mile tracks, owning an all-time record 59 wins on the track length. Jimmie Johnson leads drivers all-time with 28 wins on 1.5-mile tracks, with former teammate Jeff Gordon in second with 17.
PLAYOFF POSITIONING: Currently, all four Hendrick Motorsports teammates are in position to make the 16-driver NASCAR Cup Series playoffs at the end of the regular season. Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman have both essentially locked in their spots by finding Victory Lane and rank seventh and ninth, respectively, in the point standings. William Byron currently ranks 12th in the standings, with Johnson in 13th.
ORGANIZATION STATS: To date, Hendrick Motorsports has a total of 12 championships, 254 race victories, 221 pole positions, 1,059 top-five finishes and 1,814 top-10s in points-paying NASCAR Cup Series competition. Its teams have led more than 68,500 laps since 1984. |