5 KYLE LARSON
Age: 31 (July 31, 1992)
Hometown: Elk Grove, California
Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels
Standings: 2nd
No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
SETTING THE STAGE: On Sunday at Iowa Speedway, Kyle Larson won stage two to extend his series-leading stage victories in 2024 to eight. The Elk Grove, California, native has accrued 23 NASCAR Cup playoff points – five more than his nearest competitor – and sits second in the regular season standings, eight markers behind Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott.
OUT FRONT: With nine races to go in the regular season, Larson has led 755 laps, which is 148 more than anyone else. The 2021 Cup champion and driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 also leads the series in pole positions (four) while being tied for most wins (three) and top-five finishes (seven).
SO CLOSE TO MAGIC: This weekend the Cup Series will visit New Hampshire Motor Speedway, where Larson has collected five top-five finishes and seven top-10s in 13 starts. His three runner-up results at “The Magic Mile” are the most by a driver without a win at the New England venue.
IN GOOD COMPANY: In just his fourth year driving for Hendrick Motorsports, Larson has already accumulated 20 points-paying wins, which rank him third in team history. He trails only NASCAR Hall of Famers Jeff Gordon (93) and Jimmie Johnson (83) in victories for the organization, which has won Cup races with a record 20 different drivers. Larson has won 16% of his Hendrick Motorsports starts.
THIS DECADE: Larson’s 20 point-paying wins since 2021 are also the most of any driver at NASCAR’s top level. During his 2021 championship season, he visited victory lane 10 times, then collected three victories in 2022, four in 2023 and three so far this season.
FOUR TIRES FAST: The No. 5 HendrickCars.com pit crew holds the seventh-fastest average four-tire pit stop time in 2024 at 10.962 seconds. Larson’s crew consists of Blaine Anderson (front-tire changer), R.J. Barnette (tire carrier), Brandon Harder (fueler), Brandon Johnson (jackman) and Calvin Teague (rear-tire changer).
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 Loudon, New Hampshire. However, it’s easy to pick up a new set of keys from any one of Hendrick Automotive Group’s 93 dealerships nationwide. Customers can 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 10,000+ others nationwide in working 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.
THREE LEADERS: Following his third-place finish Sunday at Iowa Speedway, Chase Elliott became the third Hendrick Motorsports driver to lead the 2024 NASCAR Cup regular season standings. Teammates William Byron (one week) and Kyle Larson (nine weeks) previously sat atop the series, which has completed 17 of 36 points-paying events.
THIRD TIME: 2024 is the third time Hendrick Motorsports has placed three different drivers atop the standings in a single season. The team first accomplished it in 2009 with the Hall of Fame trio of Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin. The second came last year with Alex Bowman, Byron and Larson.
POINT MADE: Going into the 18th points-paying race of 2024 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers are within the top 12 in the Cup standings. Elliott (first), Larson (second) and Byron (fourth) occupy three of the top-four spots, while Bowman, who is tied for the most top-10 finishes in the series, is 12th overall.
DROUGHT BUSTER: Although Hendrick Motorsports has won nine Cup Series races at New Hampshire, its most recent victory at “The Magic Mile” dates to July 2012. Following that performance by driver Kasey Kahne, the team has earned four Cup championships and 104 points-paying victories on 26 other racetracks. Since then, Hendrick Motorsports has finished in every position inside the top 12 at New Hampshire – except first place.
CELEBRATING 40: In 2024, Hendrick Motorsports is celebrating its 40th anniversary. The team holds the all-time NASCAR Cup Series records in every major statistical category, including championships (14), wins (308), pole positions (251) and laps led (80,891). This season, it leads all Cup organizations with seven points-paying victories through 17 races.
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on challenges at New Hampshire Motor Speedway: “New Hampshire is really challenging, especially with the bumps getting into turn three. Whether it’s being loose into the corners or whether your car is ‘bouncing’ into three, you have to be patient with your car. We’ve had some good runs there, and I like the track and the challenge it provides.”
Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the challenges of New Hampshire Motor Speedway: “We’re looking forward to going to New Hampshire even though it has been a little bit of a difficult track for us. Typically, we are able to run in the top 10, but we never have the outright speed that we always look for. It’s just a tough place with flat corners. It’s got some bumps into (turn) three. So the track has good character, which we like because of the challenge of getting the car set up right and getting the balance right. Hopefully this trip we can get all that a bit closer than last year. We had an OK run there and are building on some of those notes to go and hopefully have a good weekend.”
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
