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/McLaren Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
DOUBLE DAY: On Sunday, Kyle Larson will attempt to become the fifth driver to complete “The Double” by competing in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Arrow McLaren will field the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet in a car owned by Rick Hendrick. The effort, dubbed the #Hendrick1100, is sponsored by HendrickCars.com. Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 airs at 12:45 p.m. ET on NBC, followed by the Coca-Cola 600 at 6 p.m. ET on FOX.
FIFTH IN THE FAST SIX: Larson continued his Indianapolis 500 preparation on Sunday with Arrow McLaren at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. During the Fast 12 qualifying session, the 31-year-old driver posted a four-lap average speed of 232.788 mph, securing a spot in the Fast 6. On his single attempt in the final round at the 2.5-mile track, Larson’s speed of 232.846 mph earned him the fifth starting position for INDYCAR’s most prestigious event.
ALL-STAR PERFORMANCE: Following a late caution at North Wilkesboro Speedway, Larson maneuvered to a fourth-place finish in Sunday’s non-points NASCAR All-Star exhibition race. The top-five finish came despite starting at the rear of the field due to his absence from qualifying while participating in Indianapolis 500 time trials.
FACTS ON THE FIVE: Larson and his No. 5 HendrickCars.com team are having a strong NASCAR Cup Series season. Through 13 races, he leads the standings by 30 points. The Elk Grove, California, native is one of three drivers with multiple wins in 2024 (Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway) and has series-best marks in top-five finishes (six), laps led (649) and stage wins (seven).
CHARLOTTE STATS: Larson has achieved notable success at the 1.5-mile layout of Charlotte Motor Speedway. In 14 starts, he has one win, two top-five finishes, six top-10s and 399 laps led. Over the last six races on the oval, he has led the most laps of any driver (379). In 2021, Larson won the Coca-Cola 600 in a dominant performance, leading 327 laps – the fifth-highest total in the event’s history. The victory marked the 269th Cup Series win for Hendrick Motorsports, surpassing Petty Enterprises as the winningest team in Cup Series history.
1.5-MILE MUSCLE: Larson’s dominance on intermediate layouts has been impressive with three victories in the last five races, including two in 2024. On 1.5-mile tracks since joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2021, he has secured eight victories, tallied the most stage wins (21) and holds the longest active streak of races led (11).
HONOR AND REMEMBER: As part of this weekend’s 600 Miles of Remembrance, each car in the field will carry the name of a fallen service member on the windshield. U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone is honored on the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. You can check out every angle of the scheme, featuring Basilone’s name on the windshield, here.
PUTTING IN WORK: In the Cup Series, the No. 5 HendrickCars.com pit crew has the season’s fifth-best average four-tire pit stop time (10.966 seconds). The five-person crew is comprised of Blaine Anderson (front-tire changer), R.J. Barnette (tire carrier), Brandon Harder (fueler), Brandon Johnson (jackman) and Calvin Teague (rear-tire changer).
HENDRICKCARS.COM IS HOME: The Coca-Cola 600 is a home race for the HendrickCars.com team, which will wear its “home” white firesuits this weekend. Hendrick Automotive Group is headquartered in Charlotte with numerous dealerships located throughout North Carolina. For the week of every HendrickCars.com home race this season, there is a new hat released and only available for purchase at trackside merchandise haulers or to win at HendrickCars.com. Less than 100 of each limited-edition hat will be available to the public. This week’s #Hendrick1100-themed hat was revealed Tuesday and can be seen here. Fans can enter for a chance to win one of five sets of the special edition hats autographed by Larson.
WE’RE HIRING: Hendrick Automotive Group is hiring more than 300 technicians at its dealerships throughout the country. Positions are open for all skill levels and offer tuition and training reimbursement. Interested people can apply at HendrickCars.com.
1,100 MILES: For the first time in his NASCAR Hall of Fame career, Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick will be a car owner for the Indianapolis 500, doing so with the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet driven by Kyle Larson. The entry, fielded through a unique partnership with the Arrow McLaren INDYCAR Team, will see the 2021 Cup Series champion become the fifth driver to attempt “The Double” by racing the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.
HENDRICK HOMECOMING: On Friday and Saturday, Hendrick Motorsports will hold “Hendrick Homecoming” to celebrate the team’s 40th anniversary in NASCAR. The free fan event, which takes place over the same weekend as the Coca-Cola 600 at nearby Charlotte Motor Speedway, will feature appearances by past and present drivers, along with games, displays, giveaways and more. For information on the two-day event, click here.
