5 KYLE LARSON
Age: 29 (July 31, 1992)
Hometown: Elk Grove, California
Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Kevin Meendering
Standings: 7th
No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will be available in the Nashville Superspeedway media center on Saturday, June 25, at 10:30 a.m. local time.
AS GOOD AS I ONCE WAS: Last year at Nashville Superspeedway, Kyle Larson led 264 of 300 laps en route to victory in the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series event at the 1.33-mile track. The driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 started fifth, finished second in stage one and first in stage two before leading the final 78 laps to earn the victory.
THE STREAK: Larson’s victory last June at the Tennessee track marked his third consecutive points-paying victory in NASCAR’s premier series. In fact, from the Darlington Raceway spring race in May through the Nashville event, the Elk Grove, California, native recorded six consecutive top-two finishes. That streak was snapped in the next race at Pocono Raceway when Larson experienced a tire issue in the final corner on the final lap while leading.
SOMETHING LIKE THAT: Last weekend marked the first – and only – off weekend of the 2022 season. In 2021 at Watkins Glen International, Larson won on the serpentine layout following the Cup Series’ final weekend without a race during its season.
I GOT A CAR: In 2022, Larson has led 12 of the 16 races – the second most of any driver in the Cup Series – for 273 laps. The 29-year-old driver has posted top-five finishes in six events – trailing only Ross Chastain (seven) in that statistical category – while securing top-10s in half of the races (eight).
T-R-O-U-B-L-E: Kevin Meendering will be atop the pit box for the No. 5 HendrickCars.com team during the next four races. Crew chief Cliff Daniels, jackman Brandon Johnson and front-tire changer Donnie Tasser are out for four races after the team inadvertently lost its right-front tire during the final stage of the Cup race at Sonoma Raceway. Meendering currently serves as the competition development manager for Hendrick Motorsports and will be the crew chief for the recently announced No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports entry in three NASCAR Xfinity Series races.
HOME: At Nashville this weekend, Larson and the No. 5 HendrickCars.com team will wear their “home” white uniforms. Home races occur in markets where there are Hendrick Automotive Group dealerships nearby, and the Nashville market is home to three of them. Be sure to follow Hendrick Automotive Group’s social media channels and visit HendrickCars.com to view the complete home and away schedule.
WHEN THE DEALIN’S DONE: In a new five-year agreement announced on Tuesday, Valvoline Inc. (NYSE: VVV) extended its relationship as the Official Lubricants Partner of Hendrick Motorsports. The deal includes a major associate sponsorship of the team’s four-car lineup in the NASCAR Cup Series as well as serving as the primary sponsor for Kyle Larson (three races) and William Byron (two races). For 2022, the company added a sixth primary race with Byron and the No. 24 team for this weekend at Nashville Superspeedway. The global leader in vehicle care and supplier of premium branded lubricants and automotive services will also remain the presenting sponsor of the annual Randy Dorton Hendrick Engines Builder Showdown, a competition that brings together engine builders from Hendrick Motorsports and master technicians from Hendrick Automotive Group. For more on the deal that runs through 2027, click here.
THAT’S SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF: By leading the first 50 laps at Sonoma Raceway on June 12, Hendrick Motorsports became the first Cup Series organization to lead over 100,000 miles in the sport’s top series. Through 16 points-paying races in 2022, the team has led 1,548.91 miles.
ROAR OF A SUNDAY CROWD: Since its inception in 1984, Hendrick Motorsports has the most wins after an off weekend in the Cup Series. The organization has 37 wins coming off a weekend of rest – the next closest mark is 27 by Richard Childress Racing. Larson (2021, Watkins Glen International) and Chase Elliott (2019, Talladega Superspeedway spring race) are the two most recent winners for the team after a break.
HOME ON THE (CONCRETE) RANGE: Concrete tracks have been a boon for Hendrick Motorsports recently. Going back to Alex Bowman’s 2021 May win at Dover Motor Speedway, the organization has won four straight races on that track type. That stretch includes Larson’s wins at Nashville and Bristol Motor Speedway last year as well as Elliott’s win at Dover last month.
THE FUN IS JUST BEGINNING: The 2022 race at Nashville marks the second time the Cup Series has visited the 1.33-mile venue. In last year’s inaugural Ally 400, Larson scored the win. It was one of three new tracks that Hendrick Motorsports won on in 2021 – Elliott’s wins at Circuit of The Americas and Road America stand as the others in that category.
FOLLOW YOUR ARROW: Through the first 16 points-paying races of the season, Hendrick Motorsports has led the most laps in the Cup Series. The 1,332 circuits out front are 484 more than the next closest team and account for 31 percent of all the laps run this year.
WHEREVER IT POINTS: The Rick Hendrick-owned organization is the lone team to have its entire lineup inside the top 10 in the point standings. Elliott holds the lead, while Larson ranks seventh, Byron is eighth and Bowman stands in ninth.
WE’RE GONNA BE THE ONES THAT HAVE IT ALL: Hendrick Motorsports five wins this season are the most in the Cup Series by two over Trackhouse Racing. The four drivers have accounted for 20% of the top-five finishes (16) and top-10s (32) this season in the Cup Series.
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on how he expects Nashville Superspeedway to race this year versus last year: “It raced really well (last year). I had only tested there before and it was always kind of just right around the bottom. Last year, I think they put some resin on the track or something and we were able to move up the track. It was pretty slick and you could move around. I hope it’s similar to that. I think it should be and probably even better. It seems like these Next Gen cars slide around even more, so it should be fun.”
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