FABULOUS 40: In 2024, Hendrick Motorsports is celebrating its 40th anniversary. The organization holds the all-time NASCAR Cup Series records in every major statistical category, including championships (14), points-paying race wins (307), pole positions (250) and laps led (80,730).
WINNING TRIO: Hendrick Motorsports drivers William Byron (three wins), Larson (two) and Chase Elliott (one) have tallied six Cup Series victories through the first 13 points-paying events of 2024. Based in Concord, North Carolina, the organization has won at least six races in 19 of the last 24 seasons. Six victories matches the team’s second-best total (1996 and 1997) at this point in a season. Hendrick Motorsports’ best start came in 2007 when it recorded nine wins in the first 13 races.
PIT POWER: Hendrick Motorsports holds four of the top-five spots for the fastest average four-tire pit stop in 2024. The No. 9 team leads the way (10.643 seconds), with the No. 24 team in third (10.849 seconds), the No. 48 team in fourth (10.958 seconds) and the No. 5 team rounding out the top five (10.966 seconds).
MILE-AND-A-HALF MOJO: In this season’s three races on 1.5-mile intermediate tracks, Hendrick Motorsports has been victorious every time. Larson won at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March and Kansas Speedway in May. Elliott went to victory lane at Texas Motor Speedway in April. Across the three events, Hendrick Motorsports tops the board for all teams in laps led (378) and stage wins (four).
NEXT GEN NUMBERS: Hendrick Motorsports’ eight wins on 1.5-mile tracks in the Next Gen car is more than double the total of any other Cup Series team (three wins). Since 2022, Larson has a series-best four wins on 1.5-mile tracks and Byron two, making them two of the four drivers with multiple wins on intermediates. Teammates Alex Bowman and Elliott have each earned one Next Gen triumph on this type of track. Over the last 12 races on 1.5-milers, Larson and Byron are the only repeat winners.
BLACKJACK: Hendrick Motorsports has 21 wins at the Charlotte Motor Speedway oval, tied for the third-most Cup Series victories at any track by an organization. The team also holds the top-two spots on the list with its win totals at Martinsville Speedway (29) and Dover Motor Speedway (22).
DEEP SIX: Six drivers have combined for Hendrick Motorsports’ record 12 wins in the Coca-Cola 600. Jimmie Johnson’s four wins (2003, 2004, 2005 and 2014) are part of his track-best eight wins on the oval. Next on the list is Jeff Gordon, now the team’s vice chairman, with three victories (1994, 1997 and 1998). Darrell Waltrip was the first Hendrick Motorsports driver to win the prestigious event, which he did back-to-back in 1988 and 1989. Casey Mears (2007), Kasey Kahne (2012) and most recently Larson (2021) each have one win.
HISTORICAL HIGHS: In the 2021 edition of the Coca-Cola 600, Hendrick Motorsports earned its 269th Cup Series win, passing Petty Enterprises to become the all-time winningest team in the sport’s top series. Hendrick Motorsports finished first, second, fourth and fifth that night, marking the first time a single organization placed four drivers in the top five in the Memorial Day weekend event.
600 MILES OF REMEMBRANCE: The Memorial Day weekend race at Charlotte Motor Speedway remembers the men and women who gave their lives in service while defending the United States of America. The name of a fallen service member will appear on the windshield of every Cup Series car in the Coca-Cola 600 field.
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on “The Double”: “We had a good qualifying session at Indy last weekend and we’ll get one final practice in on Carb Day (Friday). It’s cool, and I want to thank Hendrick Motorsports for getting the (No.) 5 team up here (to Indianapolis) Friday to be a part of it. Hopefully, the weather cooperates this weekend. We want to be sure to get in a good practice and qualifying on Saturday at Charlotte so we have a great chance to battle for the win at the end of 600 miles Sunday night.”
Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on Charlotte prep: “We are certainly looking forward to getting to Charlotte for the 600. What a special weekend and what an awesome opportunity for really everyone on the (No.) 5 team, everyone at Hendrick Motorsports that’s part of the Cup effort, and of course, a part of the INDYCAR effort as well. Yeah, just a lot to look forward to. It’s a big challenge, and we certainly want to prove that we’re up for the challenge. A lot of belief in our team is in our process and the work ethic we’re putting in to make sure we can have a successful weekend and give Kyle a good car to go race with for 600 miles on our end. Wishing everybody up there in Indy a lot of luck for the 500 and really pulling for those guys.”
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
